350Z Fog Sensor Problems

Alright, Z fam, I'm at my wit's end! My 2007 Nissan 350Z, gasoline engine, is throwing a fit with its fog sensor. Got 214396 km on the clock. The error memory's full of fog sensor errors, the AC refuses to kick on, my spray nozzles are frozen solid even when it's not that cold, and the mirror heating is MIA. I'm betting it's a dodgy cable or plug connection to the sensor itself. Anyone else wrestled with this gremlin? Feels like the car's visibility system is totally blind!

4 comment(s)

Sounds familiar! Had a similar drama with my old BMW 5 series. Different brand, same type of weird symptoms. Fog sensor malfunction can mess with everything tied to the climate control system because it thinks it's perpetually foggy or something. Did you check the voltage at the sensor connector? That was my initial suspect

Voltage, huh? Good call! I hadn't thought of that. Where exactly should I be probing with my multimeter on the connector? And what voltage range am I looking for? I'm pretty handy with tools, but electricity feels like voodoo sometimes!

Yeah, voltage. I don't remember the exact pins on the 350Z, check the service manual for the pinout. For BMW I had to find a wiring diagram online. If the voltage is way off or non-existent, it pretty much confirms a wiring issue. At this point, I'd bite the bullet and take it to a workshop. It's likely an open circuit that needs tracing or connector corrosion that is a pain to find

I ended up taking your advice and went to the workshop, after fiddling around myself and not getting anywhere. Turns out you were spot on about the wiring issue! It was a corroded connector. They cleaned it up, charged me 95€ and now everything's working perfectly. Air con's blasting, spray nozzles are spraying, and mirrors are toasty! Thanks a bunch for pointing me in the right direction!

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