[Itshouldbeprofessional]

I have a random, hard to replicate electrical problem on my 1999 XE with the V6. Sometimes the radio, the power accessory socket and the ciggarette lighter just won't have power when I first start up the truck. These systems will remain inoperable either until the next time I go to start it up again, or very weirdly, they will just magically come back on while driving. Seems to take a while when this happens, upwards of 45 min or more, but there really seems to be no rhyme or reason behind it. I think it may be water triggered as it seems to almost always do this after it's rained, but I've recently noticed that these systems will not have power sometimes when it hasn't rained. I live in Georgia so maybe it has something to do with the humidity, I'm not sure. I've never seen these systems lose power while driving; if they are working at startup they will work continuously. Any suggestions on where to look first would be greatly appreciated!

 

[smj999smj]

It sounds like your "accessory relay" may be sticking; I believe it powers all of these items. It should be located on the back of the fuse block-junction box, next to the blower relay and ignition relay. It's a blue relay, IIRC. If it's not that, next I would take a look at the ignition switch.

 

[Itshouldbeprofessional]

Thank you so much for responding!

Ok so I've looked on the Nissan Parts Deal diagram and it looks like this relay, just like you said, is located along with the ignition and blower relays in box "E," I guess my next question is:
Where is box E? Is it behind the radio?

 

[smj999smj]

I believe they plug into the back of the fuse box located under the driver's side of the dash.

 

[BigDad]

Check all of your grounds, I think their are four.

 

[Itshouldbeprofessional]

I have a new relay on order, should arrive Tuesday. If this doesn't end up being the fix it's fine since this type of relay is also used for several other systems, good to have on hand.
If the relay isn't the issue then checking the grounds will be the next step.

 

[smj999smj]

I would've just swapped it with another blue relay from something else, like an A/C clutch relay, to see if it fixed the problem before ordering one. But, like you said, they are used a lot.

 

[Itshouldbeprofessional]

Well dang, that's actually a really good idea!
*Facepalm*
Oh well, I don't mind having a spare if it turns out to not be the relay, and now anyone in the future that reads this will know this and try swapping one out first.