Seatbelt and taillights flashing

[Idaho240]

I have an early 72 240Z. Doesn't look like anything's been tampered with and have had no electrical issues previously. I recently disconnected the negative battery terminal to remove my steering wheel, and when I reconnected my battery my seatbelt light is flashing and when I sit in the seat or touch the throttle the taillights also Flash. I don't think it really has anything to do with sitting in the seat or touching my throttle I think it's the shaking of the car which makes me think it might be a short somewhere. Thinking nobody's ever had this specific problem but maybe somebody can give me an idea of where to start. I'm not an electrical guy and not sure what to do.

 

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[SteveJ]

Was the steering wheel the only thing you removed, and why was it removed? Did you disconnect the combo switch or ignition switch? Have you looked for loose wires in the steering column? 

How long have you had the car? Did it show any other intermittent electrical issues before? How old is the battery?

[Idaho240]

I've had the car for about 3 months. Removed the steering wheel to restore it. There were no electrical issues prior to reconnecting the battery and I don't remember reconnecting any loose wires. I don't see any loose connections anywhere.

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[Idaho240]

The battery looks fairly new

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[SteveJ]

Have you removed the clamshell cover on the steering column and looked for loose wires? You may also need to remove the center console and look around the center stack, too.

By the way, go to the resources section of this site and download an electronic copy of the factory service manual if you don't already have one.

[Idaho240]

I'll have to take a look at the steering column. I'll be removing the console next to replace it. I'll let you know what i find. Thanks for taking the time to put some thought into this.

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[Idaho240]

It makes sense now. I followed the ticking of the flashers underneath the passenger side Dash, and found an old alarm system that was installed by the previous owner. There were about six or seven Bunches of wires plugged into it so I started removing them one by one and eventually the light and flashers stopped flashing. everything else still seems to work fine without it plugged in.

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[SteveJ]

Sometimes those aftermarket alarms really play hell with the electrical system. Be sure to use the factory wiring diagram to diagnose/restore the wiring. That will reduce your headaches in the future.

[Idaho240]

yeah i can see why. There's about a thousands wires coming out of the thing. I'd like to just remove it but I'm worried I'll make things worse. Everything works great now so I might just tuck it back up under the dash and pretend I never saw it. Thanks for your help Steve.

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[SteveJ]

Can you see what brand/model the alarm is? There might be some wiring diagrams for it available online. That could help if you have any more issues.