killdat_son Posted May 10, 2018 Share #1 Posted May 10, 2018 I took out the dash on my 83 ZX 2+2 and I disconnected the dash harness from the main harness and I also took out the wires from the taillight, fuel pump, everything. Once I put the dash back in and wired everything up the car didn't start. The headlights and lights work for the dash but the gauges and accessory lights on the dash, don't turn on at all. It's like when I turn the key, nothing happens not even the fuel pump turns on and the fuel pump wire and fuel pump wire relay are plugged in.The battery volts on the dash gauge works but that's it. I looked at the ignition switch and the red/blue wire is cut. I read somewhere that the wire connects to the dash harness but idk where. Please help me figure out where the red/blue wire connects to. This is my theory on why the car wont turn on, It is probably not but I can only hope. the car ran fine before I took out the dash and now it doesn't even crank, it did have problems with idling and it would struggle to turn on but it did crank(this was before I took out the dash) I need to clear the fuel lines and cant with fuel in the lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zed Head Posted May 10, 2018 Share #2 Posted May 10, 2018 1 hour ago, killdat_son said: I took out the dash on my 83 ZX 2+2 ....I looked at the ignition switch and the red/blue wire is cut. I read somewhere that the wire connects to the dash harness This is my theory on why the car wont turn on, It is probably not but I can only hope. the car ran fine before I took out the dash and now it doesn't even crank, it did have problems with idling and it would struggle to turn on but it did crank(this was before I took out the dash) I need to clear the fuel lines and cant with fuel in the lines. Did you cut the wire? There is a factory service manual available for free download. https://www.classiczcars.com/files/category/14-280zx/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killdat_son Posted May 10, 2018 Author Share #3 Posted May 10, 2018 No I didn’t cut the wire, the wire was already cut. The red/blue wire is connected to a little square box on the ignition , where the key goes in and I can’t find where to plug it in. I looked at the diagram you suggested and it just looks like it’s a ground.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zed Head Posted May 10, 2018 Share #4 Posted May 10, 2018 If the engine ran before, and the wire was cut before, then it would not be the problem. Seems like you're focused on something that probably doesn't matter. Do you have a meter? You need to find out where the power is and where the power isn't. The ignition relay is a good starting point. And the fusible link. It supplies the relay, which passes the power on to the harness. With a meter or a test light you can find out where the power is not getting through. This is just one diagram of many in the Electrical chapter. With wire colors. Locations are in another part of the chapter. You just have to get in there and poke around. Don't forget to double-check the battery connections. They can be tight enough to run the meter but loose enough to open up when the starter draws a lot fo current. They need to be tight and clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siteunseen Posted May 10, 2018 Share #5 Posted May 10, 2018 Red with a blue stripe was the radio power on my 240. Do you have the OE deck or something newer, or maybe nothing at all? It powers the radio through the ignition switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killdat_son Posted May 10, 2018 Author Share #6 Posted May 10, 2018 Hmm maybe it’s the same for that wire, idk whenever I look online for a new ignition switch, it has the wire with the part so idk. I’m just gonna have to take out everything I plugged in and do it again. Do any of you guys might have an idea of why the dash gauges aren’t turning on, or why the engine doesn’t wanna crank when I turn the key? The lights turn on to see the dash but not the important things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siteunseen Posted May 10, 2018 Share #7 Posted May 10, 2018 You can always use a srewdriver to jump the post on the starter. Bypasses all the BS switches but you'll still need to find and fix the problems. Are you sure the dash light dimmer knob is turned all the way up? Other than that, it could be in the combo switch on the right side of the steering wheel. Sounds to me like somebody has done some hacking and splicing without reading the directions. Like a so called doctor taking out your kidney. Good luck man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zed Head Posted May 10, 2018 Share #8 Posted May 10, 2018 1 hour ago, killdat_son said: I’m just gonna have to take out everything I plugged in and do it again. Good luck with this method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killdat_son Posted May 11, 2018 Author Share #9 Posted May 11, 2018 The guy I bought it from did say he took out the dash and “fixed it” . And jump on the post starter? What does that do and how? And the lights for the dash turn on when I turn on the headlights on. Not the side markers, but the headlights with them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siteunseen Posted May 11, 2018 Share #10 Posted May 11, 2018 Probably shouldn't have mentioned that. If you have issues elsewhere it might not work. But here's what I've done before. turn they key to on and make sure it's in neutral. Touch the two leads on the solenoid with a screwdriver. It'll arch and scare you when it does but it should force the starter to spin. Have you tried pushing or pulling it in gear as another way to start? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zed Head Posted May 11, 2018 Share #11 Posted May 11, 2018 23 hours ago, killdat_son said: I took out the dash on my 83 ZX 2+2 the car ran fine before I took out the dash and now it doesn't even crank, it did have problems with idling and it would struggle to turn on but it did crank(this was before I took out the dash) From post #9 - "The guy I bought it from did say he took out the dash and “fixed it” . Did you remove the dash or did you buy a car with the dash removed? Did the car run fine for you or the other guy? Not really clear what's going on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killdat_son Posted May 11, 2018 Author Share #12 Posted May 11, 2018 I’ll try that, but no I haven’t tried pulling it. It sits in my garage till I get it running. And from the guy I bought it from, he took out the dash and he messed with the harness a bit. Don’t know what he did but it looks like he only made a few changes. He put the dash back in and when I bought it he was able to start it up and drive it on the trailer I had. Of course it misfired because of a injector oring (which I fixed) but there is rust on the floor pan so I took out the dash and moved the harness out of the way so I have more room; thinking about it it was a dumb move on my end but now I’m here. I did got it running after I installed the correct new fuel injector and water pump but at one point decided to start the project on the rust . When I took out the dash I marked everything that I saw was plugged in on the dash and a few on the kick side panel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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