Zed Head

There's a splice along the way. The right side has essentially two ground points, one at the splice and one at the terminal end of the wire. I put a picture n my other post. Maybe you're reading your own schematic?

Don't know if you're grounding to the ground pin or the body when you take those measurements but the ground side could feasibly be the issue. Find that splice. It's probably one of those scary looking crimp splices, buried in some tape somewhere. Edit - actually, take a measurement from the power pin to ground first. That will tell you if the ground is bad.

Have you taken a close look at the socket the bulb sits in? I had one get so hot the electrode melted the plastic and it shifted sideways and shorted.

I misread the first post. Thought he was just having problems getting the car started after sitting. Even the EFI 280Z's with electric pumps supposedly have problems refilling the lines if the tank runs dry.

Someone posted this on another site. Don't know how to embed. http://imgur.com/gallery/EBCe0dI

Somewhere out there you might actually be able to get a rebuild kit. But who rebuilds their fuel pump? Then you test it. You can test it first to see how strong it is.

Don't know the ins and outs of the mechanical pumps but shouldn't they hold fuel in they lines when shut down? Is there an anti-siphon valve, like the electric pumps, either in the lines, at the tank, or at the pump? I'm suggesting that there shouldn't be air in the lines, you're basically "losing your prime". Could also be just a weak pump. Clogged fuel filter comes to mind also.

Sorry Richard, but you have a tendency to bloviate. It just bugs me. And your advice about L=F and S=N is just wrong and could lead people to problems. So I corrected it. It's not trolling. Trolls hope for a response. I'm doing the opposite. And I'm not a moderator, that's kind of an honorary title. Because of my tendency to correct errors.

Beware - http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/55976-slicks-garage-interested-in-z-cars/#comment-501094 Your project is beyond my ken (I have no idea why I know how to use that word. Too many books as a child). Considering all, risks, the joy of seeing progress, a reason to take a drive...maybe a local shop is the way to go. Arizona was just one suggestion. Really hard to keep track, especially if you get a non-communicative shop.

I wasn't warring just trying to get back to common forum courtesy. Read other people's posts, consider, then reply. CM has a tendency to repeat what's already been said like no one else is there. When I used the zcarcreations method (see below) I noticed that either the Brake light did not light up anymore or it stayed on all the time. So, to my mind, it did not work because I wanted a functioning Brake light. It indicates when the engine is running in addition to brake system function And the atlanticz method did not work either since the relay drained my battery after a couple of days. A common problem with problem threads is figuring out what people mean when they say work or not work. Too general. One person's good enough is another's doesn't work. CM's link to zcarcreations's site is the generic "how an alternator works" page, not the specific instructions that most people refer to. With the general knowledge of what S and L mean all you need is the L wire, which is where I ended up. Here's the specific zcarcreations page that can give poor results. http://www.zcarcreations.com/howto/voltreg.htm

It's from the 1982 FSM showing the common labels for an internally regulated alternator. The subject of the post.

Thanks Tomcat. Maybe Ryan from zcardepot can work up his own variant. I'm surprised he doesn't have something like the RT style mount, considering how fast his development work is going on other areas. His new Ford diff mount shows some imagination.

No idea how much is left, it looks thrashed, but there might be an odd part or two left. For example, I know the ignition relay is easy to get to, and dry, and it's a direct swap for the 280Z's, maybe the early ones also. It has a dedicated ground wire but you can still ground it through the case like the Z's. http://row52.com//Vehicle/Index/RNDK7fLV7NKQ1OQqa0rztNUJM

Weren't you working on getting a Haltech system going pretty recently? Have you installed and tuned a Megasquirt system? Seems like there's a lot of internet sleuthing and agglomerating going on. Nothing wrong with that, it's just good to qualify advice given with a caveat or two.

So much for the seven words...

****ing NBC $^!#-head mother****ing douchebags. I wanted to watch the womens 400 m and I accidentally opened a site that reported the winner already. Those money-grubbing bastards should have their dicks cut off if they haven't shriveled up to nothing already.

http://www.atlanticz.ca/

If I was stuck where you're at, I'd put a potentiometer in the circuit and throttle the current until the tach started working or a misfire started. A cheap test. If it works then you'll know it's a current problem and you can devise a way to get the tach what it needs. If it doesn't you haven't lost much.

****in' A, kind of pisses you off, doesn't it?

Crap.

Can't write wizz, but I can write damn.

Does the "Brake" light light up when the key is On, but engine not running? If it doesn't the Check Relay is not checking. I have a 76 and I've tried all of the schemes and fixed the problem with the atlanticz scheme. I just did the swap about five years ago. Etiquette.

It's called F and N on externally regulated alternators. L and S on internally regulated. Diagrammed out with good illustration in the 1982 280ZX Electrical chapter. You're repeating already stated facts. Might read through previous posts first, it will keep things clearer. The zcarcreations wiring scheme screws up the proper operation of the Brake light in the dash. It's different from the atlanticz scheme.