Zed Head

I hate to parrot your posts back to you but there's some stuff that's not clear. Might help you solve your problems though. Easy to get lost, best to get systematic when problem-solving. It sounds like the engine does actually run. You said the tach doesn't work and the only way to see that is if the engine is running. Plus you can't really ID vacuum leaks unless the engine is running. So you have an engine that will start and run on battery power, but you think that the alternator isn't charging. How did you determine that? Did you measure voltage at the battery terminals or are you using the dash gauge? You also had the alternator bench-tested then apparently replaced it. Most people would have the new alternator bench-tested right away just to save another trip. Then you replaced the VR, so you must have assumed the alt was good. So you should have a good alternator and a good VR but you're not getting voltage from the battery. That might point to the power supply to the VR. Which points to other areas, not necessarily the Signal wire. So, if you went back to the beginning, what would you say the problems are, and how did you identify them? I get the impression that assumptions are being made, and they may be incorrect. We have a bunch of people here who have seen every odd problem, but we work best with the raw clues, not the decisions that have been made. Your mechanic might be working on the wrong stuff.

Guess I was way off on the plastic doohickey. F, N, S, and L will tell the story though. Still some concerns about what your guy was looking for . He must have been measuring at the alternator, not the regulator. Here's a test to bypass the regulator. At least he can see that it works and move on to other causes. There is a whole series of tests in the Service Manual. Also, I'm pretty sure that the external regulator suppliers out there are iffy. The solid state ones are sensitive, and the wiring changed over the years. If you find that the alternator works but you can't get a good regulator you might go for the ZX internally regulated system.

That's a great video Dave. I had my BAT wire and Condenser backward. So the original picture is not far off. And the later alternators, or the remans, apparently don't have the plastic assemblies on the back. My factory 1976 alt does. So the OP might have the right alternator. Does your alternator have F and N molded in to the case? Can he tell by looking if he has the right one?

You have a 70 and a 75? You're on the right forum. Post some pics.

A picture of the engine from the driver's side might show something. Is the distributor not a stock 1975 distributor? The tach is run from the blue wire from the negative post of the coil. But there are many many ways to install a new ignition system so the tach may not even connected. The engines are very durable so the fact that yours runs means that with some work you'll probably get what you expected when you bought it. If you know how to use a multimeter you might be better off in the long run fixing things yourself. The cars are a complicated collection of simple parts. With time most people make great progress.

The tachs do go bad sometimes. Since you're here you might as well give the whole story of when the alternator went bad, when the tach went bad, what you were doing when it (they) died, any early signs that you saw, etc. The problems could be related or not. Does the car drive now, after you charge the battery? Or has it been sitting? As siteunseen said, fuses can go bad, along with fusible links and relays. These cars are old, and they leak. The electricals tend to corrode and rust. With more details something might show.

The tachs do go bad sometimes. Since you're here you might as well give the whole story of when the alternator went bad, when the tach went bad, what you were doing when it(they), any early signs that you saw, etc. The problems could be related or not. Does the car drive now, after you charge the battery? Or has it been sitting? As siteunseen said, fuses can go bad, along with fusible links and relays. These cars are old, and they tend to leak. The electrical tend to corrode and rust. With more details something might show.

Tell him that original external regulator use mechanical points like an old distributor and see what he says (your replacement might be solid state though). There's actually a procedure for adjusting them. Shown in the Engine Electrical chapter of the factory FSM. Good luck.

Did you just peel back the rubber from the glass and pump material in until it came out at some exit point? Or did you pump it in at various spots? I think that I would have opened up an exit on the other side and filled that groove until it came out.

2016 - 20 = 1996. They stopped using external regulators in 1978. He may not be familiar with how they work. The "Signal" wire would be going to the regulator, not the alternator. Sounds like he's trying to rationalize how they work, but that will be difficult. Just saying, he might be trying but these old cars can be tricky. Check the Download section of the forum for Service Manuals and diagrams. Anyway, I think that Oreilly gave you the wrong alternator and when you get the right one you'll probably be fine.

And I'm pretty sure the externally regulated alternators all have a plastic assembly on the back. Like this. Yours doesn't. Just looks like the wrong unit.

Check for F and N molded in to the back of the alternator by the T plug (the right circle in my picture). Oreillys has been known to give the wrong parts. If they gave you the wrong alternator it will have S and L molded in to the back. You can also see BAT molded in where the charging wire goes (the left circle). I think the external regulator systems might not get power to N until the key is on. Your mechanic should know these things. Is he a professional or just somebody you know?

What year is your car? I think that you might have an internally regulated alternator. That's what your picture looks like. Your mechanic probably thought it was a direct swap, and probably meant Sense, not Signal. If he did install an internally regulated alternator (1978 - 1983 Z and ZX) then he has to do some wiring or buy the adapter below. It's not a bolt-on swap. I'd buy the adapter, it's a plug-in and contains the diode to keep the engine from running when the key is turned off. Here a link- http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/12-4067

Have you tried just shorting all of the relevant relays? Just to see if the problem is that they're not being actuated. If it still doesn't work it's probably an ECU issue.

What do you mean by Signal wire? The external regulator alternators use an F and an N wire. And you don't have anything connected to the BAT post, except the condenser.

Didn't mean to muddy up your effort. You said "either the car and all the parts or any of the parts" in #2 though, implying that you were ready to split things up. The 4.11 ratio R200 Quaife would probably sell right away if you had a price on it, for example. P79 head, probably go quick. Seats, easy sell. Stuff like that. GLWS.

Way TMI! I am in a legal weed state though (state being Oregon, not state of mind), and AdSense probably knows where my ISP server is. It would be somewhat ironic if marijuana use caused sleep apnea, leading to people buying CPAP masks but converting them for alternative uses. Vicious cycle.

I don't think that the fluid is causing the yellowing. The reservoir material is probably nylon, which tends to yellow over time. So if that's the main reason, it won't really help. On the paint protection issue, maybe so, but silicones can cause other problems, like screwing up the application of paint. Fisheyes and adhesion problems. And if your car has been repainted with a two component system, like a typical urethane, you may not need that protection. The paint is crosslinked. But, apparently, different chemistries can be used to achieve the DOT5 spec. The spec. is a physical property spec. not a chemistry spec. Kind of like GL-4 and GL-5 in gear oils. So DOT 5 may not be what you think it is. http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/brake-fluid http://ebcbrakes.com/product/brake-fluids/ So, if you want the paint protection, just make sure that the fluid is silicone based. Read the fine print. Random thoughts. I used to work at a paint company.

Seems a bit slow, so...anybody know what the Popular Contributors column signifies? What is being contributed and how is it being quantified? Seriously, I don't know what it means or what to do with it. Nothing to click on. Give me a clickable thing!!! p.s. why would an ad for sleep mask problems be on the page? Anybody else get sleep mask ads?

That list is very large. Not clear really, if you're trying to sell the car and all of the parts as a package, or the car separate from a package of parts, or if each part is for sale. Seriously, it's a list of parts, for sale. And no prices listed. That almost always means "too much wanted". And you have to post a picture if you want to sell a car. Just gotta.

Looks nice. What's a "fuel boost"? Stick shift or automatic?

I can't remember if it was Dave WM or KDMatt or someone else that had a thread on it (there was a flurry of transmission work a while back), but somebody just went through this seal replacement. You don't have to disassemble the gears, but you do need to remove the rear housing (case) so that you can remove the striking lever. It's hard to get fingers and tools in there but it is doable. Check the FSM MT chapter. Here's a picture from 1978, you didn't say if you had an early (77-79) or late 5 speed. But I think that they're all essentially the same. You can see the o-ring, #3.

What's a 90 Cherokee worth? That's a nice looking car. Probably rust-free if the history is correct. There's a guy that had his 1978 Z for sale forever for about $8000. Nobody would buy it. Use one of those Craigslist conglomerators to see what Z's are selling of nationwide. I think that there are a ton of people out there who never get their asking price though. http://www.searchtempest.com/

Don't forget tires. Low profile tires can give a harsh ride. There's a lot to be learned from how Nissan set up the stock suspension. A small amount of spring preload so the springs and shocks don't come in to play until the tires do some work. Tall tires to absorb the small bumps. Lots of ways to get things slightly off. Low profile tires, no preload, too much preload, stiff shocks, soft shocks, setting the shock height incorrectly so they bottom out (with coilovers). You could spend some time just trying to put a good puzzle together.

It did and it's quick.