SilverSurfer

Alright! Back onto the electrical issue with limited time this week. I took the back panel off (the plastic cover you need to remove to gain access to the back lights and all the wires there). I checked all the wires, the ground, the connectors and bulbs. Everything looks good. So, now it's on to other things. As a reminder, the following is NOT working on the dash: - Turn signals and hazards (neither are they working externally on the car) - The oil pressure gauge - The volt meter - The clock (though I don't think that was working before the dash lights went out) The following is what is working on the dash: - The speedometer (of course) - The tachometer - The temp gauge - The fuel gauge (though the float in the tank gets stuck at 1/3 tank even on full) Other things work like: - The fan for the vent - The center dash light (the one you flip down to turn on) - The fasten seat belt light and buzzer - The bright, red brake light at the bottom of the speedometer (in fact, for some reason this is on continuously) I don't know if any of this information helps to pinpoint what could be the issue, but I thought I would post what I know so far. Again, I am learning about electrical, so any help would be appreciated.

Alright! My first venture into the dark side! And it was not bad at all! Used a voltmeter and it shows the following when connected to the battery terminals: Car off: 12.8 volts Car at idle: 12.8 volts Car under load: 14.8 volts (sometimes getting up to 14.9) "Car under load" is the lights on, fan on high, and engine revving up to between 2000-3000 RPMs. As I release the gas pedal and the RPMs drop, the volt meter's reading drops. So, it looks to me like the alternator is doing it job.

COOOKIEEEEEEESSSS!

It was a Haynes manual. Someone else said this to me about the alternator: "I just recalled that there's one more possibility, common to the Z's - output at idle tends to be low. So, depending on what the machine measures, it may have seen no voltage because the the measurement was made at idle speed. Today's cars have ECU's that bump up the idle RPM to make sure the battery stays fully charged, and the testing machines are designed for them. Our old Z cars don't have that feature. One more reason to get a meter and check for yourself. It's not that hard to do." Thoughts? In any case, I am going out to get a voltmeter and delve into learning things electrical.

Perhaps I am reading the printed results wrong! The Starter Test reads "Cranking Normal" on both tests. However, the Charging System Test reads, "Results - No Voltage". Despite saying this, it show No Load: 12.81V, Load: 12.81V. If there is "No Voltage" does this mean the car is running off the battery? Sorry for my ignorance on these things.

I went to Advance Auto and had them check the alternator. The man ran the test two times and said the alternator is starting to fail. However, when I compare his results to what is in my Datsun 240Z, 260Z, 280Z, 1970-1978 Automotive Repair Manual, it does not look like it is failing. The print out shows that the charging system voltage on test one is 12.81V. On the second test it is 12.97V. The man at Advance said it should be at 14V or so. However, in the Repair Manual it says the following: "If it registers over 12.5 volts then the alternator is in good condition, it if registers below 12.5 volts then the alternator is faulty and must be removed and repaired." Since both tests were over 12.5 volts, then according to the manual, the alternator is good. What say you?

Thanks for all the advice. I will definitely do this.

Ugh! I feel stupid. I had checked the carpet and floor mat to make sure it was not interfering with the gas pedal, but I didn't check well enough! There was a piece of insulation from the firewall that had come loose and wedged itself. Removing it fixed my gas pedal sticking problem! Now I am good to go mechanically! I just need to sort out my electrical issues. Thanks again for all the help.

Looks like the throttle accelerator cable boot is ... no more ... completely disintegrated. I suppose this helps a lot of making sure the throttle gets back to where it needs to go. So, I ordered a new one.

The 280Z has been driving well for the past hour, in city and on the highway. Now, a new issue has appeared ... the gas pedal wants to stick. I tried spraying down the linkage with brake cleaner and working it in, but the pedal is still sticking. I have to use my foot to pull it back at times.

Thanks for all the links, siteunseen. I will certainly be looking all of those over!

I just may have resloved the engine stalling/stuttering issue. I was looking under the hood and saw that the gas line going into the fuel rail was pressed up against the top of the engine. I thought that perhaps when the engine gets to normal operating temperature that the hose was getting hot via contact and causing the gas to become vapor. So, I moved the hose. It was tied down and I slid it through the tie a bit so that it 'floats' about 2" off the engine. I also saw that the cable going from the distributor to the ignition coil was a tad loose on the ignition coil end. So I made sure that was firmly in place. In any case, I have been driving it for about 45 minutes now, in the neighborhood and in city, so a lot of starting, stopping, and moving slow, and it ran like a champ. Next I will run it on the highway and see how it does. I'll look more into the electrical issues later today. Thanks everyone for the help!

Hello all! I recently acquired a 1977 Datsun 280Z and had a mechanic do a lot of work to restore the mechanics (engine, brakes, etc.) to factory specs. However, there is still an issue. The car starts and runs great, but when it gets warmed up (about 15-20 minutes into a drive) it starts to stutter and then it shuts down. At this point it won't restart. Letting the car sit for about 5 minutes (not a long time!) seems to solve the problem - the car starts again and I can drive it until the process repeats. Here is what has been done to the car so far: - Fuel tank checked to see if getting clean fuel from it - New fuel lines installed - New fuel pump and filter installed - New spark plugs - Distributor checked - AFM (Air Flow Meter) replaced - Fuel rail replaced - Air regulator valve attached (it was missing when I purchased the car!) The fuel pressure was checked and the mechanic said it was good. So, my question is, what do I check next to see what is causing the car to stutter once it warms up? What other information do you need from me? On a second note, when the car stuttered and stalled the first time I was driving it (a day out of the shop), I turned on my hazards. This caused my turn signals, hazards, and dash lights to all stop working. To clarify, my turn signals do not work at all. This means that they do not blink outside of the car, nor do the lights turn on inside on the dash. Neither do the hazards. On top of this, none of the lights on the dash come on when the lights are turned on and any electronic gauges (like the voltage meter) do not work any longer. The mechanical gauges (like the speedometer and heat gauge) work fine. The brake light for the emergency brake works. And a red light next to the voltage/charging meter briefly flashes when I start the car. All external lights work (headlights, tail lights, brake lights), so this is not a dead bulb issue. Since all dash lights stopped working, I am assuming this is not a flasher unit issue. I've also checked fuses and fusible links and they all look good. Where do I go from here? Thanks in advance for any help.