SteveJ

How much contact? Take pictures and show us. You might be able to get away with a thicker head gasket.

I bought that harness. I wasn't impressed with it. I replaced the relays and all of the connectors. In other words, I wasted my money. The relays are not common, so if you lose one, good luck replacing it. They also did nothing to weatherproof any of it. In addition it's designed to plug right into the existing headlight connector, so you'd have take the connector apart, drill a hole in the headlight bucket, put in a grommet, thread the wires through the hole and put the connector back together again. It's not exactly plug and play.

And the fuse?

Here is some research material for you: Tony D's smog wisdom If you are living in California, Tony D's experiences and research will help you. Focus on the more recent posts to look for changes in the laws.

The wire colors in the write up I did are the same in all S30s. The thing I learned from reading these forums and studying wiring diagrams is that the switches are different between the earlier 240Zs and later S30s. (Early 240Zs switched the ground on and off. Others switched the 24 VDC+.) So, since you can't find one for the 280Z, create your own. (I didn't know a lot about automotive wiring when I did mine 10 years ago.) Study the BE section of the FSM. I think for the 280Z it will show connectors between the engine harness and headlights. Locate those connectors and study the plugs. Post pictures if you want. There is a good chance you can find compatible plugs at Vintage Connections. From there, it's not that difficult. Ask questions here and get answers to create your design. Document your work and post your results.

Did you try switching between high and low beams? Frequently with a bad headlight, only one element goes bad with the dual filament bulbs, so you still have one or the other. As for the fuses, NEVER trust a visual inspection. Pull the fuse and test with an ohmmeter. If it is more than about 0.2 ohms, replace it.

In the future get a pre-test done, or whatever they call it before its an official test that is reported to the state. That "GROSS POLLUTER" phrase is NOT a good thing to have associated with your car. It's times like these that I'm glad I don't live in CA.

Mechanical adjustment is correct on original regulators. I think most any produced in the last 20 years or so are solid state. Those boxes are sealed tight and non-adjustable. You have a point on the blown fuse. Ty - was the headlight completely out or dim? If it is dim, that means the other headlight is backfeeding through it. On the other hand a headlight can blow from overvoltage, and the fuse will go through unscathed.

That is based upon the assumption that the person who put in the new alternator knew what he was doing (provided the alternator has been replaced at some time). If you get an alternator for a 280Z from the parts store, you might get one with the internal VR or you might not. There are plenty of opportunities for error.

Run the test I described. Light output is VERY dependent upon voltage. Dropping from 12 VDC to 9 VDC will decrease light output by around 50%. Relays and headlights have been beaten to death on here. Search and read up. As for selecting headlights, contact H4Lights on this site. It's his business. He has evaluated many different products and is a treasure trove of knowledge on the subject. A cheap headlight conversion can cause a fire, too.

That wouldn't work, since MSA offers replacement fuse boxes for 240Zs. The OP has a 280Z. The correct url is http://ezwiring.com/. I have to say that I'm somewhat skeptical that they could build a harness to factory specs for $250, though my definition of factory specs would be to match wire color/striping, gauge, length and connectors. Of course, that is true if you don't know what you're doing. I'm not trying to be mean. I'm just being honest. I spliced into my wiring harness 16 years ago and haven't had any problems as a result of my work. If you do it right, it's not a problem.

Two causes that I'm aware of for premature failure are overvoltage and bad manufacturing. The overvoltage condition is easy to check. Have someone start your car and operate the gas pedal. Check the voltage at the battery with a voltmeter and have your assistant take the car up to 2000 RPM. If you're reading much 15 volts (14.5 is preffered), the system voltage is going too high. Now, this is where YOU SHOULD PUT THE YEAR OF YOUR CAR IN YOUR POST OR SIGNATURE. To diagnose an overvoltage, the year of your car is important to know. For instance, the 78 has an internally regulated alternator. If you put an interally regulated alternator in an earlier car, you can get an overvoltage. Dave's standard relay harness is not designed for the 280Z. Contact him, and he might build one for your 280Z.

Below the coil is the ballast resistor. It looks pretty old, too. You might want to take the wires off and measure the resistance to make sure it is not shorted out. From the details you added, your tach is shot or badly miswired. Also, download the FSM for your car. See my signature for the link. Look carefully at the wiring diagrams in the BE and EE sections and compare them to your car. We know that there will be some differences owing to the pertronix. However, I wouldn't be surprised if you found some wiring hacks in it.

Actually, I've helped people on here and Dave has helped a lot more with their electrical problems. Of course, the people helped usually provide enough data, either in the original post or in follow on posts. Since there isn't enough data in the first post, I think the OP will get guesses unless he has the problem again and gathers more information. It's not impossible, just difficult.

Actually, one of the signs I read of a coil failing was hard restarting when hot. If it was a 280Z with the hard restarting hot, I would have guessed ECU as well. The OP hasn't tried to answer some of the questions I posted, so who is to say what it is? Vague descriptions usually draw vague and/or differing opinions.

He and his family are doing fine. Tony D posted about it over at Zcar.com

What is the car doing? Is the starter engaging? If it is cranking, do you smell any fuel near the intake or exhaust? Did you check the gap/dwell on the points? Have you checked to see if you have a spark when it's hot?

Of course, a really good "kill switch" is to open up the hood, open the distributor cap, and place the rotor in your pocket. How many people are going to have a spare Z car rotor with them.

First two guesses: 1. Rust flakes in the tank blocking the fuel line 2. Ignition coil telling you it's about to head for that big spark in the sky...

You know, come to think of it, that could be the problem, too.

No offense, but your problem description doesn't have enough to have people give more than wild guesses. Have you actually gone through the diagnostics in the FSM, section EE? If so, what tests did you run and what were the results? (Pass/Fail or numbers) Did you install the alternator with the right tension? Did you re-check the tension to make sure the alternator hasn't moved? A lot of people seem to have their favorite "shade tree mechanic" way of doing things. In my own experience, I do better following the manual and asking for help on the occassions the manual falls short.

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You probably have a dash cap.

A bad wheel cylinder can cause the brakes to drag, too.

Dang, I need to preview before I post. LED bulbs are much easier to deal with than relays. NOW my post makes more sense.