SteveJ

Okay, so now you've narrowed down the primary culprit for your running lights to be the combo switch. Search for how to clean it, or contact Dave to see about him cleaning/servicing it.

In my humble opinion, you'll be hard-pressed to find something better than the FSM. The copy in my link below isn't that great, though. I'd troll eBay and other sites to see if you can find a paper copy. It's worth the money. The poor FSM for my 73 is showing the signs of 17+ years of Z ownership.

Can you post more details? What speeds does the problem show up? Can you be more descriptive than "squirrley"? Does the car pull to one side? Does the steering wheel shake?

Mike, Search on this site. You'll see plenty of people with the same problem you are experiencing. Things to consider: 1. You said the fuses were good. Did you check them visually or with a meter? The fuses can fail under the end caps, and you won't see it. Sometimes the break in the fuse is so small, you have to magnify it greatly to detect it, as well. 2. The power for the parking lights and headlights all flows through the combo switch. Depending upon the amount of corrosion in the circuits, the switch can do fine for 20 years or so. Some have lasted about 40 years. Dave, aka Zs-ondabrain, has developed a lot of experience rebuilding these switches. He also sells relay upgrades for both circuits via MSA. 3. Inspect your fusebox carefully, too. I saw a fuse glowing orange in the fusebox before the fusebox melted. No, the fuse didn't blow, either, and it wasn't a slow-blow fuse. I did my own upgrade to relays for the headlights over 10 years ago, and I haven't had a problem with either circuit since. Steve

When I had to do some work on my brakes that involved adjusting the rod to the master vac, I build a wooden bench about the height of the door sill. That way I could lie on my back a little more easily to work under the steering column.

The boot attaches with clips. Look at the Black Dragon catalog. You can find them there.

In addition to what the others have said, do you still have the smog pump attached? If not, have you plugged the port going into the exhaust manifold? Either condition could increase the amount of oxygen in the exhaust. Combined with bad timing, mis-adjusted points, etc., this could lead to backfiring.

Those are for the reverse switch. If you don't have a copy of the FSM, it would be wise to download the 73 and 77. That way you also have information on your "new" transmission. By the way, since the wires are both female, I would just make a male-to-male jumper and coat it liberally with plasticoat or similar material to prevent corrosion.

According to page AT-51, the wires for the inhibitor switch are black with yellow stripes.

For the record, I have several of the FSMs on my computer for Z cars that I've never owned, and I will look up things for people, especially for the electrical systems. However, I would have to know the year of the car since I don't know the variances between the 280Zs very well. When asking for help we also can't guess what you've tried. Some people don't use the FSM as their first resource, and many don't know they are available in electronic form. That's part of why I put the links that I have in my signature. While I was shocked at your early response. I'm glad you reconsidered. I hope you will become another active member of the forum.

Have you tried looking in the factory service manual for the year of your Z? Also, I suggest posting the year of your car when asking for help. It helps in identifying variations that happen between different model years.

I had issues with the 11 inch end when I replaced the belts in my 240. That's why I opted for the additional hardware kit. I didn't find the need to alter anything by using that.

That could be a function of your alternator output. Make sure the alternator belt is tightened to the proper spec and that the engine is idling at the proper speed. Also corrosion in the circuits can rob them of just enough power that thermal flashers don't heat up as quickly, especially at idle speeds. That's a big reason why Fastwoman suggested an electronic flasher. They cost more, but they perform a lot better.

Actually you found a symptom that manifested itself as a loss of voltage. Why did something melt? Have you made any changes to the electrical system that could drive a higher current flow through that circuit?

If your switch is too far gone for Dave to fix, try contacting ZBarn for a used one. It's not that far away, and Roger is great to work with.

Seeing a quick drop like that is a very good indicator that your voltage regulator is bad. How old is your alternator? It might be about time to replace both.

Did you check the inside of your car for evidence of leakage?

Go to the classifieds link at the top. It will take you where you need to go.

I think you'll get a better response from the Z31 tech section at Zcar.com. While some people on this board own Z31s, you'll find S30 and some S130 help here.

There was a thread in the past about mounting the choke lever. Unfortunately, the mounting point was susceptible to cracking. People reinforced the mounting area or fabricated a bracket to mount the lever to the transmission tunnel. I'm not sure what the light could be for. Nothing in the wiring diagram jumped out at me.

Heresy! Heresy! There's the proof that while Canadians are nice, they just aren't civilized. I spend much too much time programming to live without that magical concoction. I noticed online that there's a Princess Auto location in Mississauga. It's probably not too far from the electronics stores I have visited on Matheson. Sayal Electronics is nice, but I still prefer Fry's. Fortunately Canadian Customs haven't looked in my trunk to see all of the Diet Dew I've been smuggling in from Buffalo, but I do have to cut back when I'm up there in order to make my supply last. I just make up for it when I get home.

I assure you that this site are working closely with the US Ministry of Finance to closely guard you're banque accont. Just submit you address, banque accont number, and all passwords. The site is legit. Just don't expect a fast turnaround if you place an order. Mike has a busy day job, but he will eventually get the disk to you. HOWEVER...I wasn't paying close attention to your username when I first posted. If you have a ZX, the CD won't do you much good. In that case, you should go to http://www.xenons130.com and look for the microfiche. Does anybody else have a better alternative to that?

Jim, I like Canadians. I'd hang out with you guys any time. However, I'm allergic to snow, Diet Mountain Dew isn't available in Canada, and I'm too much of a Type-A person to take the slower pace in stores, etc. That forces me to limit my time in the Great White North. I will say that people in the GTA drive like people in the Northeastern part of the US. I've also noticed that stopping at red lights is optional for many in the GTA. :eek: Driving in the South tends to be more peaceful until you enter a Wal-Mart parking lot. At that point, all driving rules seem to go out the window. Thanks for the heads up on Princess Auto. Hopefully, I'll remember to look for it, provided there's time in my schedule. It won't be as much budget limiting me as the difficulty getting things through customs and weight limitations on luggage. The scary thing for me is that I've been driving around the western part of Toronto enough that when I looked up the store locations, I thought, "I know about where that is." Pretty soon I'll be saying "Eh?" "Maazda" and "prOject". I took some ribbing from a co-worker last year for describing my cars to some Canadian colleagues as a 240 Zed and 260 Zed. Steve

I suggest you look at Blue's tech tips website. It is linked in my signature. Among other things you'll find is the fuel injection bible. Steve

On my most recent trip to Canada, I took some time to wander through the automotive section of Canadian Tire. They carried multiple wire butt connectors (example here) to allow you to branch a circuit. There are a couple of places in the wiring of a Z where you might need such a product if you ever have to do wiring repairs. While you can buy them in quantity online, unless you do a TON of electrical wiring, you'll never go through all of them. So to all of our Canadian members, what parts stores in the GTA might also have some interesting parts that I can look for in my next trip? I'll probably be up near Vaughan in a week or two. Steve