SteveJ

Where in GA? Resurrected Classics? Max is a member here, but he rarely posts.

Make sure the dome light isn't staying on. That can cause a "mystery battery drain". The incandescent bulbs aren't that bright, and you might not notice it in the day. I have seen that as a current draw in someone's car before. It was caused by a wonky door switch that the plunger wasn't breaking the circuit like it should.

No, it is not. Did you take a measurement of voltage to ground at the solenoid terminal on the starter with the black/yellow wire removed?

This may help you: https://forums.hybridz.org/topic/124734-understanding-the-260z-and-280z-wiper-circuit-reverse-polarity-park/

The black/yellow wire should only be energized if the key is in the start position. If you have a voltmeter, see if there is voltage to ground at the black/yellow wire. Also check for voltage to ground at the terminal on the starter where the black/yellow wire lands. One of two things may be happening: The switch on the back of the ignition switch is going bad and supplying voltage (but with a very small amount of current) to the black/yellow wire. The starter is going bad and somehow is backfeeding the solenoid, again with a very small amount of current. I didn't see any obvious cross-connection possibilities in looking at the wiring diagram. I hope no one ever decided to re-wire things to "make them better".

Yep, that's the expected level of Arizona corrosion. 😉 Did you try running it and checking the voltage at the battery while it's running?

Just putting this out there for people to remember when diagnosing electrical issues, I have seen this on a couple of cars now. First a 260Z with no turn signals. The hazard lights worked. We looked for continuity from the switch to the bulb socket. The test failed, so I took apart the connectors to see where we were losing signal. All of the harness sections tested good. We plugged the harnesses back together, and the turn signals worked. Next a 280Z with an intermittent temperature gauge. After testing for a while with mixed results, I separated the dash harness from the engine harness, again with inconclusive results. After I plugged the harness back together, it worked. Don't forget to unplug harnesses and reconnect them. Some contact cleaner or Deoxit doesn't hurt, either.

Start the engine and see what the voltage at the battery is with the engine running. It wouldn't hurt to see what that looks like. @Dolfinz - Could you take a photo of the negative terminal of the battery, the end of the battery cable at the starter and where the smaller wire attaches at the firewall? Bad grounds can cause a lot of frustration.

I need to take pictures. It hasn't reached the top of my list, yet. It will after I get a customer car out of my garage.

When I started out on the mailing list it was all dial-up. That took too long to get to see the boobies. You also had to remember to program in the code before the dial up number to stop call waiting, otherwise your online time would get interrupted.

If it doesn't it means you have some more wiring bugs to squash. Make sure you still have good voltage to ground on the black/white at the ballast resistor.

That's because it will be 18 years. 😉 According to your profile you joined in 2004.

I was on the big mailing list before I joined Mike's mailing list.

Thanks, Ron ( @zclocks). That makes a lot of sense to me, especially with my fail on the 200SX clock. I'll have to take another look at it. Are you interested in any photos of the guts of the 200SX clock?

Here's an interview with one of the ad creators: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/joy-ride-story-most-loved-car-commercial-ever-made-rob-siltanen/

Sorry, it's not my write up. I have one of those clocks sitting on my parts shelves, waiting for me.

The 77 FSM does show the ballast resistor.

My family had a 68 Mustang when I was growing up, so I always had a special place in my heart for Mustangs, despite what idiots were doing at car shows. Back in 2011 when I wanted a new daily driver, I got the new Mustang with the 3.7L V6. It's a pretty good car, but it's no 68 Mustang. I appreciate it for what it is and for the honor it shows to the original. The new Z will never be like the old Z, but I like how it pays respect to the heritage. I also plan on judging it for what it is and not what cars once were. I think it could be a great modern driver in that respect. I'll also still enjoy driving the originals whenever I can.

So the white wire has the battery sensing voltage. It should have 12VDC to ground full time, so that's good. The black/white wire in the engine harness should have 12VDC to ground when the key is ON. It branches off the wire that goes from connector C-7 under the dash all of the way to the ballast resistor. Corrosion could have built up where Nissan spliced it into the wiring harness, but that seems strange for an AZ car. Just for fun, unplug the black/white wire from the condenser under the voltage regulator and test again at the voltage regulator connector and the bullet connector that was connected to the condenser.

Sorry, all I can provide is more reading material. At least the second link has someone describing his experience. https://www.hagerty.com/assets/PDF/DomesticShipping.pdf https://www.hagerty.com/media/advice/shipping-a-car-heres-how-and-why-to-make-the-right-choice/

No! That is not the right solution. Run the tests I posted. Figure out what is wrong and fix it. You will get better results.

I think I know what inspired the scammers to use the phrase "Hello buddy".

At least some of the scammers/spammers are nice enough to self-identify with the "Hello Buddy" post.

Yes, you should see 12VDC to ground at the white black white with the ignition on. To check, unplug the voltage regulator from the engine harness. Put the key in ON. Measure voltage to ground at the black/white wire on the engine harness. You should see 12VDC. With the VR unplugged, you can also use the ohmmeter function to measure resistance at the two pins marked below. There should be about 0 ohms (continuity). If the car will start and run, test the voltage at the battery with the car running. It should be running around 14 VDC or a little more. That is a better test.