'74 260Z - are the gauges electric?

[orange260z]

Hi all,

I bought a '74 260Z in the last few days, and it was delivered last night. Unfortunately, I had bought it sight unseen and the seller misrepresented it somewhat.

The battery was very weak but I managed to boost the car and get it running. However, none of the gauges - the tach, the oil pressure, etc - were registering anything. Are they electric like in a modern car?

Could a weak battery cause them not to work? All the fuses in the box in the passenger footwell seem to be ok, are there any other fuses that would cover the instruments?

PS I don't believe that any of the lights were working either, but I didn't get a chance to try.

Thanks in advance,

Ayan

[Xargon321]

i think that they do need need electrity to function, altho you should get somthing try getting a fresh battery and get the alt and vr tested they might not be chargeing the battery, do you get any gauges when you just turn the key on but not start it?

[EScanlon]

Don't despair. I'm sure that the members here can help you get it going.

First off, get the battery charged or replaced. Then we can start addressing any gremlins that might show up.

All of the components you mentioned are electrical, but that you got the engine running may indicate that you have something else to address. It may be as simple as a missing or blown fusible link or as complex as a short / fried circuit.

You can get the battery checked at a Sears Automotive Center and they'll advise you as to whether the battery is shot and needs replaced and if your charging system is working.

Good Luck

Enrique

[orange260z]

Xargon, Enrique,

Thanks for your replies. I have tried throwing the old battery on the charger, but it seems I can only get enough juice in it to turn the starter a few times before dying.

I have bought a new battery, but it's been pretty cold here so I haven't had the chance to install it yet. I'm suspecting that the problem with the electricals may be a bad ground somewhere, but as you said, the first step is to get a good battery in there to see what is functioning and what is not.

I do have a multimeter, but don't really know how to use it (electricals are probably my weakest area, and I'm not that strong on the rest!! :stupid: ). Is there a "electrical systems for dummies" lesson you guys could give me? ie what setting to put my multimeter to, where to touch the contacts, and what readings mean what?? For example, once I get the motor running again (I hope to on the weekend), how do I check the alternator and voltage regulator for their outputs?

Thanks in advance,

Ayan

[EScanlon]

That you cannot get a good charge on the old battery is a definite indication that it's toast.

Get the new battery in, then check your fusible links in the fusible link box on the firewall. They'll look like plain old wires but they are NOT. They are a style of fuse which protects the circuitry over and above the fuses.

As far as the multimeter, let's hold off on HOW to use it until we have specific tasks to effect.

Hope this helps

Enrique

[orange260z]

Hey Enrique,

I'm back. It's been a while, but things were either too cold or too busy to look at the car. Today I spent the whole day working on it.

1. New battery

2. New starter (PO put a new starter in two months ago, but the solenoid was sticking)

3. replaced leaking oil pressure sender

So the car starts, runs, but I still have no lights/gauges.

I should mention that the previous owner, who had the motor out of the car for a rebuild, was a race car builder. This is evident when looking at the motor, as half the hoses have just been capped off instead of reinstalled. Someday I'll have to figure out which of those DON'T rob power and reinstall them!

The other very disturbing thing I've found is that there are a lot of unconnected, uncapped plugs and wires in the engine bay. There are some properly capped ones that I would guess were for factory options not installed, like air. But there are others that are simply unplugged.

I found that the reverse switch is not hooked up, and with the help of a mechanic friend we managed to find the unconnected terminals in the wiring harness.

Also, the tachometer suddenly started working today - it jumped from 0-8000 and back when the ignition key was turned, started out by showing 7000rpm at fast idle (not 7000rpm), and then settled down to about 1500 (but I figure the engine was doing less than 1000). It was responsive to throttle at that point. How does one adjust it?

The oil pressure gauge now seems to be working, but none of the others are. There seems to be a broken sender on a housing right near the distributor, by friend thinks it's a broken water temp sender - is that the right place? And still no dash lights, except for the right turn signal going on solid when the right signal is activated. None of the exterior lights except one of the reverse lights is functioning.

The fusible links - are the two on the firewall the only two in the 260? Are they just wire jumpers? There is a red one and a blue one, not a green and a black as labelled on the cover - maybe these have been replaced, but how do I know they're not just wires? Where do I get proper replacements?

And we haven't even started the brake problems discussion yet...

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Ayan