well, i just found out that my car's brake lights weren't working 'cause it's my combo switch and they want to charge me an outlandish amount for a combo switch (and $248 labor). if ANYONE has a fully working combo switch that they can get me for a reasonable price e-mail at e_racer1999@yahoo.com or reply to this ASAP! thanks guys...

-jason

Jason,

Unless someone has one already laying around I can pull one off my parts car for you. Let me know if you can't get one from someone else.

Jason,

Here's the deal. I own a 72 myself. The way the brake circuit works is that the power goes from the brake light switch to the Turn signal switch. From there it goes to the L & R brake lights.

The reason for this is that the brake lights and the turn signal circuits use the same wires and the same bulbs.

The turn signal switch therefore determines if it will take the 12v from the T/S flasher or the brake switch.

You really want the turn signal switch. If it is in fact bad.

I believe the reason the person told you combination switch ( we refer to it also as the headlight switch) is because it is confusing on the wire diagram.

The wire diagram for the 240 labels the turn signal sw. and the light switch

together as "combination switch". When in fact they are seperate switches.

Hope I did not confuse you further.

well, i just found out that my car's brake lights weren't working 'cause it's my combo switch and they want to charge me an outlandish amount for a combo switch (and $248 labor). if ANYONE has a fully working combo switch that they can get me for a reasonable price e-mail at e_racer1999@yahoo.com or reply to this ASAP! thanks guys...

-jason

A while back I posted a pdf file with instructions and pictures showing how I repaired my switch. Even though I was working on the headlight portion the same information should still apply. There are actually two rocker plates that are controlled by the same cam on the stalk. It's simply a matter of cleaning off the carbon deposits on the contact points.

greyghost: i actually went through 2 schematics myself (FSM and chiltons) and i spent the better part of 3 days diagnosing it. i'm assuming that these professional electricians (oh god please let me be right!) know what they are doing.... i REALLY hope they know what they are doing. if it turns out that they screw up and realise that it's the T/S switch, they sure as HELL better not charge me for it. i'm going to set that straight.

mikew: i'll attempt a search for your post and i will pick it up from the elec. shop and try it out. thanks for the ideas....

also, something i just realised... are all of the 240 combo switch and T/S switches essentially the same? if they are then there's no way that i should have to wait 8-10 days (that's what they say.... from the east coast on an NLA product) because it is a normally stocked item from VB! i'll have to edjumakate them.....

PS - if it were my T/S switch then wouldn't my turn signals not work? if that's the case then that can't be it b/c they do... just not the hazards or the brake lights...

Jason,

Yes, the turn signals would still work. That is because the t/s switch has two power inputs. One comes from the t/s flasher and the other comes from the stop light switch.

In the neutral position the contacts that go to the brake lights are closed.

Lets say you flip on the left turn signal. The contact for the left brake light opens and the contact for the left t/s closes.

gotcha.... thanks for the input! i'm going to have to disassemble my switch in that cast. thanks for all of the input guys!

The turn signal switches are all essentially the same for 240Z's, BUT the devil is in the details. The wiring harnesses/connectors are different for different years. There are at least two versions that I am aware of.

If anyone finds MikeW's .pdf file on the combo switch, please post a link to it.

here's mikew's PDF: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=5238

Thanks Jason (and Mike!)

Jason, that set of instructions you posted for cleaing the combination switch is great and could not be more timely. My headlights do exactly as you described where you have to turn them on and off several times to get them to work. Even more scary was that I was driving the car one time and after hitting a bump, the headlights went out. I then turned them off and on again and they came back on.

Thank Again,

Darren

that set of instructions you posted for cleaing the combination switch is great and could not be more timely.

Please let us know if they work for you. Since several people seem to have found this helpful perhaps we can get the instructions moved to the technical articles group to make them easier to find.