My first post.. headlights, signals, brakelights

[WandererS30]

Hello all. I recently bought a 1971 240 to play with, not a serious restore, but more of a fun car project. It has a good bit of rust in select areas of the floor and in typical areas under the body, overall its in decent shape to start with. vin number is HLS30-06201 for those who like that sort of thing :knockedou .. my first question is brake lights, turn signals and headlights. the previous owner has put in a switch to operate headlights separate from the stock switch. Is this common to do? also my brake light indicator on the speedometer works when i press on the brakes and use E-brake, but the rear brake lights do not come on when i use brake. all lights on the car work when i use the STOCK headlight switch, except the headlights (wich operate using the aftermarket switch) the turn signals to not blink but they do come on. Hazard lights work but not when i have the STOCK headlight switch turned on. if i explained my situation well, please help me out. i will have many more questions to ask later on..

btw, this forum is A+++++++ :classic:

[gema]

Sounds like the aftermarket switch was an add-on to avoid a problem with the stalk, else it would be unnecessary (providing you have stock lights)? I was in your position this time last year. New Z, tons of odd electrical problems. My advice on the tails is to check the grounds, wiggle wires and see if things illuminate, etc. I ended up having to buy new taillamp harnesses (they're cheap used) and avoided a lot of headaches that way. The wiring on these cars is notorious for corroding/being supremely annoying, and be sure to inspect the condition of your fusebox. Clean the contacts and make sure the connections there are tight before you go pulling harnesses. Good luck and have fun! A Z is worth it any day.

[tomatoz]

Once you have checked all the things mentioned above, there is also a "brake light switch" mounted on the brake foot pedal. It's job is obvious. It's really easy to check.

Pick yourself up a cheap ohms / volt meter( walmart)set it as close to 12volt DC that it will let you , Ground the black lead to a good body ground and use the red lead to check for power at the switch where the wires connect , it's simple press on the pedal and there should be power going in and power going out if the switch is good !

Have fun!!!!! you'll be surprised how much that ohms / volt meter will get used.

[DweeZil_TaqWa]

i had the same problem but it was only a grounding issue.

[seerex]

I recommend pulling the fuse box out cleaning and checking for burn or melted areas and also look on ebay maybe for a good used stalk, the po wiring should be relatively easy to track and switch back to the stock route once the problem he avoided fixing is located and made right, check the sockets on the brake light , have someone push the brakes and see if a tester shows current and work your way back , but i also suspect either fuse or brake light switch, i resolved lots of my wiring issues but replacing the old bad fuse box , good luck , also a good wiring manual is a great ideal

[Zs-ondabrain]

In my past experiance, when you step on the brake pedal and the red dash light that says "BRAKE" comes on, you have a brake issue elswhere. Like under the hood. Check the fluid levels and top them off and don't forget to inspect all your lines (possible rust problems on your floor board can create more problems w/ the brakes) and vaccum assist line that goes from the intake manifold to the brake booster.

Take that ohms meter to the brake switch and keep this in mind "your brakes and turn signals BOTH go through the turn switch, and the turn signals also go through the emergency flasher switch on the dash"

When we say "it's all relative" that means that it's all related to something else in the car. Start by replacing the headlight switch or rebuild it if your into that kinda thing, The P.O. (previous owner) put that jimmy rig switch in there for a reason. try to be the smarter of the two and put it back to stock before throwing more crap into it.

Good luck and don't worry, we'll try our best to get you on the road safely. That's what we're here for,

Dave.

[TomoHawk]

I kind of like having a separate switch for the headlight, considering how much current is going through the switch contacts. I think it would even look cool to have one of those 'protected switches with the flip-up covers.

Anybody got a link for those protected switches(safety switches)?

thx

[Zs-ondabrain]

almost all the auto parts stores that carry aftermarket stuff for the imports have at least one or two of those switches on their shelves, I see them all the time at Schucks/Checker/Kragen and Auto-zone.

[Daniel]

Welcome, I agree with Zs-on..(sorry Zs I type real slow) I would have to develop a trust with the car/gauges. The- BRAKE - That light I trust. It has been right more times than wrong. All the other issues don't matter until thats resolved. It should be on when the emer brake is up. That was the warning/bulb test of the day. Emer.Brake down and BRAKE on = brake problem.

[Zs-ondabrain]

Thanks Daneil,

I just wanted to make sure that it did'nt sound like I was blowing steam out my a$$.

Figure the red "Brake" light in the guage as a "STOP" sign that says " hold up, somethings wrong here"

My manual center console mounted "choke" lever is also connected to that same E-brake wire via a bullet style splitter near the passenger seat, It lets me know that I left my choke on or my e-brake is up or on. It's in a 70', so go figure.

Dave.

[Miles]

You wrote: "my brake light indicator on the speedometer works when i press on the brakes"

There is a connection block just under the master cylinder. The master cylinder has front and rear brake circuit hard pipes connected to that connection block. There are hard pipes that leave the connection block and go to the front and rear brakes. Notice that on top of the connection block there are two wires. Those wires connect to a switch inside of the connection block and in turn they are connected to that red brake light in your speedo. The purpose of the switch and the red light is to warn the driver that there is a problem concerning a loss or unequal pressure condition inside of that connector block. For example if there is a loss of hydraulic pressure in the front or rear brake circuits due to a leak or a faulty master cylinder the connector below the master cylinder will sense the unequal pressure and trip the switch that in turn turns the red brake light on.

The connector block assembly under the MC is actually called a "brake switch" in the manual. Not to be confused with the other brake switch that turns the brake lights on.

You may need to replace the master cylinder and/or other leaking components. Bottom line is you should not drive the car until you know why that red light is coming on when you step on the brakes....not a good thing. If the car has not been cared for and the master cylinder is full of black goo, I would, as a minimum, replace the max vac and master cylinder and check your rotors, calipers and wheel cylinders and replace those too if they look bad. Use all new parts not rebuilts and good quality pads and shoes. On both of my Zs I use KVR pads in front and Nissan shoes in the rear.

Have fun

[TexasNissanDude]

I am so glad I found this post. I am trying to do some searches so I don't get flamed for being a newbie on here...... I picked up my new (to me) 260Z and this is the problem I have.... my first project on my new car.

Headlights do work, but

No brake lights

No running lights

No interior lights

No dash lights

No turn signals

No tach

All the fuses are good. The car is actually pretty clean inside and out ........ Tucson car for it's life till I moved it to South Texas.

Does anyone happen to have a turn signal / headlight switch for sale for a 03/74 260Z?