Wiring up Japanese tail lights on a '73 240Z

[EricB]

The first pic I am uploading in this message is the back of my US tail light.

There's four bulbs there, starting from top left corner here are the wire colors:

Bulb 1: Grn/Wht, Grn, Blk

Bulb 2: (top right): Grn/Wht, Blk

Bulb 3: (bottom right): Red/Blk, Blk

Bulb 4: (bottom left): Grn, Blk

In the reply I am going to post the pic of the backside of a Japanese tail light. It is wired differently and has an extra (Parking) light in the top row where the US tail light has a plug stamped with the letter "P". So five bulbs total and starting from top left corner here are the wire colors:

Bulb 1: Grn/Yel, Grn/Wht, Blk

Bulb 2: (parking): Grn/Blu, Blk

Bulb 3: Grn/Yel, Grn/Wht, Blk

Bulb 4: Red/Blk, Blk

Bulb 5: Grn, Blk

So, in other words the wiring for the reverse lights is the same between them and us. So is the bottom left bulb. The top three are different. On the Japanese lights I was thinking of wiring the positive (Grn/Blu) wire of the Japanese parking light to the positive wire of the rear sidemarkers.

Now what about that extra Grn/Yel wire for the top two Japanese bulbs - Does anybody have an idea?

[EricB]

CORRECTION!!!! The picture above is of the back of the Japanese tail light, the one below in this post is the US one.... Sorry....

[Akir-ra]

How do these lights look from the otherside..? I ask because I am desperately seeking "european type" tail lights, turn signals, and a new headlight design..Does anyone have any idea of where I can find any of these.. MAS used to carry the tail and signal lights but Nissan stopped production on them..And as for the headlights.. I've seen a superwhite conversion for H4 from Catz..I think Nopi imports here in Atlanta can get those..Thoughts...?

Ak

[EricB]

FYI: I just came back from the source and it is NOT true. Japanese tail lights are still available in japan at NORMAL retail prices of roughly $170-200each. What's the difference? The added parking light picture above (between the top two bulbs) and the orange lens for the turn signal - the US one is red, remember?

As for our headlights, they are 7" round. It would be very easy to get some 7" round Hella H4 lamps with removable bulbs and substitute the bulbs with any H4 HID ones provided you also got the matching igniters and voltage converters. The only disadvantage: wiring in an extra relay so the Nissan wiring doesn't melt, and the loss of your high beam.... an HiD bulb can only do low - beams....

-e

[EScanlon]

I'm glad I saw your post, and I'm sorry I hadn't noticed it earlier.

What you are asking, and the pictures you are providing are exactly what I was working on.

So, I'll share what I know and let you pick and choose.

The "extra" bulb between the two top bulbs is what in Japan is used in lieu of reflectors. Here in the US we rely on the reflectors in the lenses to reflect the oncoming cars headlights and therefore make the car noticeable. In Japan they decided to require the car to light itself up. The circuit allows only ONE side to be light up at a time, or if desired, both can be.

If you have an early 71 or 70 you will note that your console, to the right of the Rear Defog Switch has a hole for what people think is a fog light switch. It isn't. That's where the dual switch for the Rear Parking Lights was mounted in Japan, which is one of the bulbs you are seeing.

American cars do not have the wiring to support the switch, nor the lights. In fact, you won't find mention of it in the English Language FSM nor the wiring diagram.

The dual switch in the console was removed and replaced with a black square plug, so was the wiring, and the hole in the tail light was plugged with a rubber plug with the letter P on it. That's how American cars were sold. AFAIK only the Japanese cars had that feature.

So, you could wire it in sequence to your parking lights, or your brake light, but you wouldn't want to splice it into the turn signal as that is the reason for having the separate color lens for the turn signal in the Japanese (aka European) tail lights. Or you could just remove the bulb and put in a rubber plug to cap the hole.

Now, if you choose to do the latter, plug the hole since you don't have the wiring, I'll offer to buy those sockets from you, as I AM wiring the switches into my car and I AM looking for just those bulb holders and plugs.

Now, as far as the rest of your wiring.

The BLACK wire is Earth or Ground for ALL the bulbs. The Z uses that as the return part of the circuit for all the different circuits.

The Green /White wire is your TAIL LIGHT circuit.

(US= G/W in the CAR'S wiring harness)

The Green / Yellow is your STOP LIGHT circuit

The Green alone is your TURN SIGNAL circuit

In the US the Turn Signal AND the Brake Signal wiring is merged up by the Hazard Switch, Combination Switch and is the same wire all the way back to the tail lights.

(US= GB for Right Hand Side and GR for Left Hand side again in the CAR'S wiring harness)

In order to make these lights work, you need to run an additional wire for the brakes BUT I'm still working on which one.

The Green / Blue is only for the aforementioned side marker circuit. In Japan they don't have the side marker lights if I recall properly. But in the US the side marker lights are hooked into the Tail Light circuit. (there is no corresponding wiring in the CAR'S harness)

The Red / Black is your REVERSE circuit

Hope this helps, and I'll come back to it to help you figure out where to splice in the wire for the brake circuit.

Enrique Scanlon

[EricB]

Enrique,

You are correct, Japanese Zs do not have rear sidemarkers at all so the 5th bulb in their tail light does serve this purpose... What you've taught me (and it saves me a lot of time) is where the turn signal and brake light are merged in the US wiring harness (by the hazard switch) thanks a lot for that.

As regards the key - let me find it (I just moved from apt to house) and I'll send it off to you on Monday - I'll get back to you where to send the $$s then too.

-e

[EScanlon]

There is a Green Yellow wire that connects to the Combination Switch. That GY wire is the feed from the Brake Switch.

If you disconnect that wire there, and splice a wire that then runs all the way to the back to the brake lights, you will have independent function on the brakes from the turn signals. Be sure to insulate the cut wire, although no power goes to it when you use the turn signals.

Let me know.

Enrique

[Inf]

Time for me to be the forum necromancer!

I just bought a pair of the JDM tail lights (from Chloe at MidwestZ.com, very good service!!!) and I was wondering if anyone ever found some sort of substitute socket for that top center location? I would like to use that spot if at all possible, but have nothing to fit into it. Maybe a socket that was used in another nissan car/truck? Complete harnesses for both lights from Japan seems like they would be expensive items here in the states.

Has anyone bought the aftermarket tail light gaskets from Victoria British, and how do they compare with the genuine nissan gaskets?

Andrew

[Ben]

I'm planning on doing the same thing with my rear lights. But since I haven't been able to find a socket yet, I'll probably wire up an isolation circuit that will allow me to turn on the rear lights only.

If anyone does find an appropriate OEM bulb socket, I would much appreciate the details!

My DR30 Skyline has this feature, it lights up the outboard taillights & the front parkers, as opposed to the European cars which light up one side only (depending on indicator position).

[Gav240z]

My DR30 Skyline has this feature, it lights up the outboard taillights & the front parkers, as opposed to the European cars which light up one side only (depending on indicator position).

I always thought this was for parking so that people can see your car at night easier, dunno that's just what i was told.

[Alan Pugh]

I'm with Gav on that one, I was always told they were parking lights so your car was visible on the side of the road at night while parked.

Can't do that these days because the CAR won't let you.

Alan.