Electrical Issue

[whew41]

Good afternoon to all. I need your help. When I press on my brake pedal my brake lights come on so does all of my dash lights. Then of course I get a brake warning light. Where should I begin to look or what should I do to resolve this problem.My car is a 1983 280ZX....:ogre:

Thanks

Jim

Fayetteville, NC

[naviathan]

Wow...I've never heard of that one before. I would start by checking the wiring under the dash. Look for something that's been added in. I'll bet a PO has done some monkey wiring under the dash and bridge a connection he shouldn't have. Check behind the radio specifically. Usually that's where they make the most mistakes when putting in aftermarket radios.

[zbane]

Yeah, My PO did a number on the wiring for the radio. You might also want to check the connections starting at the brake pedal itself. Since your brake lights work, find out what else is connected to them. I know you just got the car recently, has this problem been occuring the entire time, or is this something new? If it is something new, is there something electrical that YOU have done-maybe you accidentally broke/loosened a connection.

Just a couple Ideas.

PS-do you have the FSM? Found this in another thread, but I couldn't get it to open:http://carfiche.com/manuals020/cars/82_datsun_280zx.zip

And have you noticed the thread so far- Three North Carolinians, Three different regions, three ZX's (odd years only) descending order 83-81-79.

coincedence?:devious:

[whew41]

Last night I did look up under the radio area. The only additional item was a alarm system that was put in by previous owner. This problem that is occurring just started last week. So tonight I will follow the leads from the brake pedal and see where it takes me......and yes we are in three different regions but we are all in North Carolina

[naviathan]

Keep us updated on this. I'm curious what it is, just in case I run into the same problem.

[monkeyman]

This is the exact same problem I had (on another car) and the fix was simple.

I pushed the brake pedal in, the brake lights come on as well as all the parking lights (and dash lights).

The problem was that I (or someone) had put the wrong bulb into the brake light socket. The brake light bulb should have had two filaments: one for parking lights, and one for the brakes. I (or someone) had put a single filament bulb (one for the blinkers maybe) in the brake bulb socket. Being a single filament bulb, the electrical contact was large and in the centre of the base. It shorted the two electrodes at the bottom of the socket (one electrode for brakes, one for parkers). So when I pushed the brake pedal in, 12V got to the brake filament electrode in the socket, the bulb lit, but the electrical contact on the bottom of the bulb connected the 12V across to the other electrode in the base of the socket, putting power on the parking light (and dash light) circuit... so they all lit up. The two different types of bulbs are usually keyed different so they aren't interchangeable, but it happens.

I don't know how the types of bulbs are arranged in the 280ZX, but check them all I hopefully you will find one that is the wrong type for the socket it is in.

Good luck,

Eric

[sblake01]

Good call, monkeyman! I had that happen on a 66 Chevy Nova about 25 years ago and had forgotten all about it until you mentioned it. If I recall correctly on a ZX, the bottom two sockets on each light assembly would be where to look.

[=Enigma=]

Guys, that's gotta be one of the most bizarre things I've ever heard regarding electrical oddities. I can't wait to hear how this pans out for Jim.

[whew41]

Well the issue has been resolved and I thank you all some much for you ideas. The problem was the one back light had a 1156 bulb in and it should have been a 1157. Since the 1156 is a single element bulb and the 1157 is a dual element. Since the 1157 serves as your stop light and your running light.......A speacil thanks to moneyman for pointing this out to me.

Jim

[naviathan]

Good call, awesome responses. This is one for the archives.

[agemeansnothing]

I hope I dont have any of this happpening to me.........................:nervous: :paranoid: :nervous: :paranoid:

[=Enigma=]

Wow! Good call Monkeyman. I will not soon forget this one. I could see myself wasting a lot of time on this one thinking that a simple bulb change could not possibly produce such a result.