MAJOR wire issues...new harness? 260z

[motorheadwannab]

So I am looking into a 260z it has a great body basically flawless except paint, car runs and drives, but only on 4 cylinders. I looked over the car and realized it has some MAJOR wiring problems, there are twisty connectors used in homes on it and to get the headlights on you have to plug two wires together, the rear lights don't come on, and neither the tach nor speedo work. The choke lever is non existant and you have to flip a switch for the car to run (i'm assuming its the electric fuel pump). I am going back to look at the car tomorrow but i'm scared with the wires, I am very good at working on mechanical things but wires and me...I'm not sure if it can be repaired or if I would have to rip the entire harness out and start over...is that even possible? I noticed on Ebay there are 2 dash wiring harness's for sale however one says it is for a 240z the other says it is for a 260z and 280z, which is it? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180143456416&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=008 or http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=220134594936&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=012 . For 1000 would you buy this car?

[Mr Camouflage]

Doesn't sound like the wiring is the issue. Sounds more like the wiring harness has been dodgied up to fix various problems, instead of fixing the problem itself. Eg the headlight problem is probably a worn combination switch (a common problem with the S30).

Simply replacing the harness wont fix the problem.

[dk240z]

I have an "early" 74 260 dash harness. Might have the engine compartment harness too. Had to scrap the car due to rust, and I figured the 260 harnesses might be of value to somebody someday. let me know if your interested.

DK

[bigoak]

If the body is truly very good, $1,000 is a fine price. Key places to check are the bottom of the doors, under the battery tray, the rear deck under the hatch, the doglegs and the floors. Check them thoroughly. If they are solid it's a good deal, electrical on these cars is not super-complicated and can be addressed.

Good luck.

[motorheadwannab]

I went back today to see it in the light, it is honestly a wiring nightmare! nearly every wire has been replaced with what appears to be house wiring, even using the twist together connectors. The car pulses really bad when driving, i'm thinking either fuel pump or carbs but i'm not sure. I'm thinking i'll keep looking, I'm not looking for THAT big of a project as the interior is trashed and missing alot as well...if anyone is interested its in phoenix/gilbert/mesa area.

[Ramses]

Welcome to the world of wiring POFU. I had to take 6 wiring harnesses and merge them into 3 while I was refreshing my '73. It was a nightmare. Seems the PO was real fond of speaker wire as a replacement for wires in the engine bay, dash and for of course the stereo.

As for the running on 4 cylinders. Mine was doing the same thing and I thought it was a wiring problem as well...boy was I wrong. Seems that when the #3 cylinder was under compression it would leak into the #4 cylinder and vise versa. The timing was set way far advanced to make it run properly and to hide that it was not firing on #3 & 4. After messing with it for a while, I did a compression test on the cylinders and ended up doing a top end job on the head. Not fun.

With all of the nightmares that I had on the refresh of this car...I took her out for a spin yesterday, and possibly today and I can not tell you how much fun I had. She ran like a top. Got about 25 mpg. Only coughed once upon acceleration, and I got a lot of good stares.

A cop pulled me over to tell me that I had no inspection sticker and we ended up talking about z's for about 20 minutes. He is about my age and had one during his college years. Did not write me a ticket. I told him about the Z-club here in Houston, which I am not a member, but I am thinking about it.

If the body is in as good as order as you say and all the numbers match. Buy it. I am going to buy a '76 next week for $800.00, just so I can have another project. I will eventually have a 240, 260, 280 and a roadster.

Chuck

[Pennyman]

This brings back memories. I found several wire nuts after I bought my car. Both in the engine bay and in the cabin. I had to rewire the turn signals, the stereo, hazards, semi auto antenna, among other things. A lot of it was due to corroded connectors under a leaky heater core. Yummy.

Goodluck. I'm sure it's easier on a 240z compared to a 280z.