Tracking down a short

[SteveJ]

A couple of months ago, I drove my 73 240Z to the Mitty. A couple of days later, I got in it to drive again, but it acted dead. Nothing happened when I turned the key except for hearing the accessory relay click. I tried the headlights, and they were dead, too.

I finally got around to tracking down the problem. I have 12 volts at the starter. I have 12 V at the alternator. I measured the White with Red stripe wire at the fusebox. It was 12 V. I had my nephew turn the key to accessory, and the voltage drops to 0. I unplugged the accessory relay, and I had voltage when I turned the key, but it dropped to 0 V when I turned the key to the ON position.

I am strongly suspecting that the short is in the steering column. However, I'm at a loss to find the common point(s) where the short could be happening. By the way, I do not hear any arcing or smell any wires burning.

For the record, I do have the wiring diagram for the 73 from the FSM.

Any suggestions for common points to search for would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Steve

[SteveJ]

Well, I tried again this evening. During the day, I was thinking about what could be the common point. So, I hooked up the battery charger and set it to 10 Amps. I turned the key, and everything worked. I can't remember when I bought the battery, but apparently, it is shorted internally.

New battery - $70 and 15 minutes to install.

Buttoning up all of the wiring and trim I took apart - 3 hours.