Driving lights died

[wilson_wwsc]

Well, the 3rd fuse on the right side does look like its dead. Fuse is still intact, but one of the metal caps is shifted over a little and I can see signs of some melting or something. This may explain why the park lights worked for a little. The fuse melted back into operable condition I guess? I will need to go to walmart to pick up some of these fuses. I noticed that the fuse in here is a 25amp but the fuse box cover says it should be a 20A.

I am frustrated. Electrical stuff that I don't understand is ALWAYS frustrating. It's even worse that I have to work in a parkade with no lights and no outlets. I'm moving into a house with a garage with some friends soon so I will be motivated to work on my Z a lot more.

So what is it that I should do to stop this fuse from melting? I reread your posts and the only thing I could come up with is to get LED's?

O yeah, it also sucks that I live in LA and I have to wait till traffic is gone to go get any supplies. Then I have work at 6 or 7am so that gives me about a 2hr window to do anything. Still, the compliments I get on my Z and the smile it puts on my face when I'm driving it is WELL worth it.

Edited June 24, 2011 by wilson_wwsc

[SteveJ]

I was going to try to find my old fusebox to show you a good meltdown.

Here are my suggested solutions: Buy a used fusebox out of a 72 or 73 Z (same fusebox was used) or buy a drop-in replacement from Motorsport Auto. I think it's about $200 + tax (and shipping) for you. Sources for used parts include Autogator in Roseville (maybe - I haven't used them in well over 10 years.), ZBarn, and ZCarSource (EXPENSIVE but very responsive). Also I found this site that says it will repair the problem for $50.

As for your working area, just buy a rechargable LED worklight. All of the work to replace the fusebox and replace at least the sidemarker and taillights requires only a wrench to remove the battery cable and a couple of screwdrivers to get to the lights & fusebox.

I provided a list of the LEDs and a good supplier (SuperbrightLEDs) in another post here. If you have any money left after those suggestions, contact Dave Irwin (aka Zs-ondabrain) about his parking light relays.

Electricity is pretty simple. You have a power source (battery or alternator), switch, fuse, load (lights, etc.) and wires that connect everything together. The car is negatively grounded, so the metal in the chasis is the same as a negative wire. Don't touch the positive to the negative or to the chasis. The wires are color coded in the wiring diagram. The 73's diagram fits on one page. Use a pencil or similar to follow the lines in the wiring diagram. Watch for color changes in the wiring when you see a dot. If you know how to use a multimeter, you have the basics down. Experiment and expand your knowledge from there.

I can't spoonfeed you much more without showing up on your doorstep. I was no electrical expert when I replaced my fusebox. It's not that tough. If you can change a lightbulb, you can install LEDs. All of that together should give you a working fix.

[wilson_wwsc]

I've worked on a lot of different electrical things. It's just that with the v8 conversion that I didn't do myself, the wires, the hybrid, etc get confusing. I looked at a thread on doing LED's a while ago (maybe a year). I'm going to do it soon. I already have electronic flashers, which should solve the problem with the lower wattage LEDs.

I was just ranting a little because the lack of light and a decent place where I can get supplies is frustrating.

Thanks for the help; I'm going to look that led thread up now. =)