My New Z

[bratliff]

Drained the oil, ordered an oil pan gasket and pulled the front and rear bumpers. If it weren't thunder storms and tornado watches I'd pull it out of the garage to take some pics. I like the look of the car so much better without those huge bumpers.

Edited April 19, 2015 by bratliff

[bratliff]

Spent the morning replacing the oil pan gasket. While it CAN be done with the engine in the car it is a royal pain! Put on a new filter and filled her up with oil. Changed the air filter as well. Went to start it and it's completely dead. It has a brand new battery and has only sat for a week since I last started it up. I did find that a chasis ground wire had broken from the battery ground cable. I also found several other small broken wires around the engine bay. I'm guessing that if the battery were improperly grounded it could cause a drain?

 

I need to get some heavier gauge wire and some heat shrink so I can fix the wiring that I can see is broken and then I'll try again. Would it be worth buying a new engine wiring harness? 

[Patcon]

You probably have some kind of battery drain. An easy way to narrow it down is the put a test light between the battery terminal and the battery posts. It should light up some. Start pulling fuses until it goes out. That is the circuit with the drain. As for a new harness, that depends on how bad the existing one is and how comfortable you feel about patching it in.

[Zed Head]

If the alternator and regulator have been swapped from external to internal, the brake warning lamp check replay can cause a drain.  You'll see a small spark when you connect the battery cables, and hear the relay under the passenger seat click..  Actually, you'll see the spark for any drain.  There's always a very tiny one for the clock though.

[bratliff]

If the alternator and regulator have been swapped from external to internal, the brake warning lamp check replay can cause a drain.  You'll see a small spark when you connect the battery cables, and hear the relay under the passenger seat click..  Actually, you'll see the spark for any drain.  There's always a very tiny one for the clock though.

You lost me.

I have not swapped the alternator and voltage regulator yet. I was reading the Haynes gyide and it says the voltage regulator prevents the battery from being discharged to ground through the alternator. I'm thinking this is my likely culprit due to my earlier stupid mistake. Sound reasonable?

[SteveJ]

If you have an ammeter, hook it up to the battery while the car is off. Pull the connection to the VR. If the draw drops, you know you have a bad VR.

 

This may help with diagnostics: https://fiddlingwithzcars.wordpress.com/2012/12/16/some-electrical-basics-and-troubleshooting/

 

Let me know if you need a housecall.

[bratliff]

If you have an ammeter, hook it up to the battery while the car is off. Pull the connection to the VR. If the draw drops, you know you have a bad VR.

 

This may help with diagnostics: https://fiddlingwithzcars.wordpress.com/2012/12/16/some-electrical-basics-and-troubleshooting/

 

Let me know if you need a housecall.

 

I just might! I'm not scared of doing electrical work I just really have no clue what I'm doing.

 

I took the battery and alternator in to AutoZone for testing. Alternator failed and the brand new battery was dead as a brick. Wouldn't register at all on their charger either. Got the battery replaced and ordered a rebuilt alternator from them. I know they aren't the best quality, but the goal right now is to get the car running. I'll look at upgrading the alternator and other electrical mods later once I am working from a running vehicle.

 

I also bought wire, shrink wrap and connectors so I can go through and fix the broken/shoddy connections I can see in the engine bay.

[SteveJ]

Has the engine bay been hacked up? If not, I'm not sure why you would need to add wire. Also, many of the connectors are available at http://www.vintageconnections.com.  I can teach you how to crimp wires so they look like they came from the factory.

[Zed Head]

I have not swapped the alternator and voltage regulator yet. I was reading the Haynes gyide and it says the voltage regulator prevents the battery from being discharged to ground through the alternator. I'm thinking this is my likely culprit due to my earlier stupid mistake. Sound reasonable?

If you do do the swap, you'll need to be aware of the brake check warning lamp relay.  It can wait though.

 

Get rid of the Haynes manual and get the 1976 FSM.  You can find it in the link in SteveJ's sig, or at the link below.  Also download the Fuel Injection Guidebook.

 

Pretty sure that the parts stores can check your VR also.  It's under the relay shelf in front of the battery.  Described in the Engine Electrical chapter of the FSM.  You'll want to check that too. 

 

Many of those shoddy connections are stock from the factory.  They're not as bad as they look, but they should be covered.

 

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/280z/  (files open directly, no unzipping needed)

[bratliff]

Has the engine bay been hacked up? If not, I'm not sure why you would need to add wire. Also, many of the connectors are available at http://www.vintageconnections.com.  I can teach you how to crimp wires so they look like they came from the factory.

 

No, there are just several wires that look like the got brittle and broke. I was going to strip them back a little, and solder a piece of wire in between the two broken ends so as to not make it shorter and then cover it with heat shrink to keep it protected. There are a lot of crimped connections that to me look they should just be removed and replaced with soldered connections. Maybe this isn't the case?

[bratliff]

If you do do the swap, you'll need to be aware of the brake check warning lamp relay.  It can wait though.

 

Get rid of the Haynes manual and get the 1976 FSM.  You can find it in the link in SteveJ's sig, or at the link below.  Also download the Fuel Injection Guidebook.

 

Pretty sure that the parts stores can check your VR also.  It's under the relay shelf in front of the battery.  Described in the Engine Electrical chapter of the FSM.  You'll want to check that too. 

 

Many of those shoddy connections are stock from the factory.  They're not as bad as they look, but they should be covered.

 

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/280z/  (files open directly, no unzipping needed)

 

When I was cleaning out the car, I found the 1976 FSM in the tool compartment. It's missing the cover but otherwise looks complete. I replaced the alternator and have a new one ready to go in. Waiting on a new belt to arrive from MSA (the old one is cracked through). I also pulled the VR and opened it up and it looks brand new. Nothing looks burnt, bent, rusted or rotted. I reinstalled it. Once i get the alternator back in, I'll test for drain with the link that Steve provided. The auto store wanted almost $90 for a new VR. I think MSA has it cheaper.

[SteveJ]

If you're staying with an externally regulated alternator, look at Rockauto for a VR. 

 

As for wiring connections, crimping is industry standard for most connections because it is faster than soldering. If you have a lot of spare time, feel free to solder. And I'll second what Zed head said (sounds nice out loud) about the connections.