Recommendation for new radiator and elctrical fan for 280Z

[rossiz]

just a thought on your wire path - my 78 has a double blank-off rubber plug for the holes in the firewall that were for choke cables in previous model years. it's on the drivers side above the pedals/below the throttle linkage. i know this because i pulled my efi and installed carbs, using this rubber blank to route the choke cables.

you can poke a hole through the rubber (it's thick) and pull a wire (or choke cable) through with an air/water-tight seal.

easy-peasy and no messing w/the dash.

[Marios280Z]

just a thought on your wire path - my 78 has a double blank-off rubber plug for the holes in the firewall that were for choke cables in previous model years. it's on the drivers side above the pedals/below the throttle linkage. i know this because i pulled my efi and installed carbs, using this rubber blank to route the choke cables.

you can poke a hole through the rubber (it's thick) and pull a wire (or choke cable) through with an air/water-tight seal.

easy-peasy and no messing w/the dash.

Ahh, I don't believe I have seen them, but I will take a second look this evening. Thanks!

[Marios280Z]

I have found those two rubber plugs. In my car they are used to wring in AC pipes inside the cabin.But I did see that there was plenty of rubber left to poke a hole and feed a small wire.

On a different note, I had a bit of a malfunction happen to me on my way to work this morning. I don't want to highjack this post, but I'm going to mention it here since we have been talking about alternator here. As I was driving down the ride all of the sadden my lights went off. My dash went dark, and my head lights went dark. Radio worked, engine was spinning and electric fans were ON at that point. I turn the head light switch back and forth,but there was nothing. I continued driving down the streets for few more minutes, came to the intersection, and turn the blinker on, it worked. I then attempted to run the head lights on again, and this time they came ON,but still no dash lights. Few minutes later I pulled into my work parking lot, left the car running and got outside. My had lights were still on, but my marker lights as well as my rear lights were off. My front orang lights that are normally on and go brighter with blinker on were off, but turning the blinker on would make them flash. My rear blinker lights would flash as well. This far I have not had any other problem with my lights after dual Dan install. It did not seem like alternator was struggling a lot with fans on. Dash voltage gage would drop just a bit when idle and fans on, but probably less than if I turn the head lights by themselve.I also tested at idle with headlights and fans on, and again you could tell that fans slowed down a bit when lights went on, but I was still showing way over 12V on the dash volt gage. All that's test were done week and a half ago when I finished my fans install. Throughout the week Ice been paying attention to the volt gauge when fans kicked in and I did not see anything abnormal. What could be happening here? So you think my fans have anything to do with my light malfunction or is it coincident? I have not checked any fuses yet, but I will later today when I come back home.

[Mark Maras]

 I think I'd go looking for a  poor or bad ground. I have used a  2'-3' piece of elec. wire with alligator clips on each end to add a ground to suspect circuits. Quick & easy way to complete a circuit, then find the bad ground or add a new one.

[Zed Head]

I have found those two rubber plugs. In my car they are used to wring in AC pipes inside the cabin.But I did see that there was plenty of rubber left to poke a hole and feed a small wire.

On a different note, I had a bit of a malfunction happen to me on my way to work this morning. I don't want to highjack this post, but I'm going to mention it here since we have been talking about alternator here. As I was driving down the ride all of the sadden my lights went off. My dash went dark, and my head lights went dark. Radio worked, engine was spinning and electric fans were ON at that point. I turn the head light switch back and forth,but there was nothing. I continued driving down the streets for few more minutes, came to the intersection, and turn the blinker on, it worked. I then attempted to run the head lights on again, and this time they came ON,but still no dash lights. 

The headlights are on a separate fusible link.  Maybe it came loose.  Not sure what else is on the circuit.  

 

The dash lights on my car will go off when the tail light fuse blows.  Same circuit.  So if you don't have dash lights, you may not have tail lights either.

[Marios280Z]

Yes,I do not have rear lights.

[Captain Obvious]

The 78 fusible link for the headlights does headlights only. Nothing else is on that circuit.

 

What's the state of the issues now? Is everything back to normal, or are there still lights that aren't working?

[Marios280Z]

Still have the problem. I know why the lights are not on:

15A fuse totally disintegrated. Also melted the fuse box cover. Took replacement fuse and tested with only marker lights on and dash lights on.Them turned the head lights on and all still looked OK. Car was off when I was doing this. The biggest question I have is what could have possibly caused it??

[Zed Head]

A simple shorted tail light bulb socket could blow the fuse.  I had one of those.  But the fuse destruction and high heat under the cover shouldn't have happened.  Have you had the fuse box assembly out?  Maybe you shorted some wires behind the that fuse.

 

You said it happened all of a sudden.  Implying that something moved and shorted while you were driving.  I would check all of the things that you've worked on recently.  I didn't catch where you wired in your fans and relays.

[Marios280Z]

I have never disassemble the fuse box. The fuse broke in half as I was trying to pull it out,  I did not find it this way. Either way it got hot over there. I  was driving in  a straight line when things went dark on me. I have installed the fan relay and the fuse at the very front of the car, to the left of the RH headlamp and to the right of the coolant overflow tank. There already was a bolt not used by anything so I just attached the plastic relay box and also sued that bolt to provide ground to the relay. Then there is a power wire going straight to the battery and one to the override switch (eventually  I will have it hooked up). Then there is power wire going straight to the fans. Grounds from the fans are attached to the car body by a bolt right underneath the carbon container. From the relay there is also a signal wire going to on of the terminals on the thermoswitch. The other terminal of the switch is connected to the + terminal on the ignition coil. I honestly don't know what I could be looking for on the new installed system. It really appears that it is nowhere near the circuit responsible for the rear lights, dash lights, and the dual function front orange light. Also, before I replaced the fuse I verified an I did have the back up light, but the glove box and the ash tray light was out.

Edited October 13, 2015 by Marios280Z

[Zed Head]

The fuse is supposed to melt when it gets hot.  The only explanation for getting that hot at the fuse connection is that you had high resistance there, creating a hot spot.  A balance between the local hot spot and heat dissipation that allowed the cover to melt before the part of the fuse that was supposed to melt melted.  In short, dirty/loose fuse contacts.  Common on the 240Z's, I believe, not so much on the 280Z's.  I'd clean them all up.

 

Weird that you have multiple problems happening at once.  As noted, the headlights and the tail lights are two different circuits.

 

I went back and did see this though - "I was still showing way over 12V on the dash volt gage".  How way?  Could be that the excess heat was caused by excess voltage, and excess amps.  Maybe your VR is going bad.

[Marios280Z]

Zed Head,  I have always been showing over 12 volts when engine is running. When engine is off the dash volt indicator shows just a little over 12V. I though that when alternator is charging the nominal value would be around 14-14.5V. What do you mean by VR?