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Hi Folks! Many thanks for the replies. Yes, the battery lost juice and I wasn't able to start. Yes, the battery voltage dropped to 11 and the volt meter was reading 16. What I mean about bypassing the VR is that I upgraded the last alternator that has the regulator inside. I ditched the original external one. I may have been too hasty to buy a replacement - haven't checked all connections as of yet. Perhaps that's my issue. Will check it this weekend.

Hi Folks, My alternator failed and left me stranded yesterday. Oddly, the voltmeter in the dash was reading 16V and the red light didn't come on to warn me of any impending failure. I have a 77 280Z. The alternator currently in there includes the voltage regulator from a previous replacement / swap - this one is about 5 years old. Then red light in the voltmeter is good - it lights up on start and goes out after starting. So I'm wondering - when I replaced the alternator the first time (and bypassed the original regulator), did I render the voltmeter useless?

Is there someone in San Jose who would be willing to do this repair on my '77 Z? My heater valve needs restoration too. No winter driving because of it... :-(

My '77 is stock except for K&N air filter and cold air intake, and I have exactly the same problem as rossiz describes. In fact, last time out, the car just quit at a stop light and I had to have it towed home. No Son with truck and tools to come to my rescue. So reading thru here, the possible fixes are '79 fuel injector fan, '79 fuel rail, after market header, or fuel accumulator. Guess I'll start with the first one and see if that solves the problem.

+1 Thank you Mike!

It's pretty straigh forward. Remove the 4 screws holding in the vents. Remove the metal brakets holding in the plastic air diffuser. Remove the diffuser. Remove the volt meter. The charging light has it's own plug right into the back of it. I had a spare light bulb from the instrument light bulb upgrade kit I bought at MSA. It's a 12V 4W bulb. Pretty simple really. Thanks again! Chances are I didn't even need to replace the alternator. Something to keep in mind next time I don't see the charging light when I switch the key on.

Thank you Thank you Thank you!!! This little charging light was indeed the issue! I replaced the light bulb and now it's working like a charm! Like you said, little red light on with key on, and then off when the engine is running. I'm getting 14V+ at idle now. All is good. So.... I'm still a little mystified as to how it was behaving before said light bulb replacement. Not sure why or how I was getting a full charge only after the one time high RPM boost. Either way, thank you SO MUCH! for your help! Another Z back on the road.

Thanks so much for your help. No. The red charge light does not come on with the key on. The light doesn't come on with the key on whether the engine is running or not. I measured voltage to the L wire, and it's only pulling a few hundred mili Amps. When I rev the engine super high just one time, then it measures about 14.5V and all is good. Do you think it's a bad alternator? As I side note, I saw your other post about the brake check relay. The brake warning light is working like it should. I pulled the passenger seat and carpet to check. Funny thing, the brake warning light works as it should with the relay unplugged as well. No clicking sound when I connect the battery, so don't think this is the issue. I checked the voltage regulator bypass wiring I did. It's been some time so I don't remember the source.... I checked the wiring... They're as follows: Yellow to Blue White/black to Blue Black - no connect White/red - no connect I kind of doubt this is the issue because everything was working before the old alternator died. I'm inclined to ask mechanic to try alternator #4. What do you think?

Is the wiring for the '77 the same as the '76? I can't download the '77 FSM from Xenon so have been using the '76. Also have this great color wiring diagram for a '76 that someone posted here someplace. I'm having the same charging issue that Harwyre posted in another string and think it may be a relay gone bad somewhere. The alternator will charge after I rev the engine up to ~5K just once. Then, everything is fine. Using the '76 wiring diagram to search for a relay gone bad someplace.

Interesting. I actually had my local mechanic do the work. He said he's tried 3 different alternators all with the same result. I do like the idea of having one rebuilt by a specialty shop. Maybe that's the trick. Many thanks for your input.

That should read "Fusable links" appear OK. That darn spell check!

Yes, it does. I disabled the regulator and did the ZX upgrade. It worked fine for about 1.5 years and just quit. Replaced the alternator with a new one and charges at higher RPM but not at idle. Do you have a solution? Disable links appear OK and not getting hot.

Hi Folks! My '77 280Z with the 280ZX alternator isn't charging at idle even after a new alternator swap. Any and all help is welcomed please!

Hi Folks! I'm looking to buy Passenger and Driver side lower dash trim panels. Like the ones on eBay, but don't want to pay a kings ransom for them. Can anyone help a guy out? Datsun 260z 280z Lower Dash Trim Panels Stunning | eBay

I remember something along the lines of "Thy shall not covet thy neighbors' Z"

Thanks Gents! I can guess this is not one of those times you get multiple tries at poking holes in the side. Thanks for the tips.

I used the zccjdm bumper mounts to install 240z bumpers on my 280z. 30 Ounce is right... removing the original cow catchers and bumper shocks is not for the faint of heart. The zccjdm mounts work good, but would have liked a cleaner solution to the side mounts on the rear. I fabbed up some myself for a temporary fix. Does anyone know if there's a better way?

Thanks for your help Blue! Making progress but still not quite right. - The jumper test from the S connectoor (yellow) to +tive terminal yielded no different result. - The fusible link for the Alternator & Ignition Relay is super hot to the touch. In fact, after about 15 minutes of running the motor while trying to troubleshoot, the platic housing started to smoke (melt) it was so hot! - I disconnected the #2 and #3 (White&Red to Yellow) that I tied together at the old V regulator connector, and now get 14.3V without lights on, and 13.5 to 13.7V with the lights on. Is it OK to leave these these 2 wires diconnected? What would cause the fusable link to get burning hot?

Hi Folks, I upgraded to a ZX alternator (brand new from Carquest) and followed the wiring instructions exactly. I went the extra mile and ordered a 70 AMP alternator for an '83 ZX Turbo. No improvement tho.... I get ~ 13.5V at idle and it'll charge up to ~ 13.7V at higher rpm. But charge drops below 12V with the lights on. Connecting the +tive directly to the alternator gets me 14.5 to 14.7V. Is my voltage reader bad? Doubtful, but will check it this weekend at the service station. Could there be some fault with the headlight wiring upgrade? How to check it? What else could be wrong? As always, all suggestions welcome.

Hi! Hope you can help me source the issue. It's a '77 280Z with a new(ish) alternator. Bypassing the voltage regulator it puts out over 15V. The battery (also newish) and measures about 12.4V with engine off. At idle, V = about 13.2 to 13.4V and will charge up to 14.5V at high rpm. BUT, turn on the headlights, and V = 12.8. I tightened the alternator belt, clened the fusable link connectors, and other accesible connectors. I have Zondabrain headlight wiring harness upgrade and the H4 headlights from MSA. Is it possible the relay in the headlight harness is faulty?

Hi Folks! I have no intention to offend. Here's my new Avatar. I resemble this guy. The fatman Avatar was for my amusement and inspiration never to get that way. Back to topic - again, I appreciate all your inputs and wish to remain in good standing. Darrell

Oh boy! Thanks for the many replies. It's a '77. So it's got a separate voltage regulator in the circuit. Story goes like this. Replaced the Battery first. Then replaced the Alternator about a week later. Then my incident - the one at the top of this string. When I say it suddenly died, it wasn't "BAM", but more like brr brrrrr brr brrrr... RPM's started dropping, and lights started flickering. I thought I had a fuel problem and was trying to feather the gas to revive it but then she just quit. Now here's the sad part... I was across town so had AAA tow me to the nearest AAA service shop. They swapped out the regulator, and although they said there was an improvement, they admitted it wasn't quite right. They recommended I take it back to have my alternator replaced (under warranty of course). So I limp home and go to shop #1 and have the alternator replaced. Another improvement, but not quite right. Back to shop #2 and for grins, they plug in the original voltage regulator. VOILA! I got power! But now here's the weird part.... I'm getting north of 13V to the battery now, but when driving the volt guage in the car is pegged at 16. All the way over to the right. I'll give a go at going over the wiring and inspect for integrity as noted above.

It's just standard painters masking tape. Nothing special about it.

Hi Folks! This morning the Z died on the morning commute.... Suddenly lost electricity and not able to start the car. Towed to a nearby rescue station. Battery - recently replaced Alternator - recently replaced What they found: Output voltage at the alternator is 13.5V, but power not reaching the battery. So they replaced the voltage regulator. Still, only 12.7V measured at the battery. They suspect that I have a faulty alternator...after charging me to replace the voltage regulator. Oh, and the really strange thing.... the V meter in the dash is reading ~14V. Dahhh, I hate electrical problems.. What do you think?