dhp123166

You are a better web digger than I ! I was shooting blanks everywhere I turned. Thank you.

Yes, "phenolic" is in the title but there is a lot more included in the correct product name because there are numerous different products that have "phenolic" in the material name. My current plastic choice is Torlon 5030 to replace primarily the circuit board in the hi-lo beam switch but it would be nice to maybe have the same material as OEM. On the other hand, that stuff was kind of too fragile to use as the hi- lo circuit board and 50 years on they are mostly broken or break when attempting removal from the switch housing. Thanks Jim

Who here knows the proper title given to the circuit board that s30 ZCAR headlight and turn signal switches use in their switches? This would be someone with a command of ZCAR esoterica and sadly, most of those guys are passing on. I miss them.

Has anyone ever sourced a reasonable facsimile of the chrome trim ring on the early Z bakelite ashtray? I remember finding something in one of my hardware buckets years ago, and it worked quite well as it was a slight ellipse not perfectly round. Alas I don't know what it was sourced from. Checking for a friend...

Cool.

Thanks for that.

I am a day late and a $ short and am sorry to be the bearer of bad news... ...but there is a reason that metal was not used by Nissan (other than cost). Metal can cause shorts and cause issues with light operation. I have experimented with this and I don't try to substitute metal anymore. Maybe 280z's are different as their electrical systems seem to be more stout than earlier. 240z's though...no way. I have tried metal on no less than 3 occasions and it affects operation, whether wiper motor not shutting off, or tachometer needle dancing around, or headlight operation inconsistent. You were on the right track with one of your ideas.

I would suggest for you to pull your dash harness, unwrap and inspect every terminal and wire and repair or replace as needed. Those white/ red power wires get very hot and under the outer dash harness plastic/ tape covering, they can melt insulation on smaller wires and cause them to contact each other whilst uninsulated. It is not hard, it just takes not a small chunk of time to unwind or meticulously cut the outer dash harness. I use zip ties to keep it all together after and avoid an outer covering to easily identify any issues which may further transpire.

Thank you for the pictures. When you stated that the turn signal switch circuits seemed to be reversed, I immediately knew what I might have done wrong; I thought I might have switched the turn signal wires when replacing the plug. But they are where they should be as you can see by comparing to the attached pictures.

Please show me your plug wires where they meet the plug.

. Ok this shows that you have closed circuits whether you are calling it continuity or ohms on the right side when the lever is in the right position and making a connection of the correct contacts. The lever left is controlling green and white/red and green/ black ( as stated at the end of the sentence) not green/ red and white/ black like you have written in the middle of the above sentence. This supports what I have written in the diagram.

You don't have to use the male part of locking connector, the female part of the connector will function as stock. Check for continuity on the green wire to green/ red wire while the lever is to the left. Check for continuity on the green wire to green/ black wire while the lever is to the right.

No problem eastcoastz. Front turn signal light bulbs have 2 filaments and 2 wires. Rear turn signal bulbs and reverse light bulbs have one filament and if I remember correctly both brake light bulbs have 2 filaments.

True. I could not find that rectangular circuit continuity diagram anywhere online. I only made a cursory Google search. The circuits are what they are because Nissan design allows the brake lights to engage when the brakes are powered and also to individually flash along with whatever side turn signal is engaged. Consequently, the functioning of the switch is not as simple as one wire controls one light. The front and rear turn signals are controlled by the green striped wires on the circuit board sides and the green power wire on the center middle of the circuit board. The rear brakes are controlled by the white striped wires on the circuit board sides and the green/ yellow power wire on the top middle of the circuit board. The brake lights are also controlled by the green power wire when they are in flash mode. Here is something I sketched up previously and forgot I had; NOTE; The numbers on the diagram are arbitrary, they are there to show that there is continuity. Where it states "NONE" means there is no continuity, my multimeter shows a blank when there is none. One multimeter used to have showed a "1" so either reading is correct for no continuity.

In my opinion I am being proactive in protecting my reputation and quality of work. Heated? You call this heated? I don't see any heavy duty personal insults or profanity being thrown around. That's right though, close it...cancel it. Et tu Brute?

Instead of using that picture go find the diagram which shows continuity on the turn signal and brake circuits when they are closed and open.

In my opinion, a person looking at that picture without reading the fine print might assume that that is the switch which is being addressed in this post.

THE PICTURE IS NOT THE SWITCH I SENT THIS CUSTOMER. Thank you for the information. You have shown why you are not getting proper results with the switch. Your switch testing methodology is half right. Maybe someone on this page can set you straight. If not the internet is a wonderful source of information in every subject.

Sorry, if I was unclear. A nice switch in great condition was what was sent to me ( and it most definitely did not have the need for any "jiggling" of the lever to engage the switch like I was told it had) and after I recognized it as one which was previously serviced by myself, I tested it before any work was done and it tested perfectly functional but the additional steps I take on turn signal switches now to increase longevity were done to it to "retro restore it". Also, before this whole rigamarole was brought out in public, this customer stated that the switch worked fine, it is just that he was having problems getting his front turn signals to flash on each side individually. Some how this got transmogrified into his seeming suggestion that the whole switch is defective.

Yesterday this customer contact me via text about testing wires etc. I asked which wires he was testing and this is the response I got this morning; "I know it's the top 2 wires for the right turn and the bottom 2 for the left but none of the wires show any voltage when the lever is up or down. It also feels like something in the switch may be "gummed" up a little. I feel like it's a bit tougher than it should be to push the lever up and down. In fact when I pushed it up yesterday it caused the whole switch stack to rotate clockwise even though I thought I had screwed the two switches to one another pretty tight. It felt/ easy/ good (to push up/ down) when I got it back from you but now it's gotten tougher for some reason. Do I need to lubricate it somewhere? I was not speaking negatively of you in any way in my post. Just simply trying to get some other input/ ideas. You say the switch was purchased from you 3 years ago. Like I said, I purchased the car 3 years ago and it's been at the shop ever since because the previous owners were very shady about the condition of the engine. I finally got it back from the shop and noticed that the turn signals were not working. Judging by how shady the previous owners were, they probably didn't even test the switch after purchasing it from you." A point by point rebuttal: "I know it's the top 2 wires for the right turn and the bottom 2 for the left but none of the wires show any voltage when the lever is up or down." Top 2, bottom 2? When the switch is oriented how, sitting on the base with the lever pointed straight up? Laying on its' side? And what power wires are you using for which circuits? "It also feels like something in the switch may be "gummed" up a little. I feel like it's a bit tougher than it should be to push the lever up and down." Part of the restoration process is removing play from 3 areas on the switch because play in these areas are what cause a switch to go out of tune. There may be a little more friction but this is also tested and your switch action was still snappy. As I mentioned previously the switch you sent was one that Nissan actually got right from the get go: correct stroke, correct return spring rate. Couple this with the fact that there was minimal wear on the internals and this switch was not hard to refresh. Your feelings are not facts, what are you comparing the action to? "In fact when I pushed it up yesterday it caused the whole switch stack to rotate clockwise even though I thought I had screwed the two switches to one another pretty tight." The two screws which hold the two halves of the combo switch together are not primarily to hold the combo switch to the steering column, if you look at the base of the turn signal switch you will see one or two small threaded holes which when a small screw ( I think M2 fine thread) is inserted this is what holds the combo switch to the steering column. "It felt/ easy/ good (to push up/ down) when I got it back from you but now it's gotten tougher for some reason. Do I need to lubricate it somewhere ?" So you stated that it worked fine when you got it ( thank you for being honest) but it has gotten tougher to move the lever. Once again it worked fine when it left me, I do not know what the treatment of the turn signal switch has been in your possession. If you need to relubricate it, then go for it. It will also " loosen up " with use. "I was not speaking negatively of you in any way in my post. Just simply trying to get some other input/ ideas." Intended or not, you are casting doubt on my restoration process. My proof is the one response above where the writer states, "If the test does not work, then it means you need to test the switch more thoroughly." "You say the switch was purchased from you 3 years ago. Like I said, I purchased the car 3 years ago and it's been at the shop ever since because the previous owners were very shady about the condition of the engine. I finally got it back from the shop and noticed that the turn signals were not working. Judging by how shady the previous owners were, they probably didn't even test the switch after purchasing it from you." The more this drags out, the more I find out about your vehicle and the condition it is in. This is why I previously stated in a text message that no real mechanic would attempt to diagnose an issue without being next to the vehicle. So you have admitted to buying a car which was not as described. If the " [ car has ] been at the shop ever since because the previous owners were very shady about the condition of the engine" why was the electrical system not gone over then? If the engine was faulty because the " previous owners were shady " , what else could they have been shady about, the vehicle electrical system perhaps ?" My first clue about the condition of your vehicle should have been the headlight switch you sent in for restoration; it looked like it was put in a low oven for a couple of weeks: The two internal plastic switch actuators were broken or deteriorated to the point that warranted complete replacement, in fact the one plastic actuator which was not broken was deteriorated to a point I have never seen before. The Nissan plastic formulation for these was a good one, the plastic is tough and the only usual wear to these is when the one or more of four plastic "nubs" on these actuators break off. Your four plastic "nubs" were slowly deteriorating to a point where the oven analogy made earlier would appear to be fact and not made in jest. The cracked "paddle" section on the switch also necessitated complete replacement, if this switch was not beaten with a hammer, some pretty extreme heat was necessary to break it like it was. The final clue was the completely faded red wires in the harness, this switch ( if not car) has been sitting in the sun unprotected for a very long time. Again, I have offered my knowledge because you asked and you are my customer but again I am adamantly stating that the problem is not the turn signal switch. Thank you for your business.

DISCLAIMER; "The guy who rebuilt it sent me a video showing a light going on/off when it was moved up/down." The above is an incomplete assessment of the service which was performed. This person also questioned me with the same line of questioning that he has posted here. I am the guy who restored this turn signal switch. Attaching the turn signal switch to a 12 v. source and a light harness is my second way of testing the switch. Both brake lights and turn signal lights are hooked up to a custom harness on a car battery. This tests "english" on the lever to see if it has any spring back or incomplete stroke. This is after continuity is tested on all closed circuits; once before work, once after work, and once directly before shipping. The video I sent shows the turn signal contacts hooked up to their power source and the lever moving in either direction and with no issue, the light comes on with full power. Then I showed the brake lights tested this way, once connected to the turn signal power source again which shows full power light in either direction as well. The brake lights are then connected to the brake light power source and the two element light bulb for both sides comes on with full power when the lever is not engaged. When the lever is engaged the brake light filament will shut off on the side it is being engaged on and stay on for the opposite side. The turn signal switch is completely functioning otherwise I would have not sent proof of it working or even sent it out. I recognized the switch that this gentleman sent me as one I had previously worked on and when it tested before work as completely functioning I was a little confused. The work was done three years ago so I asked the buyer point blank if he was having these issues before he sent the switch and he admitted he did. But no issues after he bought the switch the first time because I would have been notified. This customer is insinuating that the problem is with this turn signal switch and I am saying again; It is not the switch.

Nissan just released a new commercial featuring that attractive young blonde....and the opening shot is her driving a 240z.

Woah, 15 year necropost!

Peugeot looks mighty close.

Prince would make the most sense so thanks for showing me the proper rabbit hole!