Jeff Berk

Here's a concise explanation of how a relay works if you need it. https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/relay-guide.html I have a box of generic 12v relays to replace mine as they become faulty or for rewiring circuits (e.g. lights) that over tax the frail wiring of my Z. I saw you had a continuity light, do you also have an ohm meter? You may need it to check the fan on your heater.

The horn and wipers use the 10 amp fuse in position 10. You can look up the others in that table I posted. I've attached an Excel copy in case anyone wants it. This table is specific to the 260Z and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Wiring Cross Reference.xlsx

By chance, my center console and radio are out of the car so I can see my wires. I have a green/white female, and a red/blue male bullet, but they are not being used in my car. I capped off the male to be on the safe side. That multi-connector, if it's a 6-pin with 5 places used, looks a lot like my radio connector for the OEM radio (see photos). I noticed an in-line fuse in one of your photos so I think someone got creative with the electrical wiring on your car. When asking questions about where a wire gets plugged into, indicate the number of connectors and wire colors including the color of the stripe if there is one. Good luck.

I don't know if this helps or makes it more complicated, but here's a chart I started a few years ago. It's never been QC'ed so be forewarned. As an example on how to read this, the "Turn Signal" circuit is on page BE-11, involves junction connectors C-2, 3, 4, and 5, Fuse #3, which is 10 Amps, uses white, green and black wires (specifically white/red, green/red, green/black, black, and black/white). The way I've used this is to try and match up the colors, then go the the FSM page BE-xx to read the wiring diagram. Junction Fuse Wire Color (primary, secondary) System Page (BE-) Block Connectors No. Amp Red White Green Blue Yellow Black Head Light 10 1345 1 10 R, RB, RW W, WR Head Light 10 7 2 10 R, RB, RW, RY W, WR Turn Signal 11 2345 3 10 WR GR, GB B, BW Haz Warning 12 12346 11 10 WR GW BY Stop Lamp 13 26 11 10 W, WR B, BW Clearance & Tail Lmp 14 1256 5 20 W, WR GW B Reverse Lamp 15 3567 9 20 RB W, WR LB Meter Lights 16 246 5 20 RL W, WR GL, GW B Console Lights 17 12346 5 20 RL GW Interior Lamp 18 16 6 10 RL, RB W, WR B Glovebox & Cig Lighter Light 19 246 5 20 W, WR GL, GW B Map Light 20 46 6 10 RL W, WR B Tachometer 30 345 3 10 W, WR G LB B, BW Water Temp/Pressure Gauge 34 234 3 10 W, WR G YB, YW B, BW Amperage/Fuel Gauge 35 345 3 10 W, WR G Y B, BW Brake Warning 36 156 NA #N/A W, WR G, GY BW Heater Illumination 53 12346 5 20 RL W GR, GW B Heater 54 35 8 10 W, WR G L, LR, LW Heater 54 6 13 20 W, WR G L, LR, LW Heater (resistor) 54 NA #N/A B Horn 58 16 10 10 W, WR G, GB, GR Washer 64 3457 9 20 LR, LW Wipers 67 234567 10 10 W, WR L, LW, LY Y B Lighter 69 146 7 20 W, WR LW B Clock 70 146 6 10 RL W, WR B Window Defogger 74 3567 8 10 R W, WR LR, LW B Radio 78 357 8 10 W, WB, WR L, LR, LW B Theft Protection 81 146 6 10 RL W, WR B Choke Warning Light 85 357 3 10 W, WR G B, BW Interlock 99 7 14 10 W, WR B Ignition 102 35 4 10 WR BW, BY Interlock Relay 103 457 NA #N/A WR L, LR BR, BW, BY Neutral Switch Warning 105 457 NA #N/A LgB BY B Engine Revolution Sensor 106 6 14 10 W, WR B Emergency Switch 108 45 NA #N/A WR L Y, YB B, BW, BY Battery (Power Inlet) 106 14 10 W, WR B Junction Blocks Green C-1 Blue C-2 Black C-3 Brown C-4 Green C-5 White C-6 Black C-7

The second picture shows a 3-contact connector with only the top and bottom connectors used, both wires are green. If so, that might be the map light above the vents. For the other connector in the 2nd picture, how many contact positions, how many are actually used, and what are the wire colors?

In the first picture, that looks like a green/white and red/blue into a T 2 conductor connector female for the heater control's light. I also have a similar connector but with green/white and red that is not plugged in right now.

I just pulled out my spare from the garage. Mine only had one screw. Getting it out is not half as fun as getting it back in.

ZH, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the relay panel can be unbolted. This might make it easier to get to the relay. Remember these relays are old so they can wear out. Once you figure out the terminals, (i.e. which one does what) you can substitute a modern relay.

I’d expect this from Captain Obvious.

I think it is solid.

Look for the fuse values on page BE-5 figure BE-7. I'm assuming you don't have the fuse box cover or its labels are worn off. If you start subbing 10 AMP's for 20's, you better have a lot of spare fuses. Good luck. The wiring can be very challenging. At least it's inexpensive to fix usually. Wait until you get to the mechanical issues.

As for the fuses, some will have power all the time, others, only when the ignition is on. Focus on one circuit at a time Grasshopper.

Was the ground wire grounded?

Sometimes it's best to start at a connector and work your way through the wiring harness. In the case of the ground you circled in red, unplug the front combination connection and probe the ground to see if it is a ground. Check for continuity between connectors along a wire's path. At some point there will be no continuity and you'll know at least what wire segment is at fault. You might find that some of your grounds are not grounded due to rust. I ended up having numerous corroded connectors (get some terminal cleaner), melted wires, wire splices from some long forgotten accessory a PO had installed/removed. In the end, I think I've removed and rewrapped every wiring harness except for those in the engine compartment. I also have a spare dash and cabin harness hanging in my garage that I sometimes use to trace wires. If it hasn't been done already on your car, you might want to upgrade the headlight circuit (http://www.zhome.com/ZCMnL/HeadlightRelays/JudkinsRelay.htm)

I just checked, CarFax is 1981 and newer. You'll have to go to your friend.

You should check with the Erie agent. You might get lucky. So if you do get the VIN, are you going to try and do a CarFax to trace the owner?

ZH: I'll check it again in Fall and see what it looks like. Thanks for the help (once again).

Jeff G, what does it mean to chuck a rocker. The lash pads look ok to my untrained eye. I'll clean the rocker in an ultrasonic cleaner, stain it with ink, and see if the apparent cracks are still there. ZH, There's 395 miles on it. I'm assuming the chip on the lobe occurred during the machining as it's not very noticeable. I'm not familiar with (or know) the machine shop and relied on the mechanic to select one he was familiar with. What I think might be happening is the lobe got chipped possibly due to a defect during machining. The rocker was chattering due to the uneven surface and created the cracks. Possible solution? I was thinking that I'd replace the rocker (they are inexpensive) and grind away just enough on the trailing edge to miss the chipped area of the lobe. Then I'd protect the area around the cam shaft with rags and smooth out the lobe chip with a small grinder to lessen the potential for propagation of the damage. I'm waiting for the mechanic to get back to me with his suggestion(s). This is my third shaft in 2 years. Jeff

Jeff G 78, I looked at the Aug 2020 receipt and the rockers were shown as being replaced. That was 400 miles ago. (I need to get this out on the road more) The fractures on the "S" side of the rocker running parallel with the face don't bother you? Jeff

I pulled the valve cover off this morning to get a closer look at the rocker arm. I see something that worries me but what do I know. Keep in mind that the chip in the lobe is to the rear of the car when inspecting the photos. That would be the side marked "S" on the rocker.

Here's a closer look at the chip from a different angle. Yes, it is on the lobe.

I just sealed the valve cover back up so I can't check if it is contacting the wiper. Yes, there are spray holes, they just don't show up due to the position of the lobes. Yes, it was a new cam shaft (last year). The mechanic has been non-responsive lately as he's working as a crew on a Miata racing team and doesn't have much time for his shop. I think I'm going to treat this as a mole on my skin. I'll just keep an eye on it and check to see if there are changes.

It's been a year and I just completed a valve lash adjustment. It looks like the mechanic did not reinstall the spray bars and only went with the internally oiled cam shaft. One issue I notices was that there was a little damage to the cam on cylinder 5. I'm assuming that since the chip is off to the side, it will not impact anything.

Chrome has a really bad reputation for durability but it really looks great on the few cars I've seen it on. Everyone wants to touch it and unless there is no dust or dirt on their finger or the car, it will leave behind scratches. I have a little chrome wrap at home to experiment with and it IS IMPRESSIVE.

FYI, The wrap I ended up using was manufactured by Vivid. My son and I wrapped a second car afterwards with Avery material which we liked better due to it's stretch. We made several mistakes with the 260Z and had to go with matching paint on the headlight buckets. Now that we have a little more experience, I think will rewrap the car next year in metal flake red and include the headlight buckets by using knifeless-cut tape. The advantages of a wrap for us is that we can change the color, we can do it ourselves, the color options and special affect vinyl are numerous. Note that the black stripe on my Z was done because I wasn't able to smooth the vinyl out without a wrinkle on the hood. I'm attributing this to Vivid's rigidity and hope to do the hood in one sheet when I go with Avery. Note that the air dam on the car was paint as was the headlight buckets. It is definitely a two person job. Avery offers group classes in car wrapping for around $900. At the end of the class, you get a $900 credit for their wrapping material. I might take their class next year so I can get some training beyond You Tube.