SteveJ

If you like the picture, you'll love the video...the video of cleaning the turn signal switch. I have to do editing, but the cleaning work is done. Charles, Cody will be amazed at how well the switch operates. It is now as smooth as silk.

I probably have some front wheel bearings, but I'm not sure where they are. Also it seems to be a pain to overnight parts to Canadia. Let me know if you have a desperate need.

I was only too happy to help because it gave me an excuse to take the Z on a longer drive, and I got to help a friend by doing something I enjoy doing. I hope Cody was able to pick up on a few things. Speaking of which, have him read https://fiddlingwithzcars.wordpress.com/2012/12/22/relays-simplified/ to understand a little better about the headlight relay and why the substitute relay does the same thing. Now it's time to wash the road smell off of me and get the before photos of the turn signal switch.

If you're driving an older Z, gassing up in Canada is good because the petrol is ethanol free according to http://www.pure-gas.org. Also, contact your credit card company before you go to let them know you are traveling to Canada. That way it is less likely they will cut off your card when they see purchases across the border. If you don't have a chance to exchange money before you cross the border, many hotels will do money exchanges. Also, many Tim Horton's in the GTA will take American money and give you change in Canadian along with a free dirty look. (At least they did a few years ago.)

I'm betting your answer will be in here: https://www.google.com/search?q=speedometer+cable+seal+site%3Aclassiczcars.com&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 From last month:

It's sad to see it go, but it's good that you are none the worse for wear.

The GZC will probably have a convoy up to Nashville for Z Attack, and you guys will be welcome to join it.

You could try to find a used exhaust manifold. I don't think Autogator has much in the way of old Z parts anymore. There were a couple of other places in the Sacto area. I haven't looked for any companies out there in a while. Heck, I moved away from the area 20 years ago. The problem with used is that some of the fittings usually have rusted away. Forty year old cars aren't the best candidates for daily drivers, especially when they are not smog exempt.

There is no stock header for a North American model 280Z. If you are worried about CARB compliance, get the stock exhaust manifold with the exhaust kit and be done with it.

Stock manifold: http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/classic19p/15-2004 Exhaust to go with the stock manifold: http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/classic19j/15-6304

You may also need to get a set of headers with smog fittings: http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/classic19d/15-6011CH

Also, download a copy of the Factory Service Manual (FSM) for the year of your car. The link is in my signature. There is a section on emissions. You can find some of the parts you'll need at Rockauto.com. Some you'll need to scrounge around for used parts. Once you manage to get past the visual inspection, DO NOT get an official test. The smog station should allow you to do a practice run pre-test so you can see where your car is at. POST THE RESULTS. We can advise you on what needs to be done. If you get an official test and fail, you risk your car being labelled as a gross polluter. You don't want that if you're going to make it a daily.

ZAttack will be in Nashville next year. I will make the drive.

Unless you REALLY want a Z with factory air and the 280Z has it, you know it's the car to part with.

Yes, it would. You have to join the ends of the ammeter wires together, though. Otherwise your car won't run. Make it a good splice, too, so it doesn't overheat and catch fire in your dash.

I expect it would be a solo day trip, but it gives me an excuse to get the Z out on a trip.

Dang, it does sound like I need to pay you a visit. Next weekend is open.

Or across the wiring harness when the battery shorts out because it wasn't secured properly...Not that I would know about this.

The one time I had an engine fire (and one time is still one too many) I pulled the hood release (secondary latch still holding), grabbed the fire extinguisher, and aimed for the gap. I didn't attempt to release the secondary latch until I was pretty sure the fire was out, so I could survey the damage I caused.

You haven't messed up anything. Your grounds are fine. At least inspect the exterior light sockets - front, rear, and side markers - for signs of corrosion.

The SUM of the circuits is greater than the rating of the fuse. Remove part of the circuit, and you are below the rating of the fuse. Add it back, and the fuse will blow. Before you do diagnostics, you should repair the wiring harness. If you are patient, I can make a video on how to do it. I have done it before. Repairing the harness at the combo switch will reduce some of the problem. Here is the circuit in an overview. The white/red wire goes to the fuse box, through the 20A fuse and comes out green/blue. The green/blue wire goes to the combo switch and comes out of the combo switch when it is on as green/white. The green/white wire branches off to the front of the car, rear of the car, and instrument panel. Each light is a parallel branch on the circuit. In the front, the green/white wire branches off to each light, and then the circuit goes to ground. In the rear of the car, the green/white wire branches off to each light, and then the circuit goes to a ground in the rear of the car. With instrument panel lights, the green/white wire branches off to each light and comes out red/blue. The red/blue wire goes to the dimmer, and the dimmer goes to ground. The three pages in the FSM you need to pay attention to are BE-14, BE-16, and BE-17. These circuits are all tied to the same fuse. Note: The light behind the fan control panel is not shown. Isolation of the lights. The wiring diagrams help us to isolate the circuits so we can diagnose them. If you disconnect the C5 connector between the engine bay and dash harness, you take out the front lights. If you unplug the connector to the ground in the back, you take out the rear lights. You may have to remove some of the trim panels to find the connector. It's been a while since I have looked for it. If you unplug the dimmer switch, you take out the instrumentation panel lights. Why is this important? You probably don't have a dead short (Zed Head is good with diagnostics and types faster than I can.). It appears that the sum of the current is blowing the fuse. How can you confirm this? Isolate the different sections of the lights. (Start with isolating all 3 by how I described above.) Method 1: Put a 10 Amp fuse in the 20 Amp socket. Turn on the parking light switch. Reconnect C5. See if you have front lights. If not, check the fuse. After testing, disconnect C5. Next, reconnect the dimmer switch. See if you have instrumentation lights. (Make sure the dimmer is turned to maximum brightness.) If not, check the fuse. After testing, disconnect the dimmer switch. Finally, reconnect the ground in the rear. See if you have rear lights. If not, check the fuse. After testing, disconnect the ground. Measurement You can also do these diagnostics with a clamp DC Ammeter or an Ammeter with a 10 Amp scale and leads with clips. If you have an Ammeter with leads, you'll need to remove the fuse. The positive lead of the ammeter will go on the inner fuse clip. The negative lead will go on the outer fuse clip. Compare the current readings to the attached spreadsheet. A number significantly higher than the value on the spreadsheet indicates a possible problem. Inspection For the front and rear lights, the most common culprit will be corrosion in the light sockets, especially if the lens if cracked. The corrosion makes an extra pathway between the positive and negative in the socket. It has enough resistance that it is not a dead short, but it does increase the current flow through the branch. When I got my 260Z, the connector at the harness was in worse shape than yours. I happen to inspect the front side markers when replacing a damaged lens and noticed significant corrosion in that socket. I cleaned it with a Dremel, installed a good lens, and have not had to worry about it since. Also, the cheater's way to fix the problem is to replace all of the bulbs with the appropriate LED bulbs. They draw 33% or less of the current from an incandescent bulb. With LEDs all around, my parking lights draw about 1A of current. I still recommend doing diagnostics and inspection before going that route. Parking Light Circuit Calculations.xls

NO! Go back to my post. Read it. It has diagnostics. Isolate. Measure. Inspect. Most of all be patient. It takes time to type up a good diagnostic.

There are parallel paths for current. IT=I1+I2+I3 When C3 was disconnected, one path was removed. When the dimmer was cranked up or removed, one path was removed. All paths together make enough current to blow the fuse. Easy way to diagnose: Use a clamp ammeter (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009CNYJG2) to measure the current on each branch (front, dash, rear) while they are isolated from the others. While noting what lights are on, you can estimate the current. The bulb wattage is in the FSM. You probably have one or more exterior sockets with corrosion. That can increase the current draw. Before you do the testing, you might want to fix the wiring harness at the headlight switch. Vintage connections (http://www.vintageconnections.com) has a perfect replacement 9 pin connector. Been there done that. Unfortunately that site is down right now. I'll do a follow-up post on how the break down the circuit for testing.

Can you answer that, @esprist?

Hatch strut - http://jdm-car-parts.com/products/rear-hatch-shock-for-datsun-240z-260z-280z The pulls for the door locks may still be available from Nissan. I'm not sure if these would work on your heater controls: https://zcardepot.com/interior/dashboard-parts/heater-control-knob-set-knobs-3-oem.html?search=heater&page=2