SteveJ

In that case before you take the plunge, do the research. Join Hybridz.org and start searching on triple webers. Read a lot before you are tempted to ask questions. There will be plenty you don't understand. Your father and brother can fill in some of the gaps. As long as you keep in mind that there are no real shortcuts to learning about this, I suggest that you jump in and learn.

This is not a very good combination. I hope you have some car savvy friends or you can learn about cars VERY quickly. Triple Webers are not for the faint of heart or unknowledgable. They require a certain level of skill to synchronize.

At first I thought it might be an internally regulated alternator. When did you get the alternator?

Unplug the rheostat and put a jumper across the terminals in the dash harness where the rheostat was plugged in. It's just as easy as that.

By the way, you might want to start here: GROUP Z

It's a good coil as far as resistance goes. Unless there is something wrong with the windings on the high side, I would look at the ignition system or the battery. See if you have a significant drop in voltage at the battery as you crank. There is a chance that the coil can't build its field up fast enough, but I doubt that. As far as the voltage readings, static voltage readings are meaningless on a coil in a DC system. The voltage is lower on the high side because of the resistance of the wire in the coil. DO NOT measure the voltage on the high side of the coil while the engine is starting or running. The voltage is too high and will arc out of your leads.

I will be more than happy to take a look. Just don't try driving it around with any jury-rigged fixes. They can cause far more problems for you. For the corrosion, a thorough cleaning followed by a coating of dielectric grease may resolve the issue. Do you have covers over the links?

There are basically three ways to troubleshoot a simple circuit like this: 1. at the beginning 2. in the middle 3. at the end Number 1 won't be that effective. If the running lights work, then we know that the beginning of the circuit is intact. Number 2 isn't easy to track unless you follow the full wiring diagram and find where the G/W wire branches off between the dash lights and running lights. Number 3 implies a loss of ground. Unplug the connector at the rheostat. Check the black wire in the dash harness at that connector for continuity with the chassis. If you can remove the speedometer or tachometer you can check for continuity at the dash harness connectors for the R/L wire to the rheostat connector in the dash harness. Since the R/L is show as being daisy-chained in the dash harness, if the rheostat tested good, it's probably a grounding issue.

Actually, look at BE-17. It gives you a breakout of just the dash lights. For the 280Z, it's the top fuse on the right. In the 260Z & 280Z for some reason, it wasn't the fuse box melting as much as it was green/white wire overheating at the connector.

Get involved with your local Z club. Compared to most of the rest of the country, you're in the Mecca for the Z car scene. If you can't find someone local, you're not trying.

Look at the BE section of the FSM. It will have a breakout for the circuit. I don't have time to look at it right now, but that is the best source to figure out how to test the circuit in the car. By the way, are the running lights turning on?

How anxious are you about getting this fixed? I'm tied up for the next couple of weeks, but I might be able to help you after that.

IMHO the fuel injection system in the Z isn't that difficult to get into a good working order. I've helped a few people get their systems working correctly electrically just by reading the manual and guiding them on troubleshooting. I have never even worked on the Z fuel injection.

As indicated the alternator is putting out TOO MUCH VOLTAGE when the engine is at speed. That could be caused by a bad voltage regulator, a bad alternator, or it could be caused by someone matching an internally regulated alternator with a voltage regulator.

Yes, that is the high voltage or high side of the coil.

From that description, I doubt it's the coil. There are no moving parts, so it wouldn't decline in performance like that. Check the resistance from the positive to negative terminals. Then check the resistance from the high side of the coil to the negative terminal. The low side should be around 3 to 4 ohms, and the high side should be over 9,000 ohms.

Where in Georgia are you?

Are you sure all of the wiring to the ignition box and tachometer are correct and good? Either one could cause it not to run. You could wire in an HEI as a temporary to test to see if it's the ignition box. Note: Disconnect the ignition box while running that test. An HEI is a relatively cheap test. You can get them for $12 plus shipping from Rockauto.

Let's go back. You've made some electrical changes. Please identify all of the modifications you've made to the wiring, whether or not you think it will affect the running of the car. Have you done any basic testing? Do you have 12 VDC to the ballast resistor with the key in the ON position?

I have to take that back. It doesn't. I have to stop answering questions when I don't get much sleep the night before. If the interlock relay affected the running of the car, the emergency button wouldn't work.

Yes, it does.

I'm glad you found the links useful. Phil, aka Blue, inspired me with all of the tech tips he created on his club's website.

With the help of a couple of great people, I changed the front struts, springs and ball joints. I used the Chevette springs, cutting 2.5 coils. It looks like I need to cut 3 in the front. Next week will be the rear springs & struts.

Do you have a ballast resistor? Is it a 4 wire or 3 wire tach?

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