SteveJ

I have used inexpensive products found at an auto parts chain store and from Harbor Freight tools. Both kits had the different abrasives used with wet sanding, and both resulted in marked improvement in the amount of light that passed through the lenses. Caveats: If water has leaked inside the headlight or there is oxidation inside, you'll need to clean up the inside of the lens, too. The cheaper kits may not have anything to "preserve" the lens. I don't know what coatings (if any) manufacturers use on headlight lenses, and I don't know if the sanding processes remove any protection. The cars I polished the lenses on were not mine, and I have not had any opportunity to observe long-term changes. Suggestion: Cover the car surfaces near the headlight with painters tape or some other similar material. It is easy to brush those surfaces during the polishing process and scuff them. Steve

Okay, you got me. What does that have to do with a buzzer for the headlights being on?

IMHO, it would be easier and smarter to do the one that you found on the Honda website. In the fusebox, you just have to hook up one lead to the headlight circuit, like at the fusebox, and hook up the other lead to a circuit that is energized through the ignition switch. (Sorry, I'm away from home and don't have a FSM readily available to suggest circuits.) Many years ago when I found a piezo type alarm, I recall that I had to use the headlight circuit. The parking light circuit didn't work for some reason, and I never tried to track down why. By the way, I have one of those cheap Radio Shack piezo buzzers in a drawer in my garage waiting for the day when I might want to install it. If I wanted to get really fancy, I would use two relays. One coil would be connected to the parking light circuit. The other coil would be connected to a switched circuit. The piezo buzzer would be wired with constant 12VDC on one leg. The other leg would go through the normally open contact of the first relay and the normally closed contact of the second relay. That way if the parking lights were on while the ignition was off, the circuit would be complete, and the buzzer would go off. Heck, I could even make a plug and play version. You don't want to play the cost of it, though. Steve

The suspension components from another vehicle would probably require extensive modification to work well. Used components from somewhere like Zbarn could still be affordable. A good way to get an inventory of what you need would be to download the service manual. While the ones on the link in my signature are for the US market 280, I think the suspension should be close enough for your needs. You could also download a S130 (280ZX) manual to see the differences between suspension components. Unfortunately it can take a fair amount of money to keep a 35 year old car on the road, especially when it's rare for your country. Steve

The suspension is completely different. You'd be better off importing parts from the US and Japan.

Jan, that post was directed to the person who threadjacked.

You may need a new battery. Take it to a parts store and have them test it.

How stock do you want to be? Search here, Hybridz and Zcar.com for alternator upgrades. I think ZmanofWashington has a kit for a higher output alternator. It will be internally regulated, so you'd have to jumper out the regulator circuit. You can see how to do that for a 280Z in Blue's collection of tips. (See link below.)

At this point, I'd consider replacing the alternator and regulator. Also, check your headlight and parking light circuits from the switch down to the fusebox. Corrosion can cause the system to consume more power. (Essentially you're adding resistors to the circuit when you have poor or corroded connections.) It's scary to see the effects of 30+ years of use on the circuit. I've seen connectors almost melted. I've also had a fusebox melt down. If you're driving the car at night, especially with the days getting shorter, you owe it to yourself and to your Z to take care of the lighting. By the way, while Dave (Zs-ondabrain) doesn't offer a headlight relay harness for the 280Z, you may want to check to see if he will do a cleaning on your combo switch.

Zombie threads cannot be killed...

Yeah, you made an alternate path to ground. I'd have to look at the wiring diagram to be sure, but my first guess is that the flasher unit was acting like a breaker and would open the circuit when it heated up. As I mentioned earlier, that opened up the short, and the car resumed as normal until the flasher contacts closed again.

Download a copy of the FSM. It's probably described in the electrical section or the transmission section. Also, I think the Haynes manual covers the topic.

Yeah, I didn't pick up on you using a diagram from Blue's site. Go to XenonS30. The link is in my signature.

You won't find the cross-over just by looking at the wiring diagram. It would exist from the isulation being bad or owner/mechanic wiring problems. The wiring diagram would be helpful in identifying wire colors to trace.

You could try Waytek. They have Molex connectors. I haven't used them, so I don't know if they like selling small orders.

Yes, it does. Inspect your wiring. You would have to trace this out on a wiring diagram, too, because it depends upon how the circuit is designed. You could have damaged insulation on wires in the harness. They cross-connect on the left turn signal circuit. When you put the turn signal switch in the left turn position, the flasher unit allows the circuit to close. At that point, there is an alternative path (with lower resistance) to ground. The current flows through this path, and the ignition circuit loses power. That would cause the other symptoms you describe. Of course, the flasher unit heats up and opens up the circuit. This allows the current to resume flowing through the ignition circuit. It's an old car. Insulation can age and break down. Steve

You likely have a wire going to a post on the alternator that is covered by a rubber boot. That is your positive. For the negative, go to ground.

Manual or automatic? Also, I suggest putting the year of your car in your posts. If it's a manual, I would suspect two likely things: 1. The reverse switch or wiring at the switch is bad. 2. The transmission is not depressing the switch. Steve

As for a manual, look at the links in my signature. Also, search eBay and the classifieds here and on other Z car sites. A genuine Nissan factory service manual will pop up from time to time.

Note - Vega, do not read any flames into this post. First, your post really should have been put on a new topic. While I can see how your post could loosely follow how the thread changed, it's moved far away from the origin post and therefore less likely to get a good response. Second, you will probably find more information and help over at hybridz when you want to do things like incorporate a GM ECU. This is more of a traditionalist site. Just make sure you search before posting there. They don't tolerate repetition very well. Good luck with your experimentation.

Wrong! A fusible link is usually about 4 gauges smaller than the wires it protects, but the insulation is designed not to burn up. In that way, it is similar to a glass fuse where the element blows, but the glass remains intact. You can buy a fusible link from auto parts stores, but the 240Z has a connector on it. You can get pre-made links from Banzai Motorworks. You can also buy the connectors from Vintange Connections and put them on an auto parts fusible link. Both businesses are run by stand-up guys. Frankly, I'd just spring for a couple from Banzai if you're worried about it.

Yeah, they can be bad about doing that. I've been lucky and caught it before it broke.

Common wisdom suggests replacing the alternator and regulator at the same time. Many, many years ago, I replaced the regulator without replacing the alternator. I didn't not experience any problems, though I eventually upgraded to a higher output, internally regulated alternator. If you want to confirm the regulator as the culprit, check the battery drain and unplug the regulator. If the current drops significantly, the charging system has malfunctioned.

Inspect the sockets and clean out corrosion. Use a voltmeter and check for voltage from the socket to the chasis. If you have voltage, check the continuity of your ground wire. Ensure you have a dual filament bulb.

You could have problems with corrosion in your fusebox. If it creates a hot spot, you can melt the solder in the fuse. I had that problem at one time, and I once saw the parking lights fuse glowing a bright orange. After that, I had to replace the fuse block because it melted down.