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I'm having intermittent issues with starting up. I believe it is related to the ignition startup. I have read all FSM manuals. The only way I can get it to start is by using a jumper wire from the battery to ignition circuit on the fuse box in the pasenger kick panel. Does anyone know what that means?

I have a question for the electrical experts: I bought a Beck Arnley aftermarket ignition switch to replace the 40-year-old OE switch in my '70 Z. Seemed like a good preventative maintenance step, with the steering column currently out of the car. However, I've found puzzling difference in the operating logic of the two switches. It has to do with the switches' 'R' circuit, which I'm pretty sure means, 'Resistor' (as in, ballast resistor for the coil/tach circuit). With input power applied to each switch module by way of the 'B' (battery) terminal and output monitored at the 'R' terminal, this is what I find: Key Position "R' - OE Switch 'R' - Aftermarket Switch OFF dead dead ACC dead dead ON dead dead START live live to start, then goes dead when key is turned further against the detent spring It's been noted elsewhere that the Z's ignition circuitry is designed so that the ballast resistor is bypassed during engine start (so as to deliver higher voltage to the coil/points) and then brought back into the circuit during 'run' operation (so as to operate the points/coil at the lower, normal voltage). So a 'live' condition at the 'R' terminal of the switch means 'resistor out', whereas a 'dead' condition equates to 'resistor in'. My OE ignition switch adheres to this simple, two-step 'resistor out/resistor in' logic. The aftermarket switch does too... at first. But then as I twist the key a little further in the 'START' sector, working against the resistance of the internal spring to take the key all the way to the hard stop, the switch action reverts to 'resistor out'. This would typically be where the key would sit while cranking the engine (i.e. twisted all the way up to the hard stop) I'm not certain whether the aftermarket switch was designed this way on purpose, or not. There's also the possibility that it's just a defective unit. So now I'm not sure whether I want to use it. Does anybody have an idea about why the aftermarket switch would change from 'resistor out' to 'resistor in' halfway through the 'Start' segment? Could it be that this was done on purpose, so that the duration of the high voltage ('resistor out') condition in the coil/points circuit would be restricted to just the first part-rotation of the crankshaft, so as to avoid burning the points during prolonged cranking?

This little switch is located on the passenger side of my 73 on the far right, the wiring looks new, but I dont have a battery yet nor have I tried to hook one up to the ancient leads to see what it does..but it doesn't quite look stock. Does anyone have any idea what this is for? Additionally, that choke looking pull, there are about 3 of them on the driver side if I remember correctly. Have no idea what those are for either. I've never heard anyone mention these bits on the inside of Z cars nor have I seen them, or I wouldn't be asking.

Hello all, I have dug through the old threads but cant seem to find anything that addresses testing the combination (dimmer) switch for the headlights on my '78 280z. I have narrowed down the problem to the switch, I think. Bulbs are good, fuses are good, continuity of circuit from the switch to the bulbs is good, even the ground return path (red with black stripe for low beam return path, red with white stripe for high beam return path). The headlight switch shown in in the picture has a white wire with red stripe that feeds constant power from the positive terminal of the battery (through fusible links first). When the dimmer switch for the headlights is in the high beam position, the switch completes the circuit when allowing the white with red stripe wire to feed power to the solid red wire which then goes on to the fuse box, and then splits into solid red (right headlight) and red with yellow stripe (left headlight). However, when the dimmer switch is in the low beam position, the solid red wire does not receive power since the rocker arm does not connect the white with red stripe wire (hot from battery) to the red wire as it does when in the high beam position. Is this how the switch is supposed to function? I already cleaned it thoroughly, contacts between rocker arm and pins are good. Any help would be greatly appreciated. [ATTACH=CONFIG]72653[/ATTACH]

i need a replacement water temp switch for my 1976, but unfortunately nissan doesn't make them anymore and i can't find any third party suppliers. i noticed that MSA sells a water temp switch for a '74 that looks very similar to mine, albeit with different connectors on the wires. has anyone ever used one of these to replace the switch in a 280? do the threads even match? being that one is from a fuel injected vehicle and the other is not, would they function the same? here are photos of a 1976 switch and the MSA switch:

hey the ive never posted on here but i was hopin someone could help me out. the other day i was driving my 72 240z and i forgot to secure my battery. when i went around a corner it fell on the engine. grounded out and melted my positive terminal. I thought it was gonna have big problems. but everything still works except for my turn signals. Flick the switch up or down nothing happens. it isnt getting any power to the top two fuses on the right side. the ones that say lights L and lights R. i also changed out the flasher and still nothing. Anyone know where i should go from here?

Mine is a '77 280z coupe and I need the dimmer/blinker arm/switch. I called Black Dragon and they have one for $600. Right now I have no head lights til I get one these. Thanks for any help! Tommy 404-229-0448

My air conditioner only blows hot air. Contol panel is set to AC, but no cold air -- and I don't hear the compressor kick in. The car's air conditioner control panel was replaced about a year ago (apparently it was the last OEM unit left in the US). There are no blown fuses. Today I had the cooling system checked out by professionals and it passed all tests -- freon pressure is good, and the compressor comes on when given power from battery. Any ideas?

i've been taking out my center console, AC controls and center vent finisher, prior to which my turn signals were fully functional. i forgot that my Z club meets tomorrow, and i need to get the turn signals working again so i can drive it over. i thought that plugging the hazard lights switch back in would do it, but it only makes it so i can turn on the hazards. what else do the signals run through that i should plug back in? the only peripherals that i unplugged were the hazard switch, defogger switch, heater fan control, AC control lamp, blower motor, and radio.