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Hello everyone I had a question about voltage. I am a newbie when it comes to wiring and electrical but I did my research and read the forums. I have a 1977 280z and it looks like someone’s been in there trying to figure out the issue. Missing bolts etc. anyways with my multimeter I tested the coil and the resistor and voltage. the voltage was off.. well there was none with the key on the on position, testing on the first terminal on the resistor. so this is what I checked, I went to the battery and checked the cables those are good, car turns over. I looked at the wiring diagram and found the black and white wire that leads to the ignition relay. That wire read at -12.45 volts. As if I I had my wires crossed on my volt meter. Then I searched and found the red and white wire that leads to the battery. And again same thing that wire read -12.45.. I went back to the battery terminals and tested there and that was +12.45. Sooo my question is why is it reading as negative in the wires? Is this normal? Andy ideas as to why the black and white wire that goes to the resistor is getting no power..

Hello guys! I'm new to this forum and recently new to the datsun world I purchased a 1981 280zx datsun that has been sitting outside a barn for about 4-6 years and since it still had the engine I decided to see if I can get it running before I even consider swapping the same l28e or if I get lucky the l28et. The first things I did was: change the oil, replace the fuel filter flush tank and replace gasoline (regular) replaced battery with terminals flush and replace coolant, spark plug wires (all in correct firing order) change ngk spark plugs (gaped .42 and added oil in each cylinder for lubrication) I cranked it with no luck, I heard the oil pump running loudly but decided to use starter fluid. Once started fluid was sprayed and the engine was cranked and the engine started and was running on starter fluid so my next steps were: clean injectors clean fuel rail replace o rings and insulation I cranked it again without starter fluid and it only cranked but didnt start. So I did a compression test and numbers were 140, 145, 145, 140,145, 155 so compression is pretty good being that 180psi is like new. I removed the fuel return line and cranked the engine and gasoline came rushing out, I tested the spark and its a blue with white tint, engine sounds like it wants to start so timing is good (?), exhaust smells like gasoline and has pulses, and it still doesnt want to start. Each time i remove the spark plugs after attempting to start it, i can see a little wetness on the tip and it smells like gas. It started once with starter fluid but now it just doesnt want to even with it. What do you guys think can be the problem? thank you!

I thought I would make a quick post. The 510 wasn't charging so I did a little research on Rockauto. The 240z uses the exact same part so I pirated one off one of the Z's and that fixed the charging issue. Plug N play

Hello Classic enthusiasts. My 1977 datsun 280z car is almost up and running. The problem is a little hard to describe. I replaced the battery and the car ran fine. I notice the car started to lose cranking power after 8ish car start ups. Around this time, the car would struggle to crank. I charged the battery right up and the cranks beautifully. At first, I thought my alternator is not charging my battery (which seems to be the case). I went through the "Alternator not powering battery" thread and could not assess my situation. I did some testings on my car with a multimeter and found some questionable data. From the battery, Trial #1 12.6v - Engine Off 13.6v - Engine Idling 11.88v - Engine Idling w/ headlights on 11.90v - Engine Idling w/ headlights on and max fan 12.90v - Engine Idling w/ lights and fans turned off Trial #2 12.42v - Engine Off 13.34v - Engine Idling 12.06v - Engine Idling w/ headlights on 12.01v - Engine Idling w/ headlights on and max fan 13.36v - Engine Idling w/ lights and fans turned off It is weird how I got different voltage readings for when car is at idle and when car is under load.. I do have to bring up that about a year ago when I was working on my car, when I tried to start my car the fusible link caught fire. Weirdly enough, it was the alternator and Relay fusible link. I replaced the link and the car starts up fine but then the car battery would not be charged by the alternator. The 1977 came with a voltage regulator that is located below the fusible link box. Would there be any chance that when the fusible link caught fire, it shorted my voltage regulator? What could be the problem being that my car is not charging while under load? If I read through a series of forums correctly, I believe that the the voltage should be around 14V while idling or underload.

Hey there- Just inherited a '76 280z from my elderly (83) father. Of course the clock isn't working and hasn't for 15 years or so. But I also noticed the voltage gauge was almost pinned at the right of the gauge. I read the forums about bad voltage regulators, etc., so I went out and tested at the battery with a multimeter. The battery was reading 12+ with the car off. And a little more when running, and topped out at 13.7 or so when the car was held at a steady 2500 rpm. Okay, so relief there. Then I found a post about adjusting the gauge with a screwdriver from the back. This allowed me to move the needle from dead right, but the range of the adjustment wasn't near enough to get the needle where it should be. So thinking there was a short I disconnected the gauge and used the multimeter to probe the leads running into the gauge. Same reading as battery. And that's when I noticed something strange. The voltage gauge was reading a positive 6-7 volts or so while disconnected. And not coincidentally, that is almost exactly how far off it is at the other end when connected. So the gauge won't "zero". I took it out of the bezel and it looks like a very simple analog gauge. I can understand why when power is applied it is deflected to the right. But I don't understand what would cause it to float above it's little bump stop when there is no power running to it at all. And it's not frozen there. While handling the gauge it freely bounces around, and when I had it out of the bezel, I could easily push it over to the left with my finger. Any help would be appreciated. Tai