Electrical problems

toopy

Club Member
Fitted a new battery after years off the road, so i could check all the electrics over

Tried RH indicators first, worked fine, tried LH, nothing, tried RH again, nothing :unsure:

Tried hazard switch, all lights flash just fine!

Checked the fuse box, no idea which one it would be, but all are ok anyhow

Dont know if its related but reversing lights dont work either

Everything else seems to work ok, but i dont appear to have illumination on any of the dials,
and no red light for when the handbrake is on!
Little blue light for full beam works as does the green indicator light when hazards are on

Also while checking out the fuse box, i have two 50amp fuses on the top left for i presume
the lights, they are only live when the lights are on, but there only seems to be less
than 1volt going through them! lights work ok and appear bright enough!
 

Dale

Club Member
I know you said everything else works, but when I lost my dial lights the rear lights went too, I think they're on the same fuse. Maybe the reverse light is too?

The indicator could be a bad earth or maybe a problem at the stalk?
 

Mr.F

Inactive
The 260Z has separate flasher cans for indicator and hazard. The fact that hazards work tells you that wiring to all the lamps is OK. Both are situated on the board above / behind the bonnet pull. You need to remove the relay bracket to get at them! Try replacing the indicator can first, then investigate the turn signal switch. Operate the hazards and feel which can clicks to identify which is which. They are not the same, so you can't simply swap over...
 

toopy

Club Member
I know you said everything else works, but when I lost my dial lights the rear lights went too, I think they're on the same fuse. Maybe the reverse light is too?

The indicator could be a bad earth or maybe a problem at the stalk?

All the exterior lights, bar the reversing lights work fine, including brake lights
 

toopy

Club Member
The 260Z has separate flasher cans for indicator and hazard. The fact that hazards work tells you that wiring to all the lamps is OK. Both are situated on the board above / behind the bonnet pull. You need to remove the relay bracket to get at them! Try replacing the indicator can first, then investigate the turn signal switch. Operate the hazards and feel which can clicks to identify which is which. They are not the same, so you can't simply swap over...

Will check if it stops raining this weekend! presume flasher cans are available,
i mean ones that will fit ok in same position that is?
 

Mr.G

Club Member
May seem obvious but for dial gauges make sure you haven't accidentally knocked the dimmer to low without realising.. If you haven't it could just be that you have a couple of blown ones and/or the bulbs have fallen out of the back of the gauges.... From memory they are ground on the gauge so need to be in their to light up...

You need to sit upside down and have a good feel at the back of the gauges to work out if a couple of them have popped off, feel for an orifice..... And a dangly bit with a smooth end...:eek:
 

Mr.G

Club Member
Why can't I edit my own posts...? When I say bulbs fallen out ..... I mean the bulb will still be attached to its loom...
 

pmac

Well-Known Forum User
Also while checking out the fuse box, i have two 50amp fuses on the top left for i presume
the lights, they are only live when the lights are on, but there only seems to be less
than 1volt going through them! lights work ok and appear bright enough!

The 260Z fuse box only contains 10,15 or 20 amp fuses.
The fact that someone has added 50A fuses may indicate a previous "issue"???
or it may just indicate that someone only had 50A fuses available????
 

toopy

Club Member
The 260Z fuse box only contains 10,15 or 20 amp fuses.
The fact that someone has added 50A fuses may indicate a previous "issue"???
or it may just indicate that someone only had 50A fuses available????

I did think it was a bit overkill, even for the lights!

Will swap in some 20amps and see what happens

:thumbs:
 

pmac

Well-Known Forum User
I did think it was a bit overkill, even for the lights!

Will swap in some 20amps and see what happens

:thumbs:
The Haynes manual is a useful(if not perfect) source of information.
If you think about things logically then its obivous that on a car fitted with at best a 45A alternator a 50A fuse in one suppplementary circuit is not right.
 

toopy

Club Member
If you think about things logically then its obivous that on a car fitted with at best a 45A alternator a 50A fuse in one suppplementary circuit is not right.

Quite right, 50amp isnt just unsuitable, its dangerous in this circuit situation :eek:

Well, according to Haynes, I also have one of the Autobooks manuals, they both confirm
that each headlight circuit should be 10amp and the tail lights and indicators are on a single 20amp fuse :unsure:

Actually checking the rest of the fuse box, i have various amperage fuses incl 25, 35 and 17!
as well as several 15's but not a single 10 :rofl:

time to get busy with the multimeter me thinks!
 

morbias

Well-Known Forum User
The fact the indicators are working intermittently suggests the switch on the stalk is dodgy - they are notorious for that! Usually it's just a case of taking it apart and cleaning up the contacts. If it's not that then bear in mind the indicator circuits run through the hazard switch too, a bad contact in the hazard switch could also cause the indicators to stop working.

If you're going to be fiddling around with the gauges then I'd recommend taking the driver's seat out. It's better to do that to start with as it's only 4 bolts, your back and arms will thank you! The 3 centre gauges are accessed by removing the heater control panel.

[EDIT] almost forgot, regarding the reverse lights; they are activated by a switch in the side of the gearbox housing, next to where the speedo cable goes in. It's possible the wires going to the switch have deteriorated or become disconnected, only way to check is to get under the car and visually inspect. There's always the possibility the switch itself is knackered but I think the wires are a more likely cause.

[EDIT 2] Also, the gauge illumination lights are on a separate circuit to the high beam, handbrake, and indicator lights in the gauges so the likely cause for them not working is the dimmer control being faulty or not connected. The handbrake light is activated by a switch on the handbrake lever itself so you might as well take the drivers seat out so you can check the switch and the associated wire which runs underneath the seat to the main body loom along the inner sill.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Top