Derek Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 No, not on a 280Z---you have to watch out that the advice you give/get is APPLICABLE to the model being discussed. Hence my qualifier "The route on the factory wiring on my 73". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Git-y-up Posted September 11, 2011 Author Share Posted September 11, 2011 Thank you Tony, my 280 z does have an AMMETER and not a voltage meter... Is it only the wiring that differs between the 240 - 280, or has someone litterally taking the voltage metter out and put an ammeter in my 1975 280z?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Git-y-up Posted September 11, 2011 Author Share Posted September 11, 2011 Hence my qualifier "The route on the factory wiring on my 73". If you knew my car was a 280z why even put that post up if it wont have any use to me? Come on man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossman Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Thank you Tony, my 280 z does have an AMMETER and not a voltage meter... Is it only the wiring that differs between the 240 - 280, or has someone litterally taking the voltage metter out and put an ammeter in my 1975 280z?? If you read Tony's post carefully he says the the 260-280 ammeter is wired differently than the 240 ammeter. The later ammeters have a shunt that keeps the high current out of the passenger compartment. '76 and later Zcars all had voltmeters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 That assumes I know that a 280 is wired differently than a 73 240. I put out what I knew and qualified it with a year and application. But I do apologize if it lead you astray. Derek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Thank you Tony, my 280 z does have an AMMETER and not a voltage meter... Is it only the wiring that differs between the 240 - 280, or has someone litterally taking the voltage metter out and put an ammeter in my 1975 280z?? The 1975 FSM shows an ammeter in the wiring diagram. So it looks like the 1975 280Z is the only 280Z that came with an ammeter. My 1976 has a voltmeter. For what it's worth, every little connection that I cleaned up on my 35 year old car added a little more speed to the wipers at idle (my best indicator of amps available). The EFI harness connectors at the fusible link, the four fusible links under the covers, the battery posts, etc. they all count. A corroded connection is milliamps wasted in heat, and the milliamps add up. I have also found that an old 1978 alternator that had been sitting unused in a non-running car and weather for ten years, produced more amps at idle than a "new" rebuilt life-time warranty alternator from OReilly Auto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Git-y-up Posted September 11, 2011 Author Share Posted September 11, 2011 That assumes I know that a 280 is wired differently than a 73 240. I put out what I knew and qualified it with a year and application. But I do apologize if it lead you astray. Derek Apology accepted Mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rejracer Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 (edited) Tony, How many VW's have you seen destroy a transaxle, CV or rear wheel bearings due to a missing ground strap, or Chevy's that fried a shifter cable due to the same? You mentioned a supply and return as positive and negative. Technically electrons flow from negative to positive. So grounds are the supply. It makes no difference in the real world but is good for thought. Click here for Conventional vs electron flow notation. Git-y-up, If you knew my car was a 280z why even put that post up if it wont have any use to me? Come on man Derek gave you relevant info on how to bypass your ammeter and it's 60 amp limit, and even noted it renders the ammeter useless. It's irrelevant if the high current travels into the cab or not. We still don't know if the problem is a failed component, dirty connections or if you even need to upgrade. I think Tony was pointing out that it's up to you to determine relevance to what you are going to do to fix the problem. I've tried to point out options on upgrades if you choose so, but that might not even be necessary given the info Newzed and Tony posted. Now for a bit of troubleshooting: I start out testing by first giving the system a good visual inspection. If any corrosion or wiring crustyness is found I clean and then test suspected problem by doing a voltage drop test across the circuit while running. If I don't get a satisfactory result I start repairing and replacing needed circuits as needed. Second I check that I have voltage where it's supposed to be, this means you have to know how the system works to test it. Third I test grounds are "groundy". I do this via a voltage drop test with the system under a load. All grounds should be at 0v regardless of load. If they register more than .5v the ground is not groundy enough. Fourth I do a voltage test of the battery under cranking load to determine if the battery is can supply the current needed while cranking. This is the most demanding test of a battery, and determines if it's serviceable or not. Only after doing those basic tests would I consider replacing expensive components such as battery, starter, alternator. A good volt meter can be had for less than 20 bucks and the above tests on a charging system takes less than 20 minutes. Edited September 12, 2011 by rejracer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beermanpete Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Thanks for the quick reply oddman. If i wasnt having this problem with my original Halogen's how are lower power consuming HID lights going to tax my altenator? Good question. Do you know what the wattage or current rating for the new lights is? Have you measured the current draw to see if it is correct? Since you did not have this problem until installing the new lights the lights could be problem. Perhaps they are defective. What was requried to install the light kit? Does it simply plug-in to the original headlamp connectors, or did you have to install additional wiring? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mario_82_ZXT Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 On a car we forgot to add an engine to chassis ground and when cranking the starter the braided oil line to the turbo arc'd out on the firewall! Needless to say the teflon inside it melted =( Lots of things started working when we added the ground... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Git-y-up Posted September 18, 2011 Author Share Posted September 18, 2011 http://www.dapperlighting.com/installation.html These are the lights I have installed. Ill go check the voltage amp draw and report the numbers as soon as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Git-y-up Posted September 18, 2011 Author Share Posted September 18, 2011 http://www.dapperlighting.com/installation.html These are the lights I have installed. Ill go check the voltage amp draw and report the numbers as soon as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Git-y-up Posted September 18, 2011 Author Share Posted September 18, 2011 Just a little detail,On the lighting system, I didn't run the black wire to a chassis ground, ran it all the way back to the battery. Is this potentially a hazard or problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beermanpete Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 Running the ground directly to the battery is fine. I did not see a wattage rating on the website you provided. The single 20 amp fuse for the new lights is essentially the same as the two 10 amp fuses in the original Z. As long as the original headlight wires are only used to control the new lights it should be fine in terms of current draw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Git-y-up Posted September 18, 2011 Author Share Posted September 18, 2011 (edited) As long as the original headlight wires are only used to control the new lights it should be fine in terms of current draw. That is exactly what has been done. Alternator is comming off and being rebuilt, let you all know how this works out. Edited September 18, 2011 by Git-y-up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowlerMonkey Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 Already mentioned but you might want to run a supplemental ground from the engine to the body. This helped me find the weak link in my electrical system back in the early 80s on a mazda RX2 and I now use it on all cars for redundancy. It also helps greatly with the stereo system. You can see it on the supplemental terminal on the marine battery but it can be clamped with the bolt on a normal battery terminal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Git-y-up Posted September 18, 2011 Author Share Posted September 18, 2011 (edited) Already mentioned but you might want to run a supplemental ground from the engine to the body. This helped me find the weak link in my electrical system back in the early 80s on a mazda RX2 and I now use it on all cars for redundancy. It also helps greatly with the stereo system. You can see it on the supplemental terminal on the marine battery but it can be clamped with the bolt on a normal battery terminal. Nice idea, I will be doing that. Now its time for an update. Uninstalled the alteranator and was surprised to find it to be a non nissan unit. Mitsubishi AG2050N. Its a 50amp alternator. DSC_0002 by Crashing_Thunder, on Flickr DSC_0001 by Crashing_Thunder, on Flickr Anyone know what the previous owner might have done when installing this alternator? and where to start looking for changes to the charging system? I am a very visual person and appreciate pictures greatly. Edited September 18, 2011 by Git-y-up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossman Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 where to start looking for changes to the charging system? I am a very visual person and appreciate pictures greatly. Get copy of the FSM and start comparing the wiring diagram to the wiring on the car. You might be surprised what you find. I know I was when I found BOTH fusible links missing on my 240. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beermanpete Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Nice idea, I will be doing that. Now its time for an update. Uninstalled the alteranator and was surprised to find it to be a non nissan unit. Mitsubishi AG2050N. Its a 50amp alternator. Anyone know what the previous owner might have done when installing this alternator? and where to start looking for changes to the charging system? I am a very visual person and appreciate pictures greatly. The important difference is the Mistubishi alterntor is an internal regular type. The original alternator is externally regulated. The wiring has likely been modified to make it work. Look for mounting differences as well. The mounting brackets may have been modified. Belt alignment is important for reliable operation and long belt life. The ZX alternator is internally regulated, as are virually all the newer alternaotr designs. Any late model alt. will work with the wiring you already have IF it was modified properly. If you need or want high output get an alternator from a big luxury car. They tend to have big alternators. There is lots of info on alternator upgrades in the forum and at HybridZ. Search around and see what has been done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 You're Mitsubishi, if it is a 50 amp, is missing 10 amps from the stock alternator. Probably just an amp or two at idle but still short of stock. If everything worked and your only problem was brownout at idle, and you're sure the rewire to internal regulation is right, you could just put a ZX alternator on and be back to stock. Add an extra 100 to 200 engine RPM at idle. It helps if you don't mind losing the cool factor of a low lopy idle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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