MuhKaydenZ Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 (edited) So I drove the 78 280z and it died on the freeway when I tried to restart it the battery seemed dead so I recharged the battery and replaced the alternator. Well today I threw in the recharged battery and took it for a spin and the car died on me again just wondering if anyone has any suggestions on where to look. Also the two front fusable links are not there could that cause this? Thanks for any help you can give me! Edited January 20, 2012 by MuhKaydenZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zack_280 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Recharge the battery and start the car and check the voltage. You should be getting ~13.5 volts at the battery terminals if it is charging. If not, download a FSM and start trouble shooting the alternator wiring. You can search here to find wiring diagrams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuhKaydenZ Posted January 20, 2012 Author Share Posted January 20, 2012 (edited) My alternator does not have the thing circled in the pic below will that keep it from charging the battery? (not my pic) Edited January 20, 2012 by MuhKaydenZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I think that's a condenser to prevent static noise through the radio. Not a high current-carrying part of the charging system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuhKaydenZ Posted January 20, 2012 Author Share Posted January 20, 2012 Well I dropped the battery off to get charged so we will see what is keeping this car from running hopefully later on today. I just went to the dmv and got the temp tags renewed so I will have more time to get it up and going Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Do you have a voltmeter? Measure voltage at the battery, before and after starting and with the engine revving. If you don't have one, you could have bought one with the money you spent on the alternator. Even your in-dash voltage meter will tell you something, if it goes down instead of up when you start the engine, then your alternator is not charging. Missing fusible links is a sign of prior problems. There has to be some fresh tape (newer than 33 years old) in the area that you could unwrap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rallyeo Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 You may have done this already but I had the same problem with mine and it came down to faulty cables. I replaced the positive and negative and it seems to run and charge fine now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Soul Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 If you don't have fusable links, check for an aftermarket fuse that may have been installed or like the previous reply for some new electrical tape. A digital voltmeter (go cheap if you just use it minimal) will help you figure out if you have a draw with the key off engine off or like the previous reply key on engine on doing his method. I tested mine, I think I put one end on the negative terminal and the other on the end of the negative connection to pull the reading of draw (key off engine off) and since it read voltage I had a draw, while it was off. Keep in mind there are two theories of how electricity flows, Positive to Negative and Negative to Positive. In automobiles, you end up using a little of both, they are wired for Positive to Negative trouble shooting but if you're looking for a draw with the engine off your testing the opposite since that's really the direction it goes. Those two theories help a bit when you're troubleshooting with a digital voltage ohm meter. **Anyone correct me if I'm wrong, it happens and I'm not afraid to admit it. As for the dying while running, also keep an eye on that voltage gauge while you're driving. Innova makes a $60 voltmeter where you can check the alternator while the car is running to find out whether it's within specs, rather than have to always go to the Zone and waste an hour of your day. I have a repair manual for 77, which should be very similar to your year, PM me and I'll get it to you. Speaking from experience here... don't go throwing parts at it until you know the problem. They all add up quickly, slowly killing the budget. I did that with my current project and wasted WAY too much money. Now I'm struggling finishing it. Last thing here... take a picture of some of that wiring, like the one you posted originally but your car this time. I think a lot of these guys in the forums know what looks right and what looks wrong who can point you in the right direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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