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Electrical issues out the wazoo....


2eighTZ4me

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79 280 ZXR. 5 speed. Customer car - I'm an S30 guy, and horrible with electrical issues. The car came to me fully functional. I replaced the battery amongst other things, and now I don't have;

 

Turn signals ( but I have hazard flashers and brake lights)

Tachometer

Wipers

Defrost

Interior blower motor

Water temp gauge

 

Basically all the 'accessories' that run off the bottom half of the fuse block are dead. No power to the entire bottom section of the fuse box. The items labeled 'battery' on the top side of the fuse box are fine. ALL fusible links check good. 

 

In tracing down the wiring diagram - the only common denominator that I could surmise would be the Ignition/Accessory relay (which appears to be under the dash). But the car starts and drives fine. It's only the accessories that don't work. Is that relay somehow split into two separate sections? One section runs the ignition and the other section runs the accessories?

 

Again - these items worked when the car was dropped to me - and now they don't. I'm in a world of hurt. I KNOW I had to have popped something during the course of repairing the car (transmission, battery etc.) - but the fusible links all test out fine. That's the only thing I can see that is between the fusible link tray and the fuse box - based on the wiring diagram. I have cleaned and dielectric greased the temp sender unit connections - so I know they're good. The other items....bah - I must have missed something.....

 

This car is bone stock original. NOthing has been done to it. It is in factory trim - no MSD or anything at all. Car RUNS great - it's the accessories....

 

Anyone got anything that I should be chasing after? I'm scratching my head over this one....

Edited by 2eighTZ4me
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Well - I thought it was a bad ground at the lug where the negative battery cable attaches to the bottom of the battery tray - along with a ground strap that apparently services many other things - but I hit them both with a wire wheel and polished the metal new and shiny. I also hit the bolt AND bolt hole with a Dremel wire bit. I have to think I have good ground...I have to think.....I KNOW it's a fuse/relay/something that gave out. This crap used to work....I'm really leaning towards relay. I'm an electrical idiot...first step is admitting you have a problem.....

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I keep thinking I 'missed' a wire that attaches to the battery, but I see nothing hanging down unattached. If I did miss it - then the fusible link wouldn't light up with a test light.

 

Replaced transmission, clutch, pilot bushing - yada yada,

 

Replaced battery and battery terminals

Fuel hose

repaired broken door handle (yeah - that did it!)

rear hatch shocks

struts all the way around

cleaned and dielectric greased all EFI connections (including water temp sensor)

replaced RF headlight

 

That's basically it in a nutshell - all the other little stuff would have no bearing on it I believe.

 

I have running lights, hazard lights, brake lights - but no turn signals.

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Fired up the car - and everything worked. Drove around for 10min. and POOF....everything shut down. Car still ran fine - but the fuel gauge started reading half of what was in the car - as did the oil pressure gauge, and the temp gauge went completely away. No accessories once again. Sounds like a relay perhaps? I'm going to try changing out the ignition module on the back of the ignition switch as well and see if that does anything. Also going to run another ground strap from the battery tray to the engine block. Short of that - I have to think it's the Ignition/Accessory relay under the dash that I found in the FSM....????? Sheesh!!!

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OK - now things are getting interesting. With the key in the Acc position - everything works - blower fan, wipers (and I have to think all the other stuff too). When I flip the key to the Run position - everything quits. Flip back to Acc - blower comes on - flip to run (or start the car) stuff doesn't work.

 

I have a bunch of old ignition modules - installed and tested them (not attached to the ignition switch - flipped them with a flathead. They all do the same thing. Acc gives me power - Run gives me nothing......

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See if it's repeatable.  If you let it cool down, then restart and drive and the same thing happens, it's probably something overheating.  If you let it cool down and the problem is still the same as when you shut it off, it's probably something that came loose in your ten mile drive.

 

If you start randomly replacing parts new problems could pop up and you won't know if you created them or they're part of the original problem.

 

Also, read up on how the gauges work.  I think that they depend on 12 volts to work right, if you're getting weird readings it's probably because base voltage is changing, either high (bad alternator regulator) or low (short circuit somewhere).

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Check the wires to the various switches at the transmission.  Maybe one is shorting or you connected the wires to the wrong switch, lowering voltage enough to kill your gauges and the turn signals.  The turn signal flasher requires enough current to heat up and flip the circuit, low voltage might not get it there.  The ZX's seem to have a lot of transmission switches.

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Actually - the 81-83 5 speeds only have the reverse switch as well. You must be thinking of an automatic. The 5 speed I just put in there is out of an 82 - only the reverse switch.

 

My problem is that I'm not getting power TO the fuse block - so I can't pop fuses. I'm convinced the relay works b/c I have power to it in the Acc position. There's gotta be something upstream. Knee deep in the wiring diagram now. Do appreciate your help - let me know if something else hits you.

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Never use dielectric grease on your electrical contacts. The only place you want to use dielectric grease is on the rubber boot portion of your spark plug wires. It's an insulator and while it does keep water out it reduces the current carrying capability of your connectors. It's a really bad idea.

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  • 1 year later...

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