Mikey Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Ok so my z is showing signs of a low charge but im totally lost on what it is. When im going down the road my lights are so dim i can barely see. when i come to a stop i can see my ignition box lose power and the light on it go dim and the motor will begin to stall. if i turn the lights off it will let it have more power and it will run. I can hear it bog down the fuel pump (loud race pump) when i kick on the lights and the e-fan. Ive got the delco 110 swap. brand new so the alt is pretty sound. the battery has a lot of power, i am able to have the pump, lights, fan and radio and it still starts like a champ every time. i cant think of what could be drawing the power? nothing has changed and it just started doing this after a long trip (100 miles) could it be the belt slipping? Any help is appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iaconsultants Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 You would probably hear the belt slip so I would look at the connections made with the alternator and the starter especially when it comes to grounding. Many times you can wiggle wires under the hood and the lights might get brighter which means a bad ground. Also check your fuseable links which could also give you a similar issue if they are old. I would have said your diode in the alternator is not functioning well but seems you just replaced the alternator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woldson Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Take it to a parts store and have them test it, it is free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted November 20, 2008 Author Share Posted November 20, 2008 Im going to test it today. ill double check all of my grounds. last night i tried the wiggle test and i got nothing. everything is solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waddiejohn Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I recently had issues with my headlights being very dim and my engine would shut down momentarily. It turned out to be the spade lug connectors on the ballast resistor and the headlight connection that run along the front of the car. They were badly corroded. I just cleaned them and gently squeezed the female connector to tighten them up and haven't had any problems for about a month now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktm Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 You need to tell us what car you have. The 240zs lighting system powers the lights by switching grounds. The lighting circuit goes through the combination switch (the stalk on your steering column). In other words, all of the current used to illuminate the lights goes through the combo switch. You need to check for corrosion on your fuses, clean the combo switch, clean the headlight grounds, etc. Dim lights means you are not getting a full 12 to 13 volts at the headlight. You are not getting the full voltage due to resistance in the circuit. The resistance in the circuit is a result of corrosion, frayed wires, gaps in connectors, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_furious Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 I recently had issues with my headlights being very dim and my engine would shut down momentarily. It turned out to be the spade lug connectors on the ballast resistor and the headlight connection that run along the front of the car. They were badly corroded. I just cleaned them and gently squeezed the female connector to tighten them up and haven't had any problems for about a month now. I experienced something very similar to this tonight. I noticed a spike in my lights, then about 1/4 mile down the road, when I signaled a turn, my lights dimmed and flickered with the load from my brakelights and turn signal. I brought the revs up, and the lights brightened. All of the lights later dimmed and then nearly died as I was coming to a stop, and the engine nearly cut out. A quick rev to bring the power back up and everything brightened up. Turning off items or turning them back on seems to bring spikes / jumps in the electrical power. It's very strange. I just tried to reproduce the problem and got it only once. All electrical power dimmed out over about 3 seconds until it killed the engine. Further attempts couldn't reproduce it. I've got to drive to my parents' place in two days (125 miles) and I'm nervous about the car cutting out on me on the road. I've already used up my free towing for the month. I'd really like to find a definite fix for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoorhs02 Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 Drive during the daytime to use less batt power! Simple enough right? Less fun I know, but itll help get you there. Yes I agree, check for corrosion and loose connections/ bad grounds. What year and model is this? I have a 78 280z that Ive redone just about everything to get her street legal. I had issues with the brakelights and turn signals, then found the problems and fixed them. The electrical system for my 280 is pretty simple, but very tedious. Goodluck and post the problem when you find it. Jeremy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_furious Posted November 29, 2008 Share Posted November 29, 2008 Must have been a slightly corroded connection on the positive battery terminal. Cleaned it up yesterday before leaving and haven't had a problem with it since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted December 7, 2008 Author Share Posted December 7, 2008 ok well its a 73 240z. here is something that might help find my problem. sometimes when im driving the interior lights go off. and the other night the bad ground went away, it all was ok. then seconds later it came back. i checked all my grounds, ground wire from the batt to the engine. ground from the harness to the alternator, ground on my ignition box. where is the major grounds on the 73's? ill take apart my headlight switch and hope i can find something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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