BLKMGK Posted May 24, 2001 Share Posted May 24, 2001 Finished installing the Monster Tach tonight! Well, mounting it anyway It's not a very tight fit in the dash hole and the double sided tape I wrapped around it wasn't too great. I figured one hot day and a hard mash of the gas and it would end up in my lap or worse wrapped up in the wheel! So, I joined Lone's club and grabbed some black silicone caulking! I know that sounds really bad but you'd be surprised at what this stuff can do (lol). I'll wait till it completely dries before I'm too excited but as it began to harden it was obviously doing a good job. Worse comes to worse it can be pulled off pretty easily if I abort this method. Anyone found a better way? This was one of those pedestal tach with the shift lite, I didn't like the ones meant for the in-dash mounting I'll snap a pic tomorrow night, the steering column LED project is nearly done. I just have to figure out why they used two wires on the high beam and brake indicators when they used a single wire everyplace else. One of those has got to be a ground! No word back yet from Autometer on the speedo going back but I'm anxious to get it mounted as well. With silicone too I'll bet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted May 24, 2001 Share Posted May 24, 2001 If it's like my 73 240Z, I know why they used two wires on the high beam indicator - it's not wired like you might think it would be. Remember the person who designed the wiring on the 240Z was an idiot! Teh headlight circuit is a JOKE! In the stock configuration, one side of the high beam indicator bulb gets power from the left side of the right headlight fuse (the 2nd one down on the right) and the other side gets "grounded" by the high beam switch. That's why neither side can be grounded and work, like the illumination bulbs. I'm not real sure how the brake indicator is wired up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 24, 2001 Share Posted May 24, 2001 I had to pull one of my siliconed gauges out and trust me, it requires some real determination to get them out after they're dried... I'm not electrical engineer (hell before I joined HybridZ I though engineer's ran trains...), but the electrics is one part of the car they shouldn't have copied from the British. Also while I'm bitching, I bought the 72 chassis shop manual when I got my Z, had to buy it used, quite a bit of dough and in my opinion its a real POS. Much is left to the imagination. Simply saying 'Remove' something isn't a very good manual, perhaps I'm an idiot, but I'd like to be told how to remove something, but then again, I guess it was geared towards trained Nissan Mechanics.. Oh well... Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted May 24, 2001 Share Posted May 24, 2001 Engineers do run trains the others are just book worms .... BTW I come from a Railroad family 13 relatives at last count work or retired the UPRR including me... I understand your frustration with the manuals... Some of the best I have seen come from Toyota...Most of the rest leave somthing to be desired...remember when these cars were designed and built they didn't think that we would still be using them 30 years later either... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie-GNZ Posted May 24, 2001 Share Posted May 24, 2001 Jim, I had the same problem and after popping it out of the hole with that 1.55 launch I decided to fix once and for all. I used duct tape. I put tape on, trial fit and kept adding tape until I really had to force it in, harumph . Now it is wedged in there good and I cannot even rotate it, so if you want your redline at a certain position, decide that before you start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike kZ Posted May 24, 2001 Share Posted May 24, 2001 I used 1/2" foam tape, once the foam compressed in the hole it held the gauges tight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 24, 2001 Share Posted May 24, 2001 Yeah my Uncle was a train engineer for SP running switch engines here in the sacramento area, got to take a ride in the cab when I was a kid, very cool, MUCH power.. A plug if anyone is in the Sacramento Ca area, definately check out the state train museum in Old Sacramento. They have a absolutely HUGE articulated steam engine from the 40's - 50's. We're talking 1 million lbs for just the engine (no kidding thats what the sign says. Oil fired, articulates in the middle, it goes a easy two stories, maybe 2.5 stories high and if it ain't the biggest steam engine, the other one must have its own zip code. Worth seeing, along with the smaller engines they have there. Funny local story, they setup this tent by the museum next to the rails and had a visiting steamer come boiling into the station. Well apparently the promoter didn't know much about steamers, it rolled into the station as planned... And covered everyone in the tent/awning with oil and hot water. It was on the news.. Priceless haha.. Regards, Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted May 24, 2001 Share Posted May 24, 2001 Ya big boys are impressive locomotives.... They just moved the one on display in Omaha none of them still opperating only 7 of the 45 built still exist... If you ever get a chance go see a steam Locomotive in action GO it is an ossume experience. They shake the ground and the power is un real. We have 6k+ hp diesel locomotives and they don't even compare.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLKMGK Posted May 24, 2001 Author Share Posted May 24, 2001 Yeah, I was considering the relay thing already - grr. So, the way their circuit works is full time 12volts and an interrupt to ground - is that right? That's weird! The E-brake light looks to be the same way too but that seems even weirder. Two wires on that bulb as well - sheesh I suppose the other option would be to snip the common ground for those two LEDs and wire the legs into the two wires. Certainly cheaper but a pain. Means I have to pull that cover off again and disconnect the turn signal wires, rats! If what I've understood you to say is correct, wiring the "hot" side right now to the LED would result in the light being on all the time. Assuming I had a battery in the car that is My big fear is the smoke test when I finally hook one back up in the car! This does ring one dim bell though.. I spoke to a guy who bought a Z that had some problem. It wouldn't start or didn't have lights - can't recall which. Previous owner was dumping it. This guy said all he had to do was replace a bulb in the dash and it ran - for some reason one of the circuits went THROUGH a bulb and would fail when it burnt out. Is that accurate and does this have anything to do with that behaviour? Wow, I might actually have to get a magnifying glass and try to look at the wiring diagrams I've got (sob). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted May 24, 2001 Share Posted May 24, 2001 Jim, the High/low beam switch arm is connected to ground. It grounds the high or low beam filament in the headlight (in the OE system - it grounds the high or low beam relay coils in your arrangement, I'd imagine). As for a light bulb disabling the car, I guess that'd be possible if some circuit like the starter solenoid or ignition got +voltage from a bulb through a sneak circuit if it's regular source was out of commission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLKMGK Posted May 25, 2001 Author Share Posted May 25, 2001 Okay Pete, now I understand! I also better understand the brake light switch - and it actually makes sense! If you've ever looked close at that switch you'll see it's one wire to the brake arm. It must ground when th earm is pulled - hence that light needs two wires too. I think I'm going to break down and use relays. Pulling those LEDs from the cluster I built for this would be a PITA. I should've thought further ahead and looked closer I guess! Tachometer is rock solid since the silicone set! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted May 25, 2001 Share Posted May 25, 2001 I'll second that. I saw a live steam 4-8-4 locomotive leave town on an exhibition tour. Absolutely awesome when they start moving these things. 400,000 lbs, bearings that are nothing more that over-greased bushings, and the noise and sound is without description. Something your kids should see if ever a chance. Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLKMGK Posted May 25, 2001 Author Share Posted May 25, 2001 Uh boy Pete - don't tell me I can't ground one end of that circuit... I've already soldered all the LEDs in and everything! Now I know I've got to dig up a volt meter to look at this. Grr! Has anyone else looked at this? Pete, any ideas on getting around this? That sounds like a really whacky way to have wired that sucker up! Oh, I did seriously consider using duct tape to hold the gauge in. The trouble with that is that if you ever have to remove the tape you've got nasy tape goo all over the place. At least the silicone peels of clean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted May 25, 2001 Share Posted May 25, 2001 Jim, I rewired the headlight circuit, so I had to rewired the high beam indicator. If you've not rewired the under the dash stuff for the lights, then the only way around it I can see is with a relay, maybe an SCR. Get a small 12VDC relay from radioshack. Wire the relay coil across the wires in the OE harness to the high beam indicator socket. This way the relay will only be energized when the high beams are on. On side of the coil will then have full time 12 volts to it (the side of the OE high beam socket that has the 12V from the headlight fuse). Connect that to the arm of the relay. The NO contact on the relay can then power the 12V resistor/LED circuit you have for the high beam indicator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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