LegnaZetr0 Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 okay just to start off i'm sorry if it has already been covered i have no internet access of my own to be able to sit and check for hours, i did a quick search and didn't really find anything.. i was driving home from work the other night when i realized my lights where no longer working all the other lights still work brakes driving but no head lights i plugged in a bulb to the driver side(or passenger side for most of you guys, its a fairlady z but i dont think it should make a difference) and it still doesn't work... so i was wondering what else it could be maybe something in the harness or maybe something went bad in the switch, or relays but i dont know which is for what so if maybe someone can help me by telling me what relay i should look for or a common problem i dont know of i would greatly appreciate it, and of course i checked the fuse's first before anything and they are both fine.. so i will try and go to a friends house to check back up on this so thanks in advance for any help you guys can give. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezzzzzzz Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Sounds like a ground issue. Use a voltmeter or test lamp to check for voltage on both sides of the fuse with the headlight switch on. If 12v are there then start looking for a problem out under the hood. If not, then look at the switch. You need the FSM to effectively troubleshoot the harness. Go over to http://www.carfiche.com and download it. Drop a couple dollars in the kitty to support that site. I have no affiliation with that site but they provide a great service for 'free'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatBlack Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 The bullet connector on the red wire [Headlights] that connects the combo switch to the steering column harness got unplugged one time and that's why my headlights were out. Can't hurt to check that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Move the switch/stalk between high and low beam, and make sure that it is fully into the correct position. I lost my lights once, and this was the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geezer Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 its a fairlady z but i dont think it should make a difference) There is one difference in the headlight circuit for your FairladyZ. You have what Nissan called a "passing switch" on the end of the turn signal stalk, used to momentarily flash your lights to signal other drivers. Better known as an "optical horn" here today. Here is a drawing of the headlight circuit that does not include the "passing switch" or associated relay. Everything else is the same. We draw the individual circuits like this to make them easier to follow when trying to explain to someone how to troubleshoot a wiring problem. A brief explanation: Turning the Headlight Switch to the on position provides a ground path to the Dimmer Switch. Both, the red with black stripe & red with white stripe wire become a ground path when that position is selected but only when the headlight switch is turned on. The left side & right side headlights get their 12V feed from seperate fuses in the fuse box. Excuse the drawing, it was a rough draft and doesn't show the connectors, pin outs or other details. First question I have is..Did the high beams also go out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zmanco Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 I experienced the same issue in my 73 once and it turned out that there is a connector in front of the radiator below the bumper that had come apart just enough to kill the headlights. Everything else worked just fine. Not sure if you'll have that on a Fairlady, but it's worth checking. Warning: it was hard to see as everything had a layer of 30+ year old dust on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegnaZetr0 Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 alright guys thanks for all the info but actually right after i posted this i was checking the volts and realized it had to be coming from the switch turns out that both wires for the lights had broke from their solder points so i cleaned it up re soldered and everything's good again, but thanks again for all the help its nice to know there's a site where people can help one and other cause for these old cars its all about knowing things or wasting alot of money for someone who does to fix it and i personally like to do the majority of all my work, so again thanks guy i appreciate all the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue72 Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 That's about what happened to mine. I was driving on a mountain road in the dark at sub-zero temperatures when first my running lights and later my headlights went out with me 40+ miles from civilization. I later traced it back to the switch and found that badly worn contacts caused a short circuit which overloaded the system and melted the solder that held the wires to the switch itself. Just took some cleaning, a few parts from a spare stalk I grabbed in a j/y, and some soldering to fix it. I haven't had a problem since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezzzzzzz Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 One suggestion would be to relay those headlights. Find the leads at the front of the car that provide for low beams and high beams. Use those leads to activate two 30 amp relays (one for low, one for high). Connect the headlamps to the load outputs of the relays and connect the other side directly to the battery + using fused wiring. The difference in output of the headlights will be dramatic. You'll also take the load off the switch and fuse panel adding years to their lives. I'm sure there are detailed write-ups in here about this simple mod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loy Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Here is a link to the relay mod. http://alteredz.com/Headlight_Relay_pg1.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 I was driving recently with my lights on. I don't have the steering column cover on currently. I watched the solder on the headlight switch spark up and melt while I was driving. I quickly turned the lights off and replaced the switch on the stalk soon after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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