every time I turn, (so far only to the right) i get a burning smell and my car shuts off
engine stops working. brakes i have to pump to tome to a stop

whats wrong, last week i took out my dash to figure out why my marker, tail lights and dash lights wouldnt come on

found out the previous owner spliced into my wring harness to hook up a crappy radio.....

 

also none of the above mentioned lights dont work

 

marker and tail lights can be the connector from the stalk switch wiring to the body wiring. I found a burnt wire there. probably affects dash also. get the schematic out of the fsm free download at xenon s130. take it to kinkos and have them blow up the relevant pages to 11x17. makes it a lot easier to read. get out your vom and start tracing wires. is your battery hold down secure sounds like maybe battery shifts when you turn right.

 

stalk switch?
whats that

 

the thing that sticks out of the steering column for lights and turn signals. got switches inside and the wires go a connector that hooks up to the body wiring harness have to pull the steering wheel. I seem to recall

 

Is your battery shorting out on the hood (not tied down?)

 

no its not tied down

i cant open my hood

 

That's likely the problem.

What? So... how do you add / check oil? Or do any other "under the hood" maintenance?

 

Well I guess you know what you need to fix first....

 

A battery flopping around in a locked down engine bay... I smell disaster...

 

I know my hood wont open

If someone would answer my 1st question it would be better

 

How are you supposed to do anything about it if you can't even open your hood. Figure that out and maybe you can fix your car...

 

Ummm yeah...

So... OPEN YOUR HOOD.

 

Hood fixed now

 

UH. And..?

 

Progress!

 

now the battery is tied town

now im wondering if i replace my dash wiring harness if the cables would run to the marker lights? and tail lights and side turn signals?

 

The dash harness is for the gauges, displays, and radio. The exterior lights are controlled by the combo gauge, which is not part of the dash wiring, it's part of the body wiring.

Click: XenonS130 - S130 Reference

 

where could i find body wiring?
does body wiring cover the tail lights?

 

75 Datsun 280Z interior body wire harness | eBay

this is body wiring from a 280z

I own a 280zx, would this be compatible?

 

Nope.

Do your lights no longer work?

 

Yes my marker lights, tail and the small side turn signals do not work, when i twist the stalk switch to the 2nd position my headlights turn on.

 

Maybe it's the switch...

Before replacing everything "*****-nilly", try tracing the power (or lack of power) with a multi-meter.

 

I dont have a multi meter

but im replacing all the wiring underneath, i feel it's unsafe with my current wires being exposed

 

You can buy a multi-meter for ~$10 at Harbor Freight / Radio Shack / Your local electronics store. Works much better than guessing.

What wires are exposed? Did they melt? Pics? Why is it like pulling teeth to get info out of you?