83 "S130"....

I have been trying to track down an electrical problem with a 280zx that I'm helping do a light restoration on....

Prior to removing interior panels/seats the under-dash lights and dome light worked when the doors opened and dimmed when the doors were closed..

Now with interior reassembled the dome light only works when its in its "on" position but not the "door" position and the under-dash lights no longer work...

Things I have checked:

1. The "room lamp timer" is operating as it should

2. Inspected the rear-end/tailgate wiring harness

3. All fuses ok

4. I'm not sure if this is correct but if I hook up a lead from my voltmeter to the chassis and another to one of the wires going into the under-dash lights
I get ~12.7 volts......

BTW...I noticed that when I turn the exterior lights from off to running/clearance light the under-dash lights will quickly "blink" once then go out...

Need help solving this problem please....TIA

 

Does anyone know if the dome light switch is malfunctioning or disconnected if the under-dash will or will not work....Could someone test this for me please???

 

all of what you said leads me to believe that its the door plunger switch, its a little push in switch in the door jamb that turns on when the door is opened, take off its rubber weatherproof boot and unscrew it, make sure its all connected up, and working properly by doing a continuity test (making sure it makes a complete circuit)

 

I think the plunger switch is working because the lights mounted on the doors turn on and off as expected...unless there is a different circuit on that switch that controls the under-dash lights..

 

if the door lights work then the switch is working. you probably disconnected the underdash lights during your repair work. check all your connections. download the fsm from xenon. take the circuit diagrams to a copy place and have them print it on 11x17 makes it easier to read and then decide what you disconnected by mistake. it ain't rocket science if it worked before it should work after if you haven't screwed the pooch. hopefully you have a working vom or get electricity for dummies and a vom

 

That's what I don't understand....All of the under-dash lighting is "connected".....I have the FSM and I have gone over the wiring completely except for places where it cannot be accessed without having to remove the dash....

The only thing I can think of is that the room lamp timer is indeed not working contrary to my previous testing....I know how to use a VOM

Another possibility is that while doing other work the wiring harness was damaged further up into the dash where it is not readily accessible...

Also, the headliner and other roof pieces were removed so the wiring to the dome light could have also been damaged....

 

hot wire around the timer to see if the lights work. that will prove the timer bad or the wiring messed up