hi
Please help, I have a 1983 280zx non turbo 5 speed. I have been having a starting problem that is becoming progressively worse. If i short the soloniod, it starts fine, but is only getting 8 volts from the solonoid wire. I have tried tracing the wire back and I do also have the haynes book but cant trace he yellow wire back to find the bad connection.
Where does the first stop for this wire?
Are there any known starter wiring problems?

Can someone please help me
THNX in advance

 

Welcome to ZDriver!

Unfortunately that wire goes up into the harness... so tracing it by hand won't be fun. It should go into a relay, fuse, or back to the ignition switch (if I had my Haynes manual w/ me right now I'd be more useful). Are there any other electrical things acting up?

 

no no ther problems
I havelooked at a couple of wiring diagrams, and i cant even figure it out from ther, . it always shows it going off to a block somewhere and then magically disappears.
i know that the clutch switch and i think a neutral switch come into play, but the manual is adding to the confusion instead of simplifying the problem.

I think that I have realized that the wire does go into the main harness insiide the car and does not make any stops along the way.
can anyone confirm or disprove this?

 

Check out the 83 Factory Service Manual: http://www.xenons130.com/reference.html

I'm looking through the wiring schematics right now.....

 

I applaude your site.
Love it
Now that is passion, to put all of that together!
But
I looked at the wiring diagram there too.
Still cant figure it out.
The under the hood diagram goes to a wiring block on the main harness inside the car, but I could not find the corresponding reference once I referred to the main harness

I will say that your diagram got me much closer than anything else has, >
I am now convinced that there is no connection on the outside and that the problem is definately on or at the main harness inside the car.

Without your diagram and your new websites help, I never would have made that discovery.

Wish I could pickup the wire again inside thought.
Thnx for now

 

Hi Again
So, looks like the solenoid wire enters the car to the mail wiring harness. According to the diagram, it goes directly from the harness to the ignition switch.
Now in my way of thinking, this is not so, because at a bare minimum, the clutch switch must come into play.

So what gives?

Cheers
dowlinger

 

I don't believe these cars had a switch for the clutch. Many of the older Zs that I've driven allow you to start the car without having the clutch depressed. They added that switch if I'm not mistaken sometime around 86 or 87. My 85' 300ZX could be started without depressing the clutch. I don't believe it was ever disconnected as it was just owned by an older woman before I got ahold of it. My 87 had the switch but the previous owner disconnected it as it became problematic. I believe the only cars that had a switch was the autos which would prevent the car from starting in anything other than Neutral or Park. I'd know because one day I encountered a problem where my car wouldn't start. I couldn't figure it out for the life of me. I then realized I had moved the gear selector to Drive.

 

The 280zx's do have a clutch switch, but it's only used for the cruise control (so the engine doesn't rev if you put in the clutch). Like Duowing said, the switch is not a start inhibitor.