My car is smokeing under the dash, right behind the ECU. I am thinking it's the wires i just fixed, the wires came from the door, some one cut the white wire, now i an thinking it was done for a reason. Has anyone ever had that problem?

 

not really related to your post but I have to say I love your little avatar

 

In my VW.. The fuse block burnt out and caught fire.. So I re-wired the whole damn car.. Funny thing is I used 40ft less wire than VW and everything still works..

 

well, the fuse block is on the other side of the car.

 

Hey that avatar is pretty cool . But more on the subject, I have a problem with my headlight wiring behind the dash too. I can only drive so long with my head lights on or the wires will heat up so hot the insulation will smoke and melt. It takes a few hours for this to happen so it's not a big deal for local night drives which is part of the reason I haven't got around to fixing it yet. That and I'm planning on rewiring the whole car when I install the stand alone unit. This problem is usually caused by too high a load traveling through a circuit designed for a lower amperage. This is usually caused by too much resistance or an accessory trying to pull too more current through the circuit than it can handle (which is still too much resistance in it's own way). If it were a crossed wire or a short it would most likely just short out immediately or fry the wire immediately. Not just smoke a little. But I do need to fix that wiring before I do have an electrical fire like s/c.

 

well, the wires did not smoke untill i connected them back up. When i put the new door hinge on, i saw one wire kinda cut, and a few exposed. I fixed the exposed wire's, and reconnected the looked like cut wire. These wires go into the door it's self. I think that wire might of been cut for a reason now. It's the white one with a black stripe. on driver door.good there's like 20 wires that go into a door,

 

Well I took a look at my wiring diagrams and I noticed the only year I could find with a white wire/black stripe coming from the door was the 82 (I don't have an 83 wiring diagram though) and it was used to control the interior lighting timer. It was wired to a switch on or controlled by the door handle. So if you got a 79-81 then I don't know what that wire is cause I couldn't find it in any of the diagrams. But if your mirrors and windows are working then I say cut it and cover it. It's not worth having a fire under your dash.

 

it's an 83, so your diagram is probly just the same. my wireing diagrams don't even show the doors. i need to get some new one's. i don't know if the windows work. Due to the large connector out of the three coming from the door was not connected. now it is. mirrors have been working. If i connect batt, it starts smoking. The white wire connects to the small connecter, it is white/black. and two diff green ones. Could you tell me if the bigg connector goes to the windows? it should be the one with the most wires.

 

The big 6prong connector goes to the power windows. The smaller 3 prong connector with the white wire controls interior lighting in some way and there should be a 4 prong, which controls the mirrors.

 

Oh and the big connector also has something to do with power door locks if you got those too.

 

where did you get your wiring diagram at, this chilton's made by hyanes is almost worthless to me.

 

I got the 82 diagram off of a service program where I used to work. I can scan them into my computer and email them to you if you want. you can post your email or PM it to me. Their a little weathered from being left in a not so weather proof car (not as bad as my haynes diagrams though, I can't even read those) but I don't have any problem reading them. Let me know and I can do it tonight.

 

Here I hope this helps you some. I am looking in my Chilton Book, wiring diagrams. Because I don't have '83 280zx diagrams in any of my books except Haynes. Anyway here they are one is into the fuel injector#2, and EFICU #6 (electronic fuel injection control unit) Another is from the fuel pump relay to ignition switch, and to a fusible link. And that is all I see in the Chilton digram for an '83 non-turbo. For that color of wire. I will go and see if I can find another diagram for your year. I hope this helped you out, and let me know how it goes.

 

hey speaking of..... I don't have any problems with my headlights wiring smoking, but I do have a problem with this:

When I turn on my head lights, this annoying clicky sound comes from the passenger side (can't tell where). The only way it goes off is to press the brake or press the cruise control button. My cruise control doesnt actually work, but when you press the button the clicky sound stops..... This thing is driving me crazy..

 

i have not got the car started yet, due to stupid ppl like to cut fuel lines. but she cranks over. I have no clue if fuel pump is good yet, but if that fuel pump, or fuel injector have wires going behind the ECU, then let me know, and i can check those too. Sure i would love to have those diagrams Fair, my e-mail is Fubar_x@earthlink.net

 

I won't beable to work with the wires much today, i have to take the door to a freinds house and get some welding done. the metel where the bottom door hinge bolts on is torn. I might beable to do some wireing tonight.

 

They're on the way.

 

Wow it takes a long time to attach files when you're on dial up. They're still attaching. It's been over 40 minutes and it's still going.

 

DynamicJ, there's a circuit breaker on the passenger side of the car. I'm not sure of the exact location though. But anyways, it's not like the kind in your house that you reset when the go out. It's heat sensitive. When it gets too hot it pulls away from the contacts, as it cools it re-closes the circuit. The clicking sound is probably that circuit breaker rapidly opening and closing. This could be because your headlights are drawing too much power throught the circuit and when you hit the brakes or turn on the cruise contol this abosrbs some of that power and so less of it is routing through the overloaded circuit.

Of course it could also be a bad relay but more than likely a clicking relay would be apparent with the circuit on. Like for example if it were your lighting relay opening and closing causing the clicking then the lights would most likely flash on and off also. But my money is on the circuit breaker.

 

Alright Fubar, I managed to send you an email.

 

what could I do to fix this, J??

 

If somethings overloading the circuit breaker then you're going to have to trouble shoot to find out what's it is. (Sounds like it might have something to do with the headlights, hint, hint ) Otherwise it could just be a bad ciruit breaker. Or both. But the first thing you should do is track down the clicking and verify that it is the circuit breaker. This may be a pain in the *** unless someone actually knows where the hell it is (I'm just going by wiring diagrams) but you don't want to start replacing stuff til you know whats wrong. That may mean taking some stuff apart but hey, if the clicking is bugging you. Also, if it is a circuit overloading then chances are good it's also a ciruit overheating which can cause a fire. I say can because it definitely could happen but there's also the chance it may never happen. But is that a risk you want to take? If you don't have a MultiMeter then go out and get yourself one or borrow one from somebody. Once you've found the clicking that will help find why (if the clicking part itself isnt' bad).

 

got my door welded, got wires connected, I did not connect the three prong. no theres no smoke. And hey, my Windows work. Thanks J FairLadyz. Thanks for wire dagram. It helped. Now I have to see if me fuel pump is working. But i have the diagram for it in my book. Thanks