help - indicator switch wiring

[andyk_79]

Hoping for some guidance on what I am looking at. As background my headlights and indicators are not working but just about every other light on the car is working, including tail lights and parkers when light switch is on. I am a relative noob, having only done basic maintenance on my crars before and am trying to learn.

 

I've been trying to follow where I need to test by following the wiring diagram from xenons30 and Haynes manual as well as guides like these:

 

http://fiddlingwithzcars.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/turn-signal-repair/

 

http://fiddlingwithzcars.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/hazard-switch-brake-light-turn-signal-circuit-analysis/

 

When looking at the indicator / hi-low switch I got somewhat confused. I am now certain that this is the root of my problem and I could not get any multimeter readings off the switch at all. From looking at pictures and from the first link above and elsewhere I am fairly certain that a 260z switch has been retrofitted, but possibly never wired in properly.

 

Firstly Haynes manual suggests there is a bridging wire between the 2 halves of the combo switch. Mine definitely did not have this? From what I can work out this is probably reason 1 for no headlights? Can anyone help me with where from the main switch connects to where on hi-low/

 

Reason 2 for no headlights: all the pictures I have seen have 1 or 2 wires soldered into the white block on the back of the switch. After removing the switch I have worked out this is obviously the out of the hi-low. I have no loose wires floating around under the dash which is interesting. I'm not sure though if I did have the wires how they hook up? Pics look like solder but since switch only holds one position I'm not sure if something else is missing? Actually I'm not even sure where the wires are but that's another issue.

 

 

The wire soldered to the fine metal tab in pic below went to the harness for the auto kickdown solenoid. I know the answer but this is not correct right? I quite loudly vocalised a WTF when I worked out where it went.......... Just imagining the guy who installed it saying to someone "to turn right just drop down a gear and you'll be ok". So 2 questions here: should a wire be soldered there and if so where should it go? Sorry for the dodge photos I always take. I don't have particularly steady hands ( I'm resigned to never welding on my car having shaken my way through test welds in the past)

 

 

My last confusion is that this male plug (labelled 4) has 3 holes, but only 2 wires/plugs.  The female it plugged into of course had the full complement of 3.......... Hoping someone can advise where this should be connecting from. I think if anything this is possibly where the "kickdown" wire should go. The 2 wires that are connected are soldered to the 2 ends of the indicator switch:

 

 

[andyk_79]

I should have also noted - much as I try to follow the wiring diagrams with some wires being changed the colours no longer match......  :'(

[gilltech]

I take it you have a 240, what year, is it an auto?

You definitely should be getting power at the switches, one side or other.

What happens is that the soldered connections at the back of the light switch & indicator switch detach themselves after many years, and/or the switches start to wear out, usually both. People try to install substitutes from other Datsuns, & run new wires, etc. The colour codes end up all wrong.

Substitute stuff from parted-out 260s has been easier to obtain than 240 but doesn't conveniently just plug in, plug types are usually different for starters, 260 looms became more complex over time, requirements for different markets, etc.

My own car had an indicator switch out of a 180B or something, had to replace it with correct & that was 25yrs ago, hard enough to find the correct part then - eventually I found a matching car in a wrecking yard - but I hate to think how people get on these days. But I think some OEM stuff is available in the USA.

 

The only thing I can suggest is that you get yours alongside another borrowed set of approx. same year & compare.

I wouldn't get too hung up on colour codes, mine don't everywhere match the wiring diagrams in my workshop manuals, factory & aftermarket, there were many variations.

 

The only soldered connections are at the back of the switches; the rest of the wiring loom is all plug-in.

Don't worry if a plug is multi-pin but only uses some of them; that happens, same on mine; the others are probably used in a different market or for features not installed on your car.

[andyk_79]

I take it you have a 240, what year, is it an auto?

You definitely should be getting power at the switches, one side or other.

 

It's a 72 auto. The main multi switch completely works (parklights, tail lights, wipers all work). The horn also works (worked out the fine metal I referred to is the horn switch - still not sure why someone decided to splice it into the kickdown switch wiring but que sera. I've since also worked out that there is part of the switch missing (contact plate for hi-low switch) as well as being short a few wires. It's definitely not in the spare bits that came with the car so I'm resigned to trying to get a hold of another switch.

[gilltech]

Yes you'll just have to get another complete switch from somewhere.

They all wear out so it's something that people on this forum often look for, you might like to dig back through previous posts.

[andyk_79]

A realisation - is the cylindrical switch to the left of the pedals in the drivers footwell actually the dimmer switch for the headlights ?  I had assumed it was the kickdown switch for the auto trans but tracking wiring etc I think the kickdown switch is actually on the accelerator pedal mechanism ?

 

So pulling back on the turn signal would only flash your lights rather than jumping between high and low ?

 

Edit:

 

The switch looks something like this and is indeed a headlight dimmer switch:

 

http://www.jcwhitney.com/keep-it-clean-dimmer-switch/p3086760.jcwx?filterid=c1643d1659u0j1

 

Reading a few more bits and pieces it would appear this is not factory ?  and would go some way to explaining why I can't work out what the hell is going on with the lights wiring and wiring to the indicator switch.......

[gilltech]

The high/low beam switch is combined with the indicator switch. If you have a floor switch then it's been retrofitted from, say, a Ford or Holden or something, the one in my Mustang looks just like your picture.

The end of the indicator switch has a headlight flasher button, or at least my car (early 260) does, I don't know for sure if all S30s had them.

Look, you need to find the correct replacement indicator switch. And if I were you I'd replace the headlight switch at the same time - in other words find a set new (preferably) or good clean used & then you're set & can dump all the mickey-mouse wiring & have peace of mind.