I've gone through 2 alternators on my 280zx. My damn car will only run off the battery. I don't know what is on the car that's sending these alternators to their graves. Does the 280zx have an external voltage regualtor that I'm unaware of or something?

 

A lot of chain auto parts stores sell horrible rebuilt alternators. Some might not even really be rebuilt. They test them ok, so they clean them and paint them and sell them as rebuilt.

I bought a Bosch alternator after going through a couple at Shucks/Kragen. The Bosh one has already outlasted both previous alternators. I got mine from importedcarparts.com

 

You could have a fault somewhere in your electrical system. A bad diode, bad ground, you could have some bad wiring thats causing the alternator to tax itself, etc.... Did you have the alternators tested to make sure they were bad?

Buy a new one if you can't find anything wrong with your electrical system. Don't get a rebuilt one, bad news just like Bleach said.
And no, there's no external voltage regulator, it's in the alternator. Is your battery in good shape? A bad battery can kill an alternator in no time flat.

 

I have a new battery. Now let me ask about hooking up the alternator. does the positive wire go on the peg that says bat and the ground cable go on any other peg? I'm wondering, could I just bypass all the old wiring and run new wiring direct from the alternator to the battey?

The first alternator I did have tested and it came dead. I pulled it to and this is what it looked like
http://www.geocities.com/captain_cav...f/DSC00401.JPG
That peg turned out all corroded and destroyed. I was able to chip away pieces of the the nut. I'm not sure why that happened. That alternator doesn't even match the alternator that went on my car originaly. I looked in a haynes and that alternator was made for the 81 and up. I would think they're interchangeable though.

 

Yup, power goes to BAT, the other peg is ground. You don't have to hook up the ground, but its a good idea.

I would leave the original setup in place as it goes right to the fuse panel. Run a second power wire from the BAT to your battery. Keep in mind that is an unfused wire and it is probably pretty big. You might want to run a fusable link or large capacity inline fuse on that line just in case.

 

oh, ok. Could a bad fuse be the cause of my problem, because my fuseable links are in **** poor condition. I know if I just wiggle the fuse for my accessories stuff in the car will go on and off

 

Bad or weak connections can cause low voltage problems. It is possible.

 

Yeah it does sound like it. I had that problem with both of my Z's. I just replaced the fusible links. And if you just want to fix it. And not spend money at the dealer. Get either Chrysler or Ford fusible links. I have before, until I got the originals again! And they worked fine, just had to change the connectors, no big deal.

 

If you have a multimeter you can check the resistance in your wiring from the alternator and the resistance in your fusible links to determine where your problem is. And unless the pre 81 cars had external regulators(I don't know, mines an 81), the later alternators should still be compatible.

 

I think from 1977+ all Datsun cars and trucks had internally regulated alternators. Maybe 1978

All 280ZX's use internally regulated alternators.

 

It's like a living, breathing Z reference library. I have a tuff time remembering my birthday!

 

dang, These fusible links suck. Gonna cost lik $50 to get new ones from a dealership. Are there any kits or something to get rid of these fusible links and upgrade to something better

 

Chewievette is tearing his 79' myabe he can help ya... https://www.zdriver.com/forum/showth...4215#post74215

 

Speak of the devil, I just changed mine today after just 3 years. Oh, well...

 

Yeah well at least yo won't have to worry about it for a while! And you can't beat the lifetime warranty!