1985 Nissan 300ZX Gauges not working

MAHANEYROBKATHIE

MEMBER
1985 NISSAN 300ZX
126,000 MILES

I have a 1985 300zx that has been stored for a while. When I first started it (had to jump it). It started right away but when I pulled the jumper cables of it died. At that point the gauges were working intermittently and the headlights were fully functional. I replace the battery and now nothing works on the dash, speedo, tach, temp, battery. The car starts fine and the headlights come on but the headlights will not pop up. ANy ideas?

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,742 POSTS

Two things to consider. First, it is somewhat common to blow some fuses when replacing the battery, especially on newer cars with a lot of computers. That's due to the current surges when the battery is connected. Check those first, and look for any wires that broke off a battery cable clamp.

Second, it's important to note that a dead battery needs to be on a charger a good 15 - 20 minutes before it will START to take a charge. It can take that long for the acid to become conductive. You may get enough current out of it to run a few lights or even start the engine with help, but that charge is not being stored in the plates yet. Charge the battery at a slow rate for at least an hour, then see how it performs.