1973 datsun 510 no interior lights work at all not one light

[jessiepimentel]

so last year my car didn't have a radio but all interior  lights and everything worked. this year i go to start me car and nothing. no lights no dash lights nothing. i checked the fuses they are all intact. i have no signals,no break lights,no head lights, no dash lights. i took apart my dash thinking it might be some wire cut or something but everything is intact. i was hoping someone could come by and take a look at it or something gotta get this car back on the road.

[datzenmike]

Battery dead?

 

Loose battery cables? Clean posts and cables and tighten them.

 

Fusible link blown... near the starter on engine harness.

 

Remove fuse box and take fuses out and throw away. Submerge in a bath of vinegar over night and rinse thoroughly in the morning, day and replace the fuses with new ones. NEW ONES!!! This will remove and cure electrical problems later that you don't know you even have. never trust an old fuse on looks alone, replace them.

[banzai510(hainz)]

Im not getting your trouble shooting process.

 

No start so you take apart he dash? You must have cked the battery ect first right? NOBODY CAN BE THAT , wELL YOU KNOW WHAT i WANT TO SAY.

 

if you dont get lights with the car off you know right away its battery to the fusebox proplem. Lights dont go thru the key switch so you can eleiminate that and DASH wiring.

 

You try jumpering from another car.?

 

do as Mike says Im sure youll get this working then sell to a reaL DATSUN OWNER

[MikeRL411]

 

 Back to the basics! "so last year my car didn't have a radio".  So did you or an "audio expert" install a radio in the meantime?  That just might be the source of your current lighting problem.  There are many ways to screw up the dash wiring if you don't have a good grasp on how to read a vehicle wiring schematic.

[MOTO]

Simply put if you have had a radio installed, your radio will likely have (what we call in electrical and electronics) a "parasitic" draw. It is necessary to maintain radio presets (memory), date and time and so on... WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU: It is likely that the natural draw (not parasitic, just part of what this unit is supposed to do) of the radio has depleted your battery voltage. "How do I fix this issue?" you may ask... Well, you need to connect a battery tender to your battery if you plan on storing the vehicle to more than two (2) weeks. If you fail (or neglect) to do this, your battery will likely lose its ability to "hold a charge" over time.