1982 Datsun Lighting Issues

[NoTrucksGiven]

Hey guys, new user here! Picked up my first datsun recently, a 1982 4x4 pickup. Great little truck but I'm having issues with the first click of the lights. Headlights work when I go to second click.

 

Currently I can't get any lights on when I turn the handle one click, and I've traced the power to a connector under the wheel by the fuse box. I can get 12v from two wires in here when I turn the handle one click. I can't for the life of me find where this is supposed to connect to! Could anyone help me with this hopefully simple problem?

 

I've also found some other loose connectors that I suspect are lighting related (based on the wiring color). Here's a description of the pictures.. 

 

Photos 1-2: the connector where I can get 12v with one handle click, you can see the fuse panel for a location reference

 

Photos 2-5: a disconnected bundle located in the passenger footwell. Appears to be a splitter to send light power from front to rear but I can't find where it connects!

 

Photo 6: another open connector right beside where wiring goes from in the cab to under the hood, tucked up behind the dash on the furthest right side. Wires appear to be red blue, red blue, red yellow, and blue.

 

Sorry for the wall of text!! Thanks for your help folks

[720_Jeff]

I think what you have in the picture with the cable that has two connectors coming from it, is the cable that plugs into the Oil/Battery gauges.

 

Here is a pic:

 

  

[wayno]

720_Jeff is right about the pigtail coming out near the console, it's for the optional gauges, the one near the heater box on the firewall is for the air conditioning option, and the other near the fuse box is labeled as useless, I use that one to grab power for other stuff like tachs, power for aftermarket gauges, ect, I think my modern stereo got power from the wires leading to that plug also, if you want to use it for gauge lights you have to use both the yellow/blue and yellow/red wires, pick one as a ground but the light cannot be grounded, it has to be like the gauge lights in that plastic console, if it is grounded then that circuit will not work right anymore, did you wire in anything and use a yellow wire with blue or red line for power?

 

Sometimes you have to give the first click enough time(at least a minute, sometimes more), check it after you have drove it a while, when you turn the headlights off just that one click do you have interior lights now, if you do why it does that is still a mystery to me, my headlights do the same thing, sometimes it takes a few minutes for them to come on and then the brights are on even though they are not in the brights position, but after the relay warms up it starts working properly again.

 

Both these can be the issue, you have to figure out which one it is, and just because a fuse looks good does not mean it is good, it would likely be one of the first 4 fuses starting with the fuse closest to you working back towards the firewall.

Edited March 23, 2021 by wayno