1993 300zx light problems help

[Mason303]

I have a 93 300zx that decided to have an issue with lighting. At night when lights are needed as soon as I Press on my brake pedal all lights go out. Interior Dash lights brake lights and headlights. If I put the high beams on I can get to stop once and they will go down to reg lights, press the pedal again and I'm back in the dark. I have checked all the bulbs and they are all good. Please someone give me a clue. Thank you Mary

[ZL8NING]

You definitely have a short in your brake lights circuit. Not sure where you should start, but I suggest the brake light relay in the trunk. Not sure about the exact location, but do a search, it should come up.

Or an easier starting point, pull onebrake bulb out, turn all lights on and see if braking trips things out. Then pull out the other side and see what happens when you brake. Then finally pull the "third brake light". That might narrow it down.

Good luck.

[ezb57e]

The lights go off, then come back on by themselves, or do you have to change a fuse or something? to get things working again?
Shorts blow fuses.
I don't quite understand what's really happening.
Make sure you check all the lights on the car first, ie head, stop, turn, tail, brake, reverse, and repair anything wrong there first.
Wrong bulbs in the stop lamps?

[Mason303]

Thank you for the suggestions to clarify further, when I turn on the headlights they start at high beams, the dash is black and the tail lights are all out. When I step on the brake the dash lights come on and the tail lights light, the low beams only go on when the high beams are set to off. When the high beams are turned on they dim back to the low beams. I replaced my hids with stocks earlier thinking they were faulty and shorted it did not help.

[ezb57e]

Your dash/tail circuit is getting fed through the brake lamp circuit somehow.
The simplest cause would be wrong/faulty bulbs in the stop bulb socket that allow contact the tail circuit. Make sure you have good/correct bulbs there.
Does anything change with the headlamps when you step on the brakes?
The headlamp issue is separate I'm guessing.

[Rubyz32]

Also, check the switch itself. I had a similar issue with a z31. Ended up the switch was faulty and touching two contact points at the same time. I didn't have issues with the brake lights though, so I could be completely wrong. Lol.

[ZL8NING]

Pull the brake light bulbs out and see what effect that has. It's a simple step.
Leave the brake light bulbs out, then step on the brakes with the lights on.

[ThisIsSparTTa]

Once you've tried everything else, there's 2 relays hidden behind the fuse block by the drivers kick panel that aren't well documented and relate to some of those systems. I'd check them out.

[Mason303]

I am going to try all the suggestions I will be back to update. Thank you all

[Mason303]

Ok I removed every bulb in the back of the car, turned on the lights and the headlights were still on high beams only. Replaced each bulb and stepped on the brake each time I put one back in. The high beams stayed on, still no fog lights and the dash lit when the brake was presses and yes the tail lights only came on when I pressed the brake pedal. I checked all the fuses and all are in working order. Is there a separate fuse for the tail lights I am not finding?

[ThisIsSparTTa]

There's a controller in the trunk area for the rear lights. I'd check the FSM for the procedure on how to check that guy out. Not sure if there's relay(s) to go along with it.

[ZL8NING]

I found an interesting thread that might shed some light on your problem. It boils down to weak contacts on your lights switch, or a short. The stick on the side of the steering column that turns your lights on may have weak contacts.

Here is a link to the thread. Read this:
dash-and-tail-lights-not-working-t333617.html

Let us know how it turns out.

[ZL8NING]

Must have gotten his lights working again. Now we'll never know what was done to fix the problem. We'll probably never hear from him again...... until something goes wrong, of course!

[ThisIsSparTTa]

That's how it usually goes, but lets be optimistic for now. That's why I'm hesitant to put much effort into people's questions with less than 10 posts or so.

Had a friend in-person (that I met through here) ask me why I just brain dumped on this thread without a lot of extra thought: my-plans-for-my-91-tt-t590066.html . Basically, not going to invest much time unless they prove they are trying and want to return.

[davezward]

hi people
may be a simple answer...only the dash lights out. Not sure which fuse relates to the dash lights. Havent looked into the dimmer switch or headlight switch.. looking for simple ix...any help appreciated