goingboeing737

A NEW thing the car is doing.

Driving along, no problem, car just dies. No idiot lights come on. Actually it doesn't really die at first, it just feels like fuel starvation or flooding. Pressing on the gas (clutch in or out) yeilds no power or rpm's. After about 15 seconds it dies. Coast around the corner, Turn if off, Start it up , runs fine. Tried "popping" the clutch while coasting around the corner, nothing.

It has done this twice in the last 8 months, last night on the way home from "project day" I hit a bump and it happened, today it happened 3 times.

Thought it might be loose battery cable, checked AOK.

Where to start looking ?

SidViscous

Check your other cables. Particularly those going to the coil, and any alarm cables, beef up your grounds.

Similar has happened to me and it was a spark issue. You could have a cracked coil as well. Bump causes a short.

goingboeing737

No alarm. Replace neg battery cable months ago and moved it to the post behind the bell housing on the firewall. Have cleaned all the grounds I can find.

Where/how to you add or run additional grounds?

Drove down some REAL bumpy roads and got no response. Ideled car and "jiggle" every wire I can find, no response.

Coil "looks" old, but no apparent damage, what /where di yours crack?

judd944

last night my car died as well. I started it back up and my interior and exterior lights work but my gages do not work. then they jumped back to life after about 20 seconds. this has happened about 3 times to me over the last year and it only occurs when I brake and come to a stop.

SidViscous

You can run a ground to the valve cover, and from there to the frame rail choke points.

Coild cracks internally. It's tightly wound wire, if a piece of the wire gets brittle and cracks it can still make contact but won't run as well.

goingboeing737

What guage wire? Is that from the neg battery terminal to the valve cover?

SidViscous

When doing grounds bigger is better. at least 4 for the valve cover (from as close to the terminal as you can get. and 10 or 12 to the frame rails at minumum.

joseph mitro

have you replaced your DME chip or someone else replaced it before? is it fully inserted into the socket? the same symptoms happened to me when i replaced the DME chip but did not fully insert it into the socket. it kept making intermittent cut-outs

goingboeing737

I have not replace it (DME/chip) , nor do i think the PO did as it still has the "shudder" symptom.

Was wondering if it is possibly DME relay issue?

Mr. Avionics

Check the 2 plugs for the refrence sensors on the flywheel, I was having starting problems intermittently, no spark, pulled both connectors and reseated them, started right up. Got to clean them properly yet.
Just a thought.
Bill

ERAU-944

sounds like classic DME relay failure. $17 from 944online.com

get two - cheap insurance.

-Michael-

Kevin Baker

James, does it do this only going over bumps? or is it at other times too?

slevy951

My vote is for DME relay....

nineeagles

I had the same type of problem with my 79 924 and it seemed to be the fuel pump relay....replaced it and it never happened again.....I noticed it did this during very hot weather and I have heard other problems caused by hot weather.......

goingboeing737

It seemed to be caused by a "bump" the first couple of times. Yesterday though, just straight, smooth cruising, bam,,,just looses all power, then it dies.

This is Texas in Aug, so if heat is an issue.....well......

I will get a couple today (need spares anyhow, right? ) and see how it runs.