[DeTomaso] Engine dies

[Garth Rodericks]

Hi Tony,
   
  Thanks for the tip, but I already replaced that old junction block with a new one that secures the wires much more firmly. 
   
  I haven't done much troubleshooting yet since it was so stormy last weekend and my 
  daughters were in a horse show riding competition (they took 1st and 2nd in all their events), 
  but following is a list of the ususal suspects identified by the collective wisdom of the list: 
   
  Suspects and thoughts:
  1. Plug Wires - Not likely since they might cause a miss, but not a complete shutdown.
   
  2. Mallory Unilite module - One of the most popular suspects. I've heard they don't come 
  back once they go out, but maybe they do. Several folks suggested the Unilite module. I'll 
  check a few other things first before I drop $90 on a new module or go to the trouble of 
  swapping out the distributor.
   
  3. Loose wire or connection - I've inspected all wires and connections at the coil, distributor, 
  and starter. Everything is tight and secure. I've also wiggled wires on the back of the ignition 
  switch and nothing was loose or made a difference in whether the car would run or not. 
  I haven't examined the terminal block under the dash, but see #4 below.
   
  4. Ignition Terminal Block - Not too likely. I replaced it last year with a far superior block that 
  securely clamps the wires rather than grinding a screw into them and breaking the strands 
  like the stock terminal block (pic attached for everyone cc'd - sorry listers, it will be stripped 
  from this message. If you want a copy of the image, please email me directly.)
   
  5. Low battery causing havoc with the Unilite - Never considered this one. Although I didn't 
  have any of these symptoms last year when I had a faulty voltage regulator which caused 
  my new Optima battery to be drained a couple of times, and I mistakenly bumped the 
  antenna switch on the dash and left the car in the garage for 2 months with the antenna 
  motor drawing power (killed the battery too). Anyway, I checked it tonight and I only have 
  11.9 volts across the battery. I think it should be around 14 volts, shouldn't it?  This one may 
  have merit.
   
  6. Ignition Switch - Replaced less than a year ago with a brand new (not used) Ford 
  replacement switch. Also, jiggling of the key and/or wires on the back of the switch no 
  difference whether or not the engine got spark.
   
  7. Distributor Shear Pin - Not likely since the engine runs just as well after a shutdown as it did before. If it were the shear pin, the timing should be off.
   
  8. MSD Blaster 2 Coil - Most likely suspect, or at least the quickest and easiest thing to 
  change. Symptoms don't seem to be heat related, but I'll swap it out for my old coil this 
  weekend anyway to check it. If it proves not to be the coil, I may rig a test light to try and 
  isolate the problem.
   
  I'll see some of you at the PCNC Tech Session at Roger and Pam's house this weekend. But hopefully I'll have it sorted out before the session.
   
  Cheers!
  Garth
  

tony DiGiovanna <tonydigi at optonline.net> wrote:
  Check the junction block for the ignition key wiring. Its between the
steering wheel and the dash. This sounds exactly like when mine gave me
problems. You can re-tighten the junction block screws, or like me, throw
the damn thing as far as humanly possible and replace with other more
reliable means of splicing the wires together. If my memory serves, you can
have a dead ignition lead and still be able to crank the car over.

-----Original Message-----
From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com
[mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com]On Behalf Of Garth Rodericks
Sent: Friday, April 13, 2007 8:58 PM
To: detomaso at realbig.com
Subject: [DeTomaso] Engine dies


I need a little help from the collective expertise on this list diagnosing
why my engine mysteriously stops running.

The problem first occured about 2-3 days ago.
I started the car and began down my street, but the engine just died as I
let out the clutch
as if the key had been turned off. However the key was still on and all
systems had power. I
merely turned off the ignition switch and restarted the car and continued
on my way. It did
this several times over the last 2-3 days, sometimes dying while idling
(also as if the key
had been turned off). Each time I would restart the car and continue on my
way.

Today it wouldn't restart; just cranked over and over. All electrical
connections are tight and
secure, but no spark. After about 10 minutes it started. Then while
driving home on the
freeway it seemed to lose power for a second then had a loud "BANG" from
under the car as
if unspent gas was discharged to the mufflers then exploded and the car
continued to run. It
did this twice.

So, what is the collective wisdom of the list? Where should I start?
Whats the most likely
culprit? My 1year old MSD Blaster 2 coil? My Mallory Unilite optical
module? My 2 year
old MSD ignition wires? Any and all suggestions welcome.

Thanks!
Garth


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---------------------------------
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 Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos.