[urq] intermittent ignition cutout, tach drops to zero

[Thatcher Hubbard]

What exactly is "everything" Dennis?  Mine is much less sporadic, in
fact, at this point, I don't feel comfortable driving the car.  It
dies at half the intersections I come to.

How much have people here paid to replace the ignition switch?  I'll
check the alternator cables too.


On Tue, 15 Feb 2005 14:54:35 -0000, James Howard <spam.me1 at ntlworld.com> wrote:
> Definitely consider the ignition switch, also check the main battery to
> alternator cable where it exits the right hand chassis leg near the oil
> cooler. My cable had been chaffing there and was cut half through! This
> would cut the ignition and all power for an instant when the live unfused
> cable shorted against the body - nearly caused a major fire...
> 
> Jim.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ed Kellock" <ekellock at gmail.com>
> To: "Urq List" <urq at audifans.com>
> Sent: Monday, February 14, 2005 7:38 PM
> Subject: [urq] intermittent ignition cutout, tach drops to zero
> 
> > In the last few days, my urq has started to cut out intermittently.
> > The tach drops to zero and most of the time it comes right back on its
> > own, but sometimes I have to cycle the ignition switch.  Every time I
> > do have to cycle the ignition switch it comes back immediately
> > afterwards.
> >
> > Over the last couple days I have fixed some vacuum leaks, cleaned the
> > contacts on the cap and rotor, replaced the spark plugs with some
> > f5dpor (20-valve turbo) plugs, and replaced a blob of black goo that
> > was originally a breather hose down on the side of the block.
> >
> > The car has a little history of this type of cutting out.  It did it
> > one time on the day I started home with it from SC when I first bought
> > it.  Cycling the key fixed it then and it was fine the rest of the
> > 1500 miles home.  Since then (Oct '02), it's done it a grand total of
> > maybe 3 times.   Did the whole Park City trip without this ever
> > happening.
> >
> > The issues I fixed in the last few days have existed since I got the
> > car.  I feel I've either disturbed something or, I've gotten things
> > more buttoned down than they've been for a long time and something's
> > not quite used to working right again.
> >
> > That last statement may sound stupid, but after I fixed the vacuum
> > leaks (metering head bolt missing, other's loose, and a small diameter
> > hose was torn at the nipple it connects to), the car started up with
> > very little cranking and settled into a nice idle of about 800 rpm,
> > which is something it has never done.  While the car was idling, I was
> > fiddling with the mixture a little and out of the blue the frequency
> > valve kicked in (started buzzing constantly) and the idle went up to
> > about 1100 like it used to always be.  But then the buzzing stopped
> > and the idle settled back down again and this hasn't reoccurred.  Ever
> > since that round of wrenching though, I've had the intermittent
> > ignition cutout.
> >
> > Also the main hoses to the carbon canister are not connected, but the
> > very small diameter hose from the control valve to the intake manifold
> > is still connected.  One of the nipples on the intake dome is broken
> > off and plugged and the other is capped.  I assume that's when the
> > previous owner or one of his monkey-lad minions just disconnected the
> > hoses to the carbon canister.
> >
> > I guess my main question right now is: is there any way that the
> > fuel/vacuum functions can trigger an ignition cutout for any reason?
> > That is the main area I've affected and this ignition cutout just
> > seems like a breaker flipping and resetting.  I've wiggled and jiggled
> > all the wires in the areas where I had my hands stuffed and haven't
> > been able to intentially cause the cutout.
> >
> > Ed
> > Colorado Springs
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