[urq] Ignition cut-out

[W. Bremer]

If any of you with the ignition and tach cut-out problem have urqs with the earlier fusebox (above the clutch pedal), the problem is very likely to be the fusebox, either internally or particularly the pins and sockets of the main power plug into the back of the fusebox.

Aside from the fact that that fusebox has to carry far more current than it was designed to, 20+ years of living over possibly damp floor mats (leading to some corrosion of the internal fusebox connectors (and resulting high resistance), the main power plug (the middle of the five big plugs into the back of the fusebox having one or two large red wires feeding it) simply carries so much current that it can heat up and deform (partially melt) the plug, causing occasional disconnects of the power to the tach, ECU and dash warning lights.  Often (up to a point) give it a bit of time (one second) to cool and it reconnects again, and the motor will fire back up.
A replacement fuse box is often step one, then getting the headlights (and maybe the fuel pump) onto separately relayed and fused circuits appears to solve the problem long term.

If you have a pre-1983.5 and your alternator light faintly glows at night, or faintly illuminates in time to the turn signals, you have an incipient problem with the fusebox and main plug sockets/pins, and someday, the motor will just stop due to a heat induced disconnect between the main power plug into the fusebox and the socket pins in the fusebox.

Has not been a problem for the later cars with the under the hood fuse boxes, but even these urqs are 20+ years old now, and almost anything can fail, so it may be worthwhile to check those fusebox plugs and spray a little Wurth Contact OL on the plugs and the pins.

My $0.02.
Bill