How my dead 4kq came back to life beside the highway

["Matthew Brenengen" <qcar@hotmail.com>]

To all 4k owners:

My “new” ’87A4kq, yes, the same one with the busted firewall (fixed, 
thanks to the list and a grafted donor firewall), cracked driver’s seat 
with non-functioning heater, non-working temp gauge (soon to be working 
thanks to your help), died twice on me.  It died once as I was driving 
it from Atlanta to Minnesota – in Chicago.  We had been cruising for a 
few hours, got off the highway and it just died.  While my wife was 
searching for our Mr. Rescue phone number, I got it to start, but it 
just lumped along, barely spinning on its own power.  It coughed and 
spit for a few minutes, then died.  It would start again, then die.  
Just as Amy found the number, I got mad and stomped the gas.  It rose to 
2000 rpm, coughed loudly, then spun up to normal speed and ran fine the 
rest of the way.  I figured it must have fixed itself – probably bad 
gas.  RIGHT.

A week later, I was driving through St. Paul.  I let off the gas to slow 
for a light and *dead*.  I pulled over and put up the hood.  Same thing.  
It would lump along, barely spinning.  While it lumped, I wiggled all 
the connectors.  When I tapped on the 2”x1” gray box that is bolted to 
the fuel injection-thing (sorry, I don’t know exactly what it is – the 
part over the air filter), it spun up and ran normally.  The wires going 
to that box were stretched very tight.  I gave them some slack and so 
far have not had the problem again.

So, if your A4kq leaves you standing beside the highway, try tapping the 
box thing.  It just may save you a tow.

Matthew Brenengen


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