brucec@amex-trs.com (Bruce Carter) writes:
> Just like shutting off a big switch.
> Popped the clutch as I was rolling and it sputtered to life, and then
> the BIG BANG.
Oh, goodie, I love a mystery... First, the easy part. The ignition system
went away on you, but the spinning engine kept on merrily pumping a nice
fuel/air mixture into the cylinders. Unfortunately, without any spark, the
mixture was able to keep right on going out the other side and down into the
exhaust system, where it shuffled around nervously waiting for something
to happen. In the meantime, you're up on the poopdeck trying to keep things
going, and as soon as something decides to ignite the cylinders again, the
wave of, um, enthusiasm carries all the way out of the cylinders and down
through the pipes, causing a noticeable percussive effect on the eardrums.
I can reproduce this effect anytime I want by switching off the ignition
at highway speed, then switching it on again a couple of seconds later.
I have done this once, and that is enough for me.
So basically something is loose electrically. A poor low-tension coil feed
would do it, but you said your lights went out, too. This brings us all the
way back to the battery, but it presumably is held down pretty securely,
and you'd notice loose cables. So... how about the other end of the cables,
where they attach to the block/starter/alternator/body/whatever? Especially
the engine, as it's the only component there which can move around a bit
and cause a make-or-break connection. Take a look and see...?
Andrew C. Green
Datalogics, Inc. Internet: acg@dlogics.com
441 W. Huron UUCP: ..!uunet!dlogics!acg
Chicago, IL 60610 FAX: (312) 266-4473
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