Nina,
The first things to check would be the alternator and the battery. I
have had the problem noise you describe when diodes in the alternator
went bad.
How old is (are) your battery (batteries)? A weak battery, or a
battery with a weak connection between cells, could cause weird
electrical gremlins as well. I have had two recently that quit
unexpectedly. On my '64 MGB, the draw from the starter on one
occaision caused either total drain or an open circuit in the
battery. No power to anything. After about 30 mins. everything came
back. I replaced the battery, and the problem has not reappeared in
three months. Yesterday, the three year old battery on our Taurus
quit--no headlights or starter--on a hot restart. Power came back
slowly, but not enough to start. A jump got us going, but it quit
again at a stop sign a few yards from home. Being all-electronic, it
killed the engine, so we coasted into the driveway. A new battery
seems to have fixed this one as well.
Chris Attias
'64 MGB
'84 Alfa Romeo GTV-6
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