I've run into a weird electrical problem (aren't they all, though?).
I have a '78 B - the other day while driving my stereo cut out for a second
then came back on. It happened once or twice thereafter. I figured I just
had a loose wire.
What happened today is that once the stereo cut out, it'd STAY out, and
further, would not come back on until I shut off the engine and restarted
it. Generally this was after going into a store or something so it sat for
a while - I'll have to see if I immediately stop and restart if it makes a
difference. Also, once I restart, it's generally on for anywhere from 10
seconds to a minute before it'll go off.
I then noticed that when the stereo is off, so are the following:
- Horn doesn't work
- Cigarette lighter socket has no power
- Convenience interior light (that little one about the heater controls) is off
Further, the turn signal is acting weird - it stays on longer than usual
then will speed up, but is never quite at the normal speed.
Finally, though I will test tomorrow - the temp gauge got REAL high -
touching the red - while sitting in traffic, leading me to suspect the
radiator fan wasn't kicking in, but I wasn't in a position to check just yet.
I know there's a sort of incestuous relationship between the horn, cig
lighter, and interior lights - I think they're on the same quasi-circuit -
and I know a bad turn signal relay can do weird things, but can it affect
the others?
Things that seem unaffected:
Headlights
Dashboard/Instrument lights
Overdrive switch (it's electric)
Wipers
If the things that were broken were always dead, I'd just go looking for a
short, but because it all works for the first 10 to 60 seconds, then it
dies, I'm suspecting an electrical component is flaking out, but don't know
who the culprit might be. In the morning, after it sits all night, I'll
see if it stays on for more than 60 seconds. In the meantime, I'm hoping
maybe someone here with a better understanding of All Things Lucas would be
able to point me in the right direction.
Thanks
- Tab
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