Can anyone offer any suggestions as to what could be causing the following problem? I had the red charge light come on the other week and posted about if here - http://thelatebay.com/index.php?topic=20769.msg327474#msg327474 Belt was OK, alternator charging fine, all connections to the battery etc clean and tight. The main worry is the complete loss of power. Last time, I was in a bit of a panic as I was on a fast dual carriage way at dark in the rain and on a bend.......so I wasn't sure if I was imagining the loss of power - I saw the red light and immediately looked for somewhere safe to pull over (no luck there!). However, today it happened again on the drive home - in the dark and rain again but on a quieter road so I had more time to listen to the engine. The red charge light came on followed by an immediate and complete loss of power - as if the engine had stalled. I was in 3rd doing about 25 - 30mph. There was no spluttering like running out of fuel - it was as if someone just turned the engine off! I dropped the clutch and tried to rev the engine, but nothing. I did this a couple of times and the light went out and i drove home normally. So what is up? It was so wet n windy, it was difficult to hear if the engine had stalled completely. However, the oil light did not come on and when the power came back it didn't seem to 'lurch' as much as with a normal jump start. I'm sure its an electrical problem, but where do i look? Would a duff coil stop the engine then start working again. Is the Pertronix elctronic ignition giving up? I thought both of these items just stopped working if they were going to give up. I spent a couple of hours going over electrical connections the 1st time it happened but couldn't find anything loose. The alternator was pushing out nearly 14v and the battery was healthy. Any further suggestions as to what to look at/change would be gratefully received.
It sounds like a loose connection somewhere or a faulty ignition switch. Were the headlights etc still working ? If so I would guess ignition switch
Cheers - something else to check. Headlights were still on - I'll have a dig around on here and see what sort of a job the ignition switch is to change. Should I think about swapping the ignition barrel (which is a bit worn) at the same time do you think, or just the switch?
had exactly this on my bus and helped a met with same problem and both were ignition switch problems. do the lights work when it occurs? does the starter motor operate when it happens. if yes to the above the roadside fix is to put a wire to the coil from the positive on the battery and start it on the key. Remember it wont turn off though if this works park it up when you get in and get a new switch. if its a daily get a cheap and cheerful on/off switch, bypass the ignition switch temporarily so you can at least switch it off. Dont do as my mate did - fitted an independant switch - a push button for th starter and then drove without a key in the ignition. got a bit of a shock when the steering lock came on!
It is the ignition switch or the feed from it to the ignition circuit in my humble opinion. If changing the ignition switch you will need to remove the barrel first. Take a look here it is the best description available that I know of http://www.specialpatrolgroup.co.uk/spooky/barrel/barrel.html
The headlights are ignition on only, so would have died with the engine if it was the ignition switch? I'm with Matty - coil supply.
