Jim,
I agree, if your failure is instant with no sputtering the problem is
more likely electrical than poor fuel delivery. One thing to check
would be the battery master switch in the trunk. These switches
tend to fail with time mainly, I believe, because their location at the
very rear of the car subjects them to vibration and shock they are
not built to handle. I have one customer whose switch cuts off in the
fully ON position, but if you twist it just slightly towards OFF it works
fine. The easiest way to test for this is just to bypass the switch, and
run the battery ground cable directly to the bumper mount bracket.
Another way to check switch function is to turn the key to "on" and
watch the ignition light while you twist the switch knob. The ignition
light should remain on and constant unless the knob is turned fully
clockwise to the OFF position. If you see the light go off when you
try to go counter-clockwise beyond ON, or anywhere before it clicks
into OFF, then you have a cutoff switch malfunction which would result
in the symptoms you describe. Should your battery switch check out
OK the next thing I'd look at is the ignition switch, which you can check
by using a jumper lead to connect the brown wire to the white wires.
This is easiest and most safely done with the shifter surround removed
and the switch dismounted from the dash, so you don't risk contact
with other wires or metal parts.
Doug, 18G
>Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2006 09:58:16 -0700
>From: "Jim Parish" <jimp@parishpartners.com>
>Subject: rookie question
>
>After reading about the exotic problems encountered on this list, I have a
>simple one. I'm lucky to have had Doug at 18G rescue me with a custom >fuel
>line and filter to flange up to Jorge Cervera's goofy tank fitting. And I
>flushed the tank to get all the sediment out left in by Jorge Cervera (can
>you tell I'm cautious on Jorge Cervera's tanks?) So I went for a drive on a
>glorious Oregon day. Car started normally, ran like a charm and traveled
>more than 5 miles, up hills and down, and sometimes at highway speeds >with
>nary a tremble.
>
>Then, at 45 MPH straight and level, my 1965 BJ8 just quit running. Tach
>needle went to 0...we just coasted to a stop. Tried to restart to no avail.
>Opened the hood, and the fuel filter was empty. Tapped on the fuel pump
>several times, to no avail. Pushed the car back home. Drank a half bottle of
>wine.
>
>This morning I removed the fuel line from the pump to the engine, and
>turned
>on the key. Gas flowed nicely. I re-attached the exit fuel line, and then
>removed the fuel line before the carb fuel filter. Gas flowed nicely. Then I
>re-attached that line, and removed the line from the filter to the carbs.
>Gas flowed nicely. I know I should remove the carb bowls and check for
>valve
>blockage. That is next.
>
>But I'm beginning to suspect an electrical problem. I don't know when the
>fuel pump points were replaced, and I don't know when/if the rotor or
>distributor was replaced. The rotor looks good to me, and there is some
>burning on the distributor contacts but the cap has no cracks and the
>contacts aren't loose and not all the contacts are scored.
>
>I know I am missing a bunch of other diagnostic stuff. Would an expert on
>the list be willing to give me a bit of tutoring on solving this problem? I
>am madly reading the archives for help too, so if someone can point me to >a
>source there, I'd appreciate it too.
>
>Jim Parish
>Parish Partners, Inc.
|