You don't say whether the engine splutters or tach flicks ... do they? Does
it *only* do it when you actually move the gear lever? What about if you
lift off, dip the clutch, release the clutch and accelerate again without
moving the lever? What about if you don't operate the clutch just go from
zero throttle to full throttle and back again? What about if you keep the
revs constant and clutch down and move the lever from gear to gear without
lifting the clutch? What about matching the engine revs to the road speed
(so there is no twisting of the engine) and you dip and release the clutch?
In a 71 any short caused by the OD wiring would only be evident if the
manual switch were on, is this the case?
Needn't necessarily be a short, but a temporary disconnection. This could
also explain the warning light coming on, which will happen if *either* the
output from the alternator is lost *or* the output from the battery is lost,
but not if both are lost or seriously degraded i.e. as in a short. The
twisting of the engine waggling poor connections at the starter solenoid
sounds promising, except it only seems to happen when the lights are on!
However even this can be caused by a bad connection - the waggle of the bad
connection causing a smaller voltage reduction with the lights off than when
they are on i.e. drawing more current i.e. a bad connection becomes more
noticeable. I'd check and clean all the connections at the solenoid as a
first stab.
PaulH.
----- Original Message -----
> Comes dark, turn on the headlights; shift (from any gear to any gear)
> and there is an instant dead short.
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