Weird behavior, is it related?

[beachmason]

My 1974 Spider typically runs like a dream. Occasionally, when I first take off after starting, the fan belt screams for 1-2 seconds. Otherwise, easy starter, solid idle, no problems. For some possibly useless background, Los Angeles just got a weird weather pattern where is poured rain for 3 straight days and there was a lot of moisture in the air.

Yesterday, I fire her up as usual and drive to work, high speed freeway and city streets, 10 miles, just like normal. Get to the ffivce and fail (for the 2nd time in a year) to shut my lights off. At 5p she is totally dead. I get a jump and it fires up and idles fine. One note, the "know-it-all" that was jumping me was inspecting my spark plug wires where the insylation is split on a few (shoked the hell out of him!) and he did fiddle with the distributer for a second but appeared to just inspect the wores. Anyway, I start driving and the fan belt is screaming anytime I get around 2500 RPM in any gear. And once it screams, there was no way to get it to stp until I was back at idle. Just before getting on the freeway, I pull over and look to see if something is loose. All of a sudden, the car is barely able to idle and the orange dashboard light on the upper left (above the green headlight ON light) is lit. If I try and give the car gas, it dies. It feels as though it is not getting any gas. I shut the engine off, played with the spark plugs, re-fired the engine and it ran strong all the way home, and for most of the trip, the fan belt was silent! I get home and shut the car off but by that time, the fan belt was screaming again. 30 minutes later, I try and move the car and it starts easy but again, the orange light is on and the car will barely idle. I have to get help to push as any acceleration stalls the engine. I fiddle with the sparkplug wires and fire the engine up, runs strong (fan belt still screaming) and get the car into the driveway where it awaits my diagnostics today. Any idea whether these symptoms are related? The car runs like a dream until mid day when I drain the battery and now different areas of the car are collapsing!

Greg
'74 Spider

[papajam]

Sounds like;

A) the fanbelt is loose which will result in
B) the alternator not recharging the battery properly which will
C) cause low voltage at the fuel pump which will result in
D) the orange low fuel pressure light to come on and the engine run like crap for lack of fuel.

Solution? Tighten/replace the fanbelt, charge the battery and check the charging system.

[gprocket]

Yes, completely agree with Jim. Also check these:

How old is the battery? If the battery is not keeping a charge you can continue to have problems.

You might want to replace the spark plug wires too if they are cracked and fiddling with them makes a difference.

- Rich D.

[Rosenmöller]

Hello
I nearly had the same thing as you but without the fanbelt or better the alternatorbelt screaming. I agree with the two other but when you're checkink it anyway it's a good idea to check the regulator and the coals of the alternator as well. In my case the regulator was not ajusted properly and the coals where down which is quiet normal for a car with 30 years of age.
So with the alternatorbelt slipping and the coals down you won't have enough electric power for the fuelpump.
Bernhard