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1984 L Jet Spider intermittent stalling

1K views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  ARAKND1 
#1 ·
My Spider will stall on occasion while driving. It will suddenly lose power and stall. If I let it sit 3-5 minutes it will start up again but on occasion will stall again within a couple miles. Sometimes I can restart while still rolling by putting it in gear and releasing the clutch.

I looked for false air but found no evidence of cracking in my air hoses. The fuel filter is brand new and I just replaced the fuel lines from the rail to the injectors. I replaced the fuel filter thinking it was the cause of this issue.

Any thoughts?

Dennis
 
#3 ·
1984. I believe it has spark. One of the times it stalled I pulled a plug wire, placed it near the plug and cranked it. It started immediately. At this point I cannot determine if it has no spark at the moment of failure.
 
#4 ·
Intermittent is the most difficult to solve. One clue to help narrow it down is to watch the tach needle when it dies. The tach gets its signal from the coil (ignition). If the needle drops then the engine dies the issue is lack of spark. If the needle reads as it dies then the issue is likely lack of fuel.

Your '84 Spider likely has the bullet style fuses. They are known to somehow look OK but fail to allow electrons to flow. If they are of unknown vintage I suggest replacing them (and cleaning the contacts in the fuse box). I prefer the fuses with a brass strip. The ones with an aluminum strip are especially prone to age related failure. There is also an in-line fuse near the FI computer (under the shelf behind the passenger seat). Replace that entire fuse holder with one that uses a blade type fuse. Original is 8 amps - the closest in blade type is 7.5 amps.
 
#5 ·
I'll follow up on your tach considerations. I did not notice what the tach was doing under the failing mode. I do have the old bullet fuses. I have experienced some coming loose and bouncing around causing intermittent lose of circuit. I simply bent the tab up to make it tighter. I'll follow your suggestion on FI inline fuse as well. Thanks for the input.

Dennis
 
#8 ·
I second checking that inline fuse under the rear carpet for the ECU. that's the fuel pump fuse. I just picked up an 84 that is doing the same thing. Would run fine and then stumble. At times not even run. poking that fuse holder would usually fix the issue for a while. I ordered some blade fuse holders...just not had the time to get back to messing with the car...hopefully will permanently fix the problem.
 
#10 ·
Eric: It seems the fuse did the trick. I've run it over a week without incident including a 200 mile run through Norther Illinois Saturday.
I must admit, that fuse would never have occurred to me.
Thanks
Dennis
Pres. Chicago AROC
 
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