Clicks behind dash

[Skenig]

Rather than place the ignition switch on a shaker table and test it for continuity while simulating road bumps, I'd just replace the switch first since it's available and inexpensive. After that, you're looking for loose connections in the ignition circuit.

CC

CC, I just wanted to follow up with you regarding the problem that I "was" having with the car intermittently shutting off in the middle of driving. You suggested that I replace the ignition switch which I did 2 weeks ago now. And dude, I have not had one instance of this problem reoccurring. I am not going to count my chickens just yet because I have had instances where the car went for many days (probably not 2 weeks though) where the problem did not occur so I am not yet completely comfortable with saying it is resolved but so far so good. If this truly proves to be the solution, I cannot thank you enough for the suggestion. As my posts have indicated, several dealers and two mechanics had no clue what the issue was without it reading out some computer code. No longer do I drive the car in constant fear of when it will out of nowhere simply go into "accessory mode" and turn off and I have you to thank for that. YOU ARE DA MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Take care and thanks again.

 

[justdennis]

Thanks for the follow-up, that helps us all.

 

[Skenig]

Thanks for the follow-up, that helps us all.

Of course. It would be pretty bad of me to not let you know the outcome. Thanks for all your help.

 

[xlrlist01]

Of course. It would be pretty bad of me to not let you know the outcome. Thanks for all your help.

Perhaps I shouldn't say this, but if the 'experts' followed the instructions in the workshop manual, it includes "make an assessment of the Customer's description of the problem and take note of any fault codes", I paraphrase a bit. It does not say, "only look at fault codes". From your description, the ignition switch is a classic. Why would it set a fault code if the car 'thinks' you have pressed a switch? Decent techs make a holistic assessment of the condition and do not depend on any one approach. My 2cs worth.

 

[Skenig]

Perhaps I shouldn't say this, but if the 'experts' followed the instructions in the workshop manual, it includes "make an assessment of the Customer's description of the problem and take note of any fault codes", I paraphrase a bit. It does not say, "only look at fault codes". From your description, the ignition switch is a classic. Why would it set a fault code if the car 'thinks' you have pressed a switch? Decent techs make a holistic assessment of the condition and do not depend on any one approach. My 2cs worth.

Well, 4 dealers and two independent mechanics had no clue. Candidly, here in Chicago, I don't think any dealer has every worked on this car.

 

[xlrlist01]

Well, 4 dealers and two independent mechanics had no clue. Candidly, here in Chicago, I don't think any dealer has every worked on this car.

The diagnosis I had from reading your description had almost zero to do with our X. That symptom has been the same since ignition keys came into regular service, what, sixty years ago? Or even without a key, a failure in the ignition circuit causes that outcome. Now in the X, there are indeed more places to look, and some of them would set a fault code. But the basic fault of a loose or defective ignition switch/circuit has been around, well, since the dawn of the internal combustion engine.
I recently fixed a very similar fault on a lawn mower, with magneto ignition. The 'off' switch simply shorts the circuit to ground and stopped working, so the mower kept running. If it had had fault codes there would have been no code, because turning the key did nothing. It was supposed to short the ignition circuit to ground, but didn't. No computer based fault detection system would find this, because it has no way of knowing I have turned the key and that nothing had happened.
A good tech understands that the fault code system has NO clue as to what is wrong. All it can do is report that certain parameters, or groups of parameters, have moved out of an allowed range. It NEVER knows what is wrong.
My 4cs worth.

 

[Skenig]

The diagnosis I had from reading your description had almost zero to do with our X. That symptom has been the same since ignition keys came into regular service, what, sixty years ago? Or even without a key, a failure in the ignition circuit causes that outcome. Now in the X, there are indeed more places to look, and some of them would set a fault code. But the basic fault of a loose or defective ignition switch/circuit has been around, well, since the dawn of the internal combustion engine.
I recently fixed a very similar fault on a lawn mower, with magneto ignition. The 'off' switch simply shorts the circuit to ground and stopped working, so the mower kept running. If it had had fault codes there would have been no code, because turning the key did nothing. It was supposed to short the ignition circuit to ground, but didn't. No computer based fault detection system would find this, because it has no way of knowing I have turned the key and that nothing had happened.
A good tech understands that the fault code system has NO clue as to what is wrong. All it can do is report that certain parameters, or groups of parameters, have moved out of an allowed range. It NEVER knows what is wrong.
My 4cs worth.

I am by no means a car afficionado as yourself (but I love old cars) and you e-mail reminds me of a story I like to tell. In 1976, my dad, my brother and me drove out to California in a 1974 Buick Century sedan (2-years old at the time). Along the way, the care would die out (like my XLR, intermittently). My dad would pull it over on I-80 and after 20 minutes or so, it would start back up and go another several hundred miles before it would happen again. The first place we stopped at was a Buick dealer (could not tell you what state) and they did a complete tuneup. Waste of time and money because it happened again no long after. The next guy tells us to use a better grade of gas. Can't remember what the 3rd guy did but that too did nothing. Finally, the 4th stop was at an old-time gas station in Colorado owned by an old-time mechanic who clearly had worked on his fair share of Detroit made cars in his day. I remember it like it was yesterday. Somewhere off I-80 (again) with a bright blue sky and the Rocky Mountains off in the distance and virtually no one around except the cars flying by on I-80. This old guy comes walking out with his gas station overalls on and my dad proceeds to tell him the problem we keep having. In two words, he described the problem which required a $2.00 part to fix it. Care to guess before I tell you?

 

[xlrlist01]

I am by no means a car afficionado as yourself (but I love old cars) and you e-mail reminds me of a story I like to tell. In 1976, my dad, my brother and me drove out to California in a 1974 Buick Century sedan (2-years old at the time). Along the way, the care would die out (like my XLR, intermittently). My dad would pull it over on I-80 and after 20 minutes or so, it would start back up and go another several hundred miles before it would happen again. The first place we stopped at was a Buick dealer (could not tell you what state) and they did a complete tuneup. Waste of time and money because it happened again no long after. The next guy tells us to use a better grade of gas. Can't remember what the 3rd guy did but that too did nothing. Finally, the 4th stop was at an old-time gas station in Colorado owned by an old-time mechanic who clearly had worked on his fair share of Detroit made cars in his day. I remember it like it was yesterday. Somewhere off I-80 (again) with a bright blue sky and the Rocky Mountains off in the distance and virtually no one around except the cars flying by on I-80. This old guy comes walking out with his gas station overalls on and my dad proceeds to tell him the problem we keep having. In two words, he described the problem which required a $2.00 part to fix it. Care to guess before I tell you?

Bit of a guess here. I would need to know more about how it failed suddenly or with a few coughs. Suddenly, probably ignition, a few coughs, probably gas.

Some guesses for you: The condenser/capacitor in the distributor which protects the points from arcing over and burning out. About a $2 part, though in 1976, I'm thinking that part would have been 50c.
A $2 part in 1976, maybe the rotor arm? But that would generally fail after a series of misfires and struggles. From the description it could be a heat related problem, which suggests gas, sometimes it isn't returning properly and the carbs are getting a vapor lock. That could, maybe, be fixed with some heat insulation. The needle valves sometimes stick, though that would require the carb to be dismantled (easy to do) and does not fit your description.

So.... what was it?

 

[Skenig]

Bit of a guess here. I would need to know more about how it failed suddenly or with a few coughs. Suddenly, probably ignition, a few coughs, probably gas.

Some guesses for you: The condenser/capacitor in the distributor which protects the points from arcing over and burning out. About a $2 part, though in 1976, I'm thinking that part would have been 50c.
A $2 part in 1976, maybe the rotor arm? But that would generally fail after a series of misfires and struggles. From the description it could be a heat related problem, which suggests gas, sometimes it isn't returning properly and the carbs are getting a vapor lock. That could, maybe, be fixed with some heat insulation. The needle valves sometimes stick, though that would require the carb to be dismantled (easy to do) and does not fit your description.

So.... what was it?

Bingo my good friend. I said he described the problem in two words. A vapor lock. Don't ask me to describe the problem because I was 13 at the time but I do know that apparently the gas line was in a loop and he simply used a metal clamp to stop the flow of gas at some point in that loop (again, just an amateur here) but the problem never happened again and I ultimately "inherited" that car while in college and I had that it up through my Junior year in college ('83-'84). Not really all that old looking back on it now. Until the day that I sold that car, I loved looking under the hood at that old clamp that some old-time mechanic figured out the problem when even the dealers had no clue. Boy I miss the old days before computers when people had to figure out the answer to problems and issues just using knowledge and intuition. I fricken loved that car and wish I still had to this day.