loss of power and then backfire!

[sandythelandy]

So, I was driving on the highway today when all of a sudden the red charge light came on and I lost power. So with my momentum I got over to the shoulder and as I was stopping, it back fired like I have never heard before. I got out and looked around but found nothing so I turned it back on and it started fine. But twice on the way home, the red charge light came back on and almost died but then regained power.

I’ve noticed that recently there is a decent amount of black stuff coming out of the tailpipe and when I take my foot off the gas it sounds like it’s gurgling a lot. It also seems like its idling louder then before. I think it’s also using more gas (but I may be wrong here)

I already know I need to work on the timing, but I’ve already changed the plugs and checked that all the wires are well connected in the dist.

Anyone have any ideas?

[o2batsea]

Condensor, Point gap.

[sandythelandy]

Condensor, Point gap.

Sorry for being so naive, but fixing this will stop the back firing?

[SafeAirOne]

I don't believe that sufficiently explains the charge light. I'm going to guess some sort of intermittent problem with the main power supply, be it a faulty ignition switch or something else. Of course your battery would take up the slack if it's just an alternator problem or voltage regulator issue, unless the battery is dead. So the only single failure I can think of that would kill the engine and illuminate the charge light is a bad ignition switch.

To further theorize...

Perhaps the power cut out, killing the ignition, allowing the exhaust manifold to fill with an unburned fuel/air mixture that could be touched off by the red hot manifold or by the ignition system kicking back in, causing the massive backfiring, blowing a hole through your exhaust system somewhere (often in the muffler, but sometimes in the exhaust manifold gasket or manifold-to-downpipe gasket).

Just a theory...

EDIT:

PS: The burbling sound you hear when you engine brake is usually the result of a leak in the exhaust manifold (gasket or crack) introducing air (oxygen) to the HOT fuel-rich exhaust gasses, causing them to reignite, causing tiny backfires.

[sandythelandy]

I don't believe that sufficiently explains the charge light. I'm going to guess some sort of intermittent problem with the main power supply, be it a faulty ignition switch or something else. Of course your battery would take up the slack if it's just an alternator problem or voltage regulator issue, unless the battery is dead. So the only single failure I can think of that would kill the engine and illuminate the charge light is a bad ignition switch.

To further theorize...

Perhaps the power cut out, killing the ignition, allowing the exhaust manifold to fill with an unburned fuel/air mixture that could be touched off by the red hot manifold or by the ignition system kicking back in, causing the massive backfiring, blowing a hole through your exhaust system somewhere (often in the muffler, but sometimes in the exhaust manifold gasket or manifold-to-downpipe gasket).

Just a theory...

EDIT:

PS: The burbling sound you hear when you engine brake is usually the result of a leak in the exhaust manifold (gasket or crack) introducing air (oxygen) to the HOT fuel-rich exhaust gasses, causing them to reignite, causing tiny backfires.

If there is a leak, what's the best way of finding it? Now I know it was making that burbling sound prior to the backfire but it does seem like it's louder now. Is it still safe to drive it?

[SafeAirOne]

Except for the possible carbon monoxide leak it should be safe. If I were to prioritize, however, I'd be more concerned about it randomly dying then burbling.

To find the leak, when the engine is cold, just feel around the joints for the exhaust escaping or look for the black sooty stain from escaping exhaust gas or use a mechanic's stethescope (or something similar) to pinpoint where all the noise is coming from.

I'd still troubleshoot the uncommanded shutdown issue first. I'm on my third SIII ignition switch in 7 years.

[sandythelandy]

Except for the possible carbon monoxide leak it should be safe. If I were to prioritize, however, I'd be more concerned about it randomly dying then burbling.

To find the leak, when the engine is cold, just feel around the joints for the exhaust escaping or look for the black sooty stain from escaping exhaust gas or use a mechanic's stethescope (or something similar) to pinpoint where all the noise is coming from.

I'd still troubleshoot the uncommanded shutdown issue first. I'm on my third SIII ignition switch in 7 years.

my landy is a 1974 2.25 petrol, with this ignition switch work for it?http://www.roversnorth.com/store/p-17520-ignition-switch-late-petrol.aspx

If so, is it hard to change? Do you think I should check anything else in my dist. cap? I checked the low tension lead and it seemed to be ok.

[SafeAirOne]

Well--I'm only giving you a place to start looking for causes of your woes based on the symptoms you describe. You still should properly troubleshoot the problem to determine or verify the exact cause. This becomes more challenging with an intermittent problem.

As for that ignition switch--No. That's probably not the right one. It's more likely to be a PRC8230, though you need to verify this. Most places sell this switch for about $30. You should probably be looking for a SERIES 3 ignition switch for vehicles with a steering lock, but only you know if yours has the steering lock. Based on the year, it probably does. (Mine's a '73 and has it).

As for the ease of installation... Well that depends on what sort of access you have. Presuming you have the steering lock-type ignition assembly, the switch is only held in by a microscopic set screw that points straight up through the bottom of the metal shroud on the ignition assembly that surrounds the switch. If you can get a tiny philips screwdriver on that screw and remove it, you'll be home free.

I was able to do it with a 90-degree ratchet-type screwdriver one time. The next time, I had to remove the entire lower dash assembly to get to it.

Again, you should verify the cause of your problem before replacing parts. For me, I'd just cycle the ignition switch the moment I saw the charge lamp come on. When it instantly came back to life, I pretty much figured out it was the ignition switch.