engine cut-out & tachometer

[CraigH]

I have had a problem where the engine on my 79 SC Euro (bought about 2 months ago) simply cut-out while driving.

I read several old message threads and posted a question about 6 weeks ago. Got great suggestions and after starting with the simplest suggestion of removing the over-rev relay (thank you John Walker), the problem appeared to go away. I have been focusing my attention in recent weeks on replacing much of the old exhaust system so I have not driven the car any more than tooling around the neighborhood.

I am now ready to attack the engine cut out issue again. I have what I thought was an unrelated issue with the tach bouncing around (lots of old threads on this as well) but I am wondering if it is related. It may be a stupid question, but what trips the over rev relay? the tach or farther upstream? In reading old threads, the bounding tach may be related to ignition/distributor problems as opposed to simply a bad tach. I wonder if both problems are symtoms of something with the ignition/distributor.

Even though it is not a bad saturday afternoon to be "playing" with the car in the garage, it would be a better day to out driving on these beautiful fall days here in NC.

[jpnovak]

check the green wire running from the dist. to the CD unit. They get old and short. this will cause engine cut out and tach failure. They are a cheap replacement.