Bump in road and I lose power

[Shawn Ferguson]

Recently any major jarring to my ride while driving down the road causes it to lose power. I've replaced the plugs, wires, battery cables and coil. Any ideas or suggestions?
- Shawn

 

[77broncoguy]

what do you mean by lose power? Does the engine shut off? Does it lose some of it's power?

I'm guessing that it loses power all together. Check all wires attaching to the alternator, check to see that your starter is bolted in tight and has a good connection to the battery. check the little wires on the solenoid,( they are very small inside the insulation, mine separated completely, and was the source of many frustrations).

Other than checking all of your connections, I don't have any great advice. Electrical problems can be a headache, but there's a lot of knowledge and experience on this site. Members helped me get my EB going last weekend after sitting for over a year. I had all kinds of issues, from bad gas to shorts in the wiring.

Hope you get it figured out

 

[mtb_medic]

does it blow black smoke? could the carb be flooding out?

 

[Case]

could be crap getting bounced in front of the fuel pick up in your tank. but first i would check all your electrical conections and make sure something isnt shorting out. any more info about your problem??

 

[hackyrat]

First off I would avoid any bumps %)

Next try starting it and then start wiggling wires. Try ignition wires and even wiggle the key around. Wiggle wires under hood and everywhere you can think of and see if you can simulate the problem. Check all your grounds to engine frame and body.

 

[2badrotties]

Not a lot of info to work with but I'm another vote for checking float level

 

[big daddy walt]

Sounds like you're convinced its an electrical problem. I would check your grounds first.

 

[mxpaz]

I will guess the inline fuse thingys. :-*

 

[73stallion]

check your ignition switch. i had the same type of problem in my old F-100. i tried wiggling the wires on the back of the switch and it fell apart in my hand.

 

[72Burro]

My engine would die if I the front end got jarred around. Also had it die playing up in the snow, but always starts right back up. Turned out to be the float.

 

[Shawn Ferguson]

I'll try them all this weekend

I guess my un-educated guesses aren't too far off. I'll try wiggling the wires first, but I'm leaning towards the float in the carb being the number one problem. Thanks for the help and suggestions.
- Shawn

 

[Case]

if you wiggle your spark plug wires when the engine is running be careful. they will bite hard. ;D been there done that. ;D

 

[SaddleUp]

Last year I had mine do the same thing. It turned out that the last time I added a wire to the starter solenoid the connector caught on the threads and while it felt like it tightened down it really wasn't. The connectors under it were still loose and every time I hit a bump it would act like it was going to die. I fixed the connector, tightened the nut back up, and all was well again.