My car dies apparently loosing all power after a 10 minute drive, the car will restart as if normal and I can drive away afterr 5-10 minutes of waiting as if something electrical needed to cool down.

[Frank J]

Hello all,

 I have come across an issue that I can't easily solve myself yet and was hoping for some advice or shared knowledge. When driving my Z for the first time after ten minutes of drive time I lost all power and the car shut off completely (no lights,no crank) I couldn't restart it until I waited 5 to10 minutes then it started up again normally.

 I have narrowed my solution to 3 options...

#1) save a few hundred dollars and pay a really good technician to fix my issue.

#2) buy 2 or 3 more common parts that might be causing the problem and replace then unnecessarily; I have read the a bad fusible link, a bad ignition switch or a bad ballast resistor could be at fault.

#3) continue to read, do research, and ask until I can pinpoint the exact fault and fix it.

 I was wondering if you had read or have come across anything like this problem and if you had any suggestions? 

Thank you for taking the time out of your busyschedule to read this and for considering to help.

[Miles]

Could be battery/alternator  related  if the car sat a long time.  Take the battery and alternator to Oreileys or Autozone and have them checked out.

[bfg]

I had a very similar problem. One summer when driving on really hot days my car would shut off and would not turn on, crank, or do anything until it "cooled down"

 

For me it was the Ignition control module on my 1975 280z. Turns out my leaky windshield dripped onto the old ignition module (on the right side of the passenger foot well) and caused it to overheat on hot days. I could tell it was the leak because there was a trail of light corrosion leading to it. I replaced the module with one from a fellow member here and I've been driving smoothly ever since.

 

I broke down 5 or 6 times and each time I replaced my fuel filter thinking my fuel lines were clogged. Changing the filter gave enough time for the module to cool down or reset and I could start the car right up. it wasn't until I changed the filter and the car still wouldn't start that I realized it was something else.

Hope that helps!

[JMortensen]

On 8/26/2019 at 10:45 AM, bfg said:

I had a very similar problem. One summer when driving on really hot days my car would shut off and would not turn on, crank, or do anything until it "cooled down"

 

For me it was the Ignition control module on my 1975 280z. Turns out my leaky windshield dripped onto the old ignition module (on the right side of the passenger foot well) and caused it to overheat on hot days. I could tell it was the leak because there was a trail of light corrosion leading to it. I replaced the module with one from a fellow member here and I've been driving smoothly ever since.

 

I broke down 5 or 6 times and each time I replaced my fuel filter thinking my fuel lines were clogged. Changing the filter gave enough time for the module to cool down or reset and I could start the car right up. it wasn't until I changed the filter and the car still wouldn't start that I realized it was something else.

Hope that helps!

I was thinking same thing, but he says no lights. Ign module wouldn't cut the lights.

[twofouroh]

What year?  What engine?  What mods?  What lights?  Wont turn over or wont start?  Any existing electrical probs?  Do you have the FSM?  If not, get it.  Tracing electrical is impossible without the complete wiring diagram for your specific year. 

[LLave]

Deleted. Didn't read the full post and gave a silly answer as a result. 

 

Edited September 10, 2019 by LLave

[bfg]

On 8/27/2019 at 8:18 PM, JMortensen said:

I was thinking same thing, but he says no lights. Ign module wouldn't cut the lights.

 

For some reason it killed everything on mine even the lights and hazards which was a bummer on the side of the highway. Though I've been having some lighting issues lately so maybe something else was at work. It's been a while so I can't remember if there were blown fuses or anything else in addition. I just remember swapping the ignition module and it hasnt happened since.