71 Cuda 340 lost all power while driving but few minutes later power returned.

[woody9512]

Have had my 71 Cuda 340 4-speed for 20 years plus and never had this happen before. This Sunday it was a very hot day and was out cruising and all was going well as usual. All of the sudden my radio stopped and so did engine as the car lost all power so I had to pull over to the side of road. Car was dead with nothing happening when tried ignition, no sounds and key just turned. No lights, radio, nothing. Opened hood to look around and battery cables tight. As I was standing around after a few minutes the radio all of the sudden came back on. I got in and car started as usual, lights all worked, etc. Was able to start it and drove great and I took it home as I was afraid it would cut out again and I would be stuck needing a tow. Now parked in garage as afraid to take it out. Any ideas what this might me as to a cause.
    Also can anyone recommend a good shop and or mechanic in Southwestern Ontario, Sarnia, London area who is knowledgeable about older cars as I know a lot of the newer ones might not be into older cars in the event I need to get car looked at.
Thanks
Tim

[70chall440]

Sounds like a connector or perhaps the fusible link.

[DAYLEY/CHALLENGER]

Make sure the bulk head is clean and plugged in good.  Same thing happened to me when I first started mine on the road.

[woody9512]

I have had a few people mention the fusable link to me as to possible cause. Just wondering how best to test this fusable link to see if its my issue and if it needs to be replaced. I`m pretty sure I know where it is. Small wire attached to the drivers side engine bay near the battery if I`m correct.
Tim   

[70chall440]

you are correct, it should have a flag (small plastic square piece) molded onto it that says "fusible link". It runs from the bulkhead to the starter relay. You can test it by getting a continuity tester (harbor freight has cheap ones); it will beep when the 2 leads make contact. You can poke one end into the back of the bulkhead connector and the other on the starter relay end, if it beeps there is continuity.

That said, I am leaning towards a loose or corroded connection; fusible links typically do not work intermittently; they either work or they dont. Its more likely that the connections are corroded and loosing contact.

[JayBee]

Here's a picture of it - blue wire with "flag" like 70chall440 said.

[70chall440]

if it turns out it is the FL, you can be fusible link wire far cheaper than a OEM replacement and make a replacement. You need to determine the size and off the top of my head I think it is #14 gauge, it is 2 sizes smaller than the wire it is protecting. If you do a little googling you will find information it. You will have to replace the packard connector on the one side (the quick disconnect) and the ring terminal on the other. It isnt hard but if you don't have the tools and connectors it will be difficult. You CANNOT just splice it, it has to be replaced in total. They are reproduced, I have seen them on several websites to include Ebay. Just determine what you need first, not just any old fusible link will work, it must be sized correctly to provide the protection it was designed for.

[woody9512]

I am actually hoping it is that fusable link when I get a chance to have a look. Appears that would be a simple fix it looks like if that turns out to be the problem and nothing more complicated.

[woody9512]

Went all over the car and all the connections looked tight and clean other than the plastic snap together type connection on the end of the fusable link wire that connects to the next wire heading towards the firewall. Once this connection was taken apart it appeared a bit corroded so I cleaned the end of both wires up and snapped it back together. Here`s hoping that this was my issue with the power loss.
Tim

[70chall440]

Hope so. That wire supplies all of the power to your car, meaning without it, the car will not run. I would recommend replacing the fusible link wire as well. When the connectors get corroded, it builds resistance which will cause the wire to heat up and destroy from the inside. A fusible link will break/melt internally. next time you are at the car, grab the fusible link and roll in in your fingers, if it feels squishy and/or you can feel the outer coating move around the inner core, time to get rid of it. My point is that it could look fine and even work at times, but it will fail again.