Cruising home from work on Friday evening, travelling up the infamous Hwy 17 from Silicon Valley toward the Santa Cruz coast. I get up the first hill just putting along and I'm next to the Lexington Reservoir when without warning my engine dies completely.
The traffic was pretty thick but I was able to coast my way to a wide area and stop. I've never run out of gas before, but my needle was a little low. Popped the air cleaner off and checked for fuel. All is well.
Hmm, electrical then? I ponder the situation a bit, then get my tool box out of the trunk and dig out my trusty DMM. I turn the key on and check the voltage on the + and - sides of the coil. 12 Volts, both are positive.
My coil has failed.
I've been down this road before, only with a Volvo. I let the engine cool a bit and once cool, fires right up. I'm able (stressfully, very few turn outs or wide spots in the road
) to drive home over the hill, and then I go purchase a new MSD Blaster 2 coil at the local shop.
So, when I installed this engine I purposely had a friend machine a coil bracket for me which holds the coil straight up, as the Blaster 2 is
oil filled. Anyone else have issues with the Blaster 2? This one only lasted 4 years, and almost left me stranded.
Glad I had that DMM in my trunk! I saw four other cars on the side of the road as I drove home, each of which the very tired looking drivers waiting for a tow truck!
DD