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Had a car once do the same thing. Turned out to be a bad connection within the wiring block on the firewall. What a PIA to track down
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the firewall was where we could get it to cut out with a jiggle...but can't find it yet...so electrical then??
is it POSSIBLE for the carb to cause this??
Whoa, wait a minute... you were able to jiggle a wire at the firewall connection and get it to cut out?? That was your lucky day, and it flew past without your noticing. (For most of us mortals, intermittent problems always behave perfectly when the mechanic looks at it.) Granted, this may not be the only thing wrong with the car, but any reproducible problem is a gift. Take care of this one first, then wonder about carburetors.is it POSSIBLE for the carb to cause this??
That "bulkhead connector" is a known trouble spot. Wait, that's not quite true... it's a fine way to do things for the first 20+ years or so. Then the grease (which is there to prevent corrosion) starts to dry out, so oxygen is able to get to the contacts, and the resulting dirty connections no longer carry current as well as tight ones used to. Problem is, they can look OK when you test them with low current, but fail under high current-- consequently, the alternator circuit is usually among the first to show problems, while things like oil pressure lights and turn signals keep working a bit longer.
On this 40-yr old car that you are counting on to be reliable every day, if you haven't disassembled the connector, cleaned ALL the connections on both sides, refilled the dielectric grease, and reassembled, it would be well worth your time. Check the resistance across each junction: you want as close to zero as you can get. (Typically 0.2 Ohm or less is realistic.) Depending on how much corrosion there is, you can typically remove it with a combination of contact cleaner chemical spray and emery boards (fingernail filing tools).
If nothing else, this will eliminate a lot of questions as you troubleshoot other parts of the car. And considering that you want to please not only the wife but also yourself, a little preventative maintenance sure beats getting stranded. It might even take you less time than it would to walk home.
- Erik
PS. I don't have to remind you about removing the negative battery cable before doing playing with "hot" wires, right? If you think the wife isn't happy with your choice of old clunker cars, imagine what she'll be saying as she takes you to the hospital...
....just wanna get it back at this point...it's worth the $$$, and i KNOW it's not far off...just this hiccup...runs like a champ, until the bent thingie