Ok a few days ago my cluster was acting if it was going bad (drop to 0 then go back to right rpm/speed) every few seconds. sometimes independently but most times together. i checked grounds and connections everything seemed to be fine so i thought the cluster itself was going(note distributer/icm 6 months old or less). well today it proved that this is not the issue..it started fluctuating again then just straight droped to 0 (both tachs) and would not come back up. battery light came on and did not go off and my headlights got dim. then the car started backfiring like a wile hog strong enough to really shake the entire car, so ofc i pulled off the road and cut it off. waited a few minutes(about 3) tried to recrank, nothing(no juice). waited about 10 min and it cranked right up.

battery is 6-8 months old terminals are clean and very well connected
alternater is rebuilt and about the same age(im actually guessing that this part is going out)
distributer cap is not warn and rebuilt ICM is new. 6-8 months old
new CPU/tranny computer about 8-10 months old
fuel relay switch is also about 8 months old(and i get clicking)
thoughts or ideas?

 

ok so just tested it with hood up, no smoke coming out where it shouldnt be it idled fine at 1k rpms let it run for 3-4 minutes that way. as soon as i reved the engine RPMs droped to 0 and backfiring started

 

umm what car and motor are we talking bout here?

 

i would try to rule out a faulty rebuild and have the charging system tested (alternator). sounds a lot like an alternator going bad to me...