help diagnose engine stall (electrical problem?)

Since last week or so I've noticed that the ABS light on my Miata
(2000) would sometimes come on whenever I turn on the turning signals.
Just now on my way to work a few things happened that I think are
related (chronologically):

1) While cruising, ABS light came on (did not turn on turning signals)
2) While signaling, the tach and speedo needles dropped momentarily to
zero and came immediately back to speed
3) While crusing, engine stopped. I think this is same as #2 above,
except the engine didn't come back on this time.
4) I waited a while and was able to restart the engine. I came off the
highway and noticed that the ABS light came on while the car was
stopped.
5) While cruising, engine stopped. I wasn't able to restart the engine
(cranks, but would not turn over) until I let it sit for a minute or
so.

Note that in all cases, the dashboard did not light up (with check
engine light, etc.), and my radio continued to work after the engine
had stalled.

I'm now quite concerned with my drive home from work later. If this
happens on my drive home, which is probable, what can I do to make sure
that I can at least get to my garage?

Thanks.
Victor

Victor,

One place to look is the ignition switch. There are multiple sets of
contacts; some of them may not be engaging properly.

Earlier Miatas had a problem like this that was aggravated by heavy
keychains.

Should one of these problems occur, try jiggling the key ever so
slightly and see if it either corrects itself or simply changes in some
way. If this is the problem, it isn't all that difficult to replace.

Good luck with it,

Ken


Victor wrote:
> Since last week or so I've noticed that the ABS light on my Miata
> (2000) would sometimes come on whenever I turn on the turning signals.
> Just now on my way to work a few things happened that I think are
> related (chronologically):
>
> 1) While cruising, ABS light came on (did not turn on turning signals)
> 2) While signaling, the tach and speedo needles dropped momentarily to
> zero and came immediately back to speed
> 3) While crusing, engine stopped. I think this is same as #2 above,
> except the engine didn't come back on this time.
> 4) I waited a while and was able to restart the engine. I came off the
> highway and noticed that the ABS light came on while the car was
> stopped.
> 5) While cruising, engine stopped. I wasn't able to restart the engine
> (cranks, but would not turn over) until I let it sit for a minute or
> so.
>
> Note that in all cases, the dashboard did not light up (with check
> engine light, etc.), and my radio continued to work after the engine
> had stalled.
>
> I'm now quite concerned with my drive home from work later. If this
> happens on my drive home, which is probable, what can I do to make sure
> that I can at least get to my garage?
>
> Thanks.
> Victor
>