Thanks very much for the reply. It never really cracks but violently fluctuates level wise when attempting to turn it down (most embarrassing I may ad).
I accidentally figured out the problem today, however. I ran out after posting the thread to do some errands and when I parked, the steering wheel inadvertently went into the locked position. Upon releasing it and turning her over, surprise! I have tunes again. I have heard the ignition switches are common wear items in some of the 124's. I am going to see if these nice folks carry them and have related install info.
Thanks very much again to you and to the great folks at Pelican.
Happy Spring!