taintedspeed wrote:just in case you havent done this as all i did was skim the responses. this has happened to me twice. the magnetic pickup inside the distributor can and does go bad. it is like a $20 part and it is not that bad to change. like i said it has happened to me twice. and one of the times, jeffc helped me diagnose it. i hope i helped. -TS -Randy
HA! I remmeber that well, acted like a heat sink, worked fine when cold, run fine till you shut it off, then would not fire for love or money..........would start again once it cooled off.
Did it act the same way on the 2nd one you lost Randy?
as i recall the first one i lost was in the "brand new" distributor i put in there. and the second one was one of the replacements. they are an often overlooked part that is built the same way as the ignition box and can go bad as well. good luck -Randy
I have the same problem , but it won't stall, it just won't start after shut it off. I have a 318 w/ a Pertronix elec. ign. I just changed the coil 2 month's ago and it's not a daliy driver.I stuck a screwdriver in number 1 plugwire and it would'nt stay lit [spark] unless I keep contact w/ the 2 post's on the starter relay. Electricity is greek to me, so I think it's the coil or next the starter switch .
my 70 d100 has the SAME exact problem, started RIGHT after i switched to mp electronic ign. i did everything you did but didnt change the volt reg. i still havent fixed the problem as i just took out the engine completely so i can build her up all nice. you should definately try the volt reg or pickup coil..
If you have not figured out the problem, you will need to get a test light and have it in the pickup so when the engine quits running, you can see if you have power to the coil on the + side, the light will be dim because it is 6 volts at the coil, have someone with you so they can crank the engine for you, put the test light on the negative side of the coil when the engine is being cranked to see if you are pulses from the ignition module, you can have the other end of the test light hooked to the positve terminal on the battery when you are testing the negative side of the coil. I have seen the resister break down when it gets hot, then when it cools down it will work again, that might be the problem you are having.
If you have power at the coil but the engine wont start, then your resister is good, if you do not have power at the coil when the key is on then the resister is bad, hope this will help you.
as for Gjob on his pickup not starting unless he shorts the 2 terminals on the starter relay, that means his resister is burned out.
I will help you with this problem if the above diagnosis does not help.
Rick
I will be trying all the different suggestions from here this weekend including yours and see what's what. I have to run out of town on Sun, but, when I get back, I'll tear into it. This is not my daily driver, but, I am definitely going through the DT's not driving it. I'm sure with the collective knowledge on this site, we'll figure it out. I knew getting into this project that there would be untold problems with electrical as it is an old piece of iron and they are tempermental. Not my first time around the block with an old anything, just haven't done one in a long while and the old brain is quite numb.
There is no better site than this one for assistance and everyones help is greatly appreciated.
Jon
71D100 shorty, 318, NP435, Suregrip 3.55. Rust, Rust and More Rust!
DANG IT , DANG IT have a accel coil that I forgot to mention. My neighbor found paper work (accel) on the comp. The coil came with a ballist resistor to run in line ,in the middle of the coil and the current (stock) ballist resistor .read the instruction ,it explains the higher output or demand of the coil. Can,t say this is the problem. Tomorrow I'm trying what mr 440 said .
I had a similiar problem at one point. I too have the orange box. My problem was not as bad, but I traced it down to a loose wire connection at the firewall. In my case the engine just stopped running all together and would not fire again. I had to unplug the wire-plugs that connect to the firewall and re-seat them.
Checked all wiring. All wires are clean and very tight. No issues there.
Managed to get the truck started and ran it until it died. Ran a voltage check on the coil. Found 6 volts at the coil and pulses. Figured while I was in there I would check the output of the coil. Lo and behold, dull orange spark (very dull). Removed the "new" Accell super stock coil and tossed it so far, it's still orbiting.
Got in and started the truck. Still a bad miss at 2000 rpm (actually numerous bad misses). Let it idle, dead at warm. damn!
Removed the distributor to replace the pickup coil. Turned to shaft to check for true and found the reluctor strikes the pickup (actually hits the damn thing) at three points. The shaft is straight. I scratched my head and removed some more of what's left of my hair, then tore the distributor apart. Spread out, it covers the bench :). Anyhow, I measured the wheel across the points that I marked as striking the pickup and found all of those points were longer than the others. Bad casting maybe? I grabbed my trusty honing stone and filed them things down. I know that the sharp edge has to remain that way to ensure the spark remains crisp. I got all of the points to be within .008 and reassembled the distributor. Reinstalled and fired the truck. Not only does it run real good, I have no miss, no heat issues, no stalling, sputtering, coughing and everything else this truck was doing.
Now I have to re-time, re-adjust the carb, replace the plugs (fouled), find the coil I threw and jamb it up Autozones a**. Call Ma Mopar and voice my extreme displeasure in their quality control.
I can't believe I have gone through so many "new" parts on this rebuild. The one that surprises me the most is the "new" ma mopar distributor. I would have thrown it too, but, $200 is $200.
One for the repair book notes. I never would have imagined the reluctor wheel to be one of the culprits here.
Thanks to everyone here. You guys are lifesavers.
Jon
71D100 shorty, 318, NP435, Suregrip 3.55. Rust, Rust and More Rust!
Well at least you found out the wiring is good and and by that you were able to pinpoint where you were having a problem with the coil and the pickup coil, it is amazing that they did not catch that defective distributor after assembly. that explains why it was erratic and the heat buildup from the reluctor rubbing on the pickup coil causing it to die when it got hot.
I am glad you were able to figure it out and tell us what it was.
