87 tbi trouble

[ELMER MUD]

driving truck today and it just died and it started right back up so i sat there and let it idle for a min idled just fine and then it just shut off and started right back up drove home just fine went back out started up fine then died tried to start agian and wouldnt start turned key off and it started right back up any ideas where to start havent had a chance to look yet im thinking ignition maybe pickup coil im going to tear into it tomorrow thanks for any input

[esbstuff]

Fuel pump... buy acdelco

[rfmaster]

The on-off nature leads to believe to be ignition related. Reluctor coil having intermittent circuit would result in such on-off behavior.

Usual system checks (Fuel Pressure, etc ) should be performed to rule out obvious source of problems.

//RF

[Desert1957]

Engine stalling sounds like a Fuel Pump as "esbstuff" suggested

Desert

[ELMER MUD]

nope not the fuel pump no fire pulled ignition module and had it checked and it failed 3 times put new one in and ran great all day driving it tonight and it just shut off and not getting any fire tryed new coil nothing the guy at the parts store said it could be the wire deal under the magnet deal on the distributor not sure what its called haft to check it out tomorrow thanks for the input

[rfmaster]

Originally Posted by ELMER MUD

nope not the fuel pump no fire pulled ignition module and had it checked and it failed 3 times put new one in and ran great all day driving it tonight and it just shut off and not getting any fire tryed new coil nothing the guy at the parts store said it could be the wire deal under the magnet deal on the distributor not sure what its called haft to check it out tomorrow thanks for the input

The 'wire deal' is called reluctor coil. Replacing it requires distributor removal and basic distributor dis-assembly. You are better off getting rebuilt dizzy. Make sure to mark rotor position before removing original distributor. This way re-installation will be easier and timing will not be too far off.

//RF

[Weasel Diesel]

The distributors were prone to a corosion that would occur due to moisture. Even though the factory would put vents in the plates of it, the screens would clog and cause excessive moisture and the corosion would start. It ate up the insulation on the pickup coil quickly and then worked on the copper windings of the coil. After you rebuild the distributor, at every oil change, pop the cap and make sure vents are clear. Also, when you install that module, dont forget to put the Dielectric compound on it, or else module life will suffer. It is a Gravy train job, easy as pie. From experience... take this to the bank.... use AC DELCO parts!!!