HEI Problem Question

[Robert Crandall]

I am looking for help on a fix for a problem with the HEI system on a 1978 C20 292 I6 2WD 4Spd.

This truck will not start on occasion. The problem has existed for more than 10 years now. Early on I went through the steps in the repair manual, and I replaced everything in the distributor. The distributor was bought as a rebuild some time before the problem began, and I have not bought another one since the problem started.

After a few years the fix was found to be: Unplug the connection to the HEI module within the distributor, wait approximately 1 minute, reconnect the plug. The truck will then start immediately.

The truck runs perfectly. This problem is causing no driveability issues. It starts without problem when left for only a short time, like to go into a store. When the problem occurs, it has been left for at least 4 hours. It is random. It may happen every time it has been left for a few hours for 10 times in a row, and it may not happen at all for a month. It seems to be completely random.

I have not been able to find an answer to this problem. Does anyone know how to fix this?