It just quit

[Yooper truck]

My truck surprised me today. I was leaving town after just getting gas and the truck just quit, instantly. No stuttering, no misfires, no loud noises, it just instantly stopped running. I coasted into a parking lot, tried starting it and it fired right up like nothing happened. I drove a mile and a half and was at 55 mph when it just quit again, same symptoms. This time it would not restart. Due to the instantaneous stop I figured it must be electrical (rebuilt 350 w/ electronic ignition). I nudged the distributor cap ever so slightly and it started right back up and drove the remaining 20 miles home without any further problems.

Does anyone have any idea what happened?

[kwmech]

Check the coil and the grounding strap under the coil, loose wire at the coil?

[57larry]

fuel or fire. good luck

[leftybass209]

The odd thing about electrical, is most of the time when a component fails, it isn't intermittent. Grounding however, can be intermittent. Since it only takes fuel, air, and spark to make an engine run.... my odds are on electrical. A fuel line blockage is typically an accumulation, and doesn't periodically fix itself.

Fortunately things like plug wires, plugs, distributor cap, and coil aren't terribly expensive or difficult to replace. Best of luck with your issues.

[my56chevytruck]

Very odd for sure, I'd check a couple of things. if you could nudge the distributor then can we assume it was loose?? How about your distributor cap, is it fitting snug? My other question would be, could it have been the gas you just got?? Maybe something in the gas could have plugged your fuel filter briefly causing the engine to die. that has happened to me, so just a thought.

[prodjay10]

When this happens I get in there with the engine running and lightly and very carefully start tugging on and moving things until it dies. That way I get an idea of where the problem is. 20% of the time, it works every time.

[hamjet]

make sure the wire going to the bottom of the distributor is plugged in all the way ..

[BossHogg69]

Had similar issue once before - ended up being the coil wire on my HEI distributor. It was loose due to a poor connection at the blade coming off the coil terminal on the side of the distributor. I put a new end on the coil wire and it was good after that.

Make sure both of the little plastic lock tabs on the plug for the coil/tach connection are there and not cracked/missing. You should be able to locate the little pigtail fairly easily.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/a...072/16370005-P

[Mrturner1]

Sounds very simple and cheap so far, and lots of great ideas so far. I'll add one more, what kind of distributor is it? You mentioned HEI and there's a problem, which made my mind go directly to my experience (and many many others) with the MSD StreetFire HEI.

[Ryan5O]

I had the very thing happen to me. I could let the truck sit for a couple minutes and it would fire up again. This went on for a few days until I just couldn't get it started at all. It was a brand new distributer that I had installed less than 30 days earlier. Swapped it out for another and problem solved.

[Yooper truck]

Thanks for all the input. I am pretty sure it is related to the distributor cap. I took it for a 60+ mile drive today and it did it once. I turned the distributor cap less than a quarter of an inch and then put it back in its original position and it started right up. I didn't get a chance to look at any further when I got home. I appreciate the feedback, it will give me a place to start hunting.

[special-K]

I have had those two wires from the distributor base to the coil in cap have tiny breaks in the sheathing inside the bend. Just two tiny spots you could green oxidized copper. Look real close at those. But could also be loose connection at the coil, the eye connectors or at the blades in cap. A properly installed cap can be moved around some, but will stay in place, otherwise.

If a vehicle will fire or start on starting fluid the problem is fuel. If it still won't start with fluid it's spark

[creekncabin]

Originally Posted by Yooper truck

Thanks for all the input. I am pretty sure it is related to the distributor cap. I took it for a 60+ mile drive today and it did it once. I turned the distributor cap less than a quarter of an inch and then put it back in its original position and it started right up. I didn't get a chance to look at any further when I got home. I appreciate the feedback, it will give me a place to start hunting.

Did you say "Start Hunting"? Only 25 days till Bow Season

[BILT4ME]

If you moved the distributor cap 1/4", that's too much. The cap should have only a very SLIGHT movement to it.

Check the wires going to the distributor that it has not sagged, worn bare, or got pinched between something such as a clutch lever or something. I have actually tracked down a short on a guy's pickup that would only die when driving uphill, after the engine was warm. It turned out that the wire to the distributor was hangnig (sagging) behind the block and had done so for years. As it got warm, it would sag a little more. When the front of the truck tipped uphill, the wire swayed back and touched the bell housing and shorted it out, killing it immediately. He could wait 10 minutes and it would restart fine, as the wire had cooled off enough to reduce the sag.

Look for little things like that.

Start the truck, sit under the hood while it's running, then pull one of the plug wires and hold onto it. If you wake up on the ground outside the truck, you have spark....... at least you did then......

(BTDT)

[Hook'em]

In case you haven't located the problem, I had a similar thing happen to my truck. It turned out that the ignition was the problem. There was some play between the metal part that you insert the key into and the black plastic piece behind the dash.

[Ochre Ogre]

Not trying to hijack this thread, but there must me something in the air. My truck did the same thing on the way to work this morning. slowing down for a light and it just died. I coasted to the side and it would not restart. It was flooded, not sure if that was the cause, or the after effect of trying to start it. I had it towed home and hitched a ride to work. While waiting for the wrecker to show up I figured I would check the filter. I laid rags out over the engine to catch any drips, but as soon as I cracked the nut on the fuel line, gas sprayed out under pressure and hit the passenger inner fender. Should there be that much pressure on the fuel line? or could something be blocked inside the carb? Was running great up to this point. Stock 350 motor with a quadrajet, and Pertonix. Going to try and get home in time to take a look at it tonight and see what the spark is doing. I was just wondering about the pressure on the fuel line.
Thanks

[FlounderGDI]

I had this happen to me in my 69 CST a few years ago... I drove to a local BBQ joint for dinner... When I went to leave I was 1/2 way out of the parking spot when it quit and wouldn't start back up. What fixed it for me was replacing the HEI ignition module under the cap of the distributor. I replaced it and it's run fine since. I keep a spare one in the glove box now.

[BILT4ME]

Ochre Ogre:
If you are running an electric fuel pump, maybe. A carburetor should only be seeing about 7 PSI max in the line to the carb, even with an electric pump. You should run a fuel pressure regulator with an electric pump unless the pump is only rated for a max of 7 psi.

[Ochre Ogre]

Nope just a stock mechanical fuel pump. It was raining last night so I did not get a chance to dig into it. It may be this weekend before I can find the time.