Help truck died!!!

[HotRodScottsdale]

So driving my 76 and everything was fine untill it started sputtering and struggling a bit then fine so I figured my gauge is liking and I needed gas so I got it filled right up on the left tank and it struggled to run when I got it into gear, made it about a block of struggling it dies, it would start up fine, then struggle a bit, put it in gear then it sputters to a death,I thought MIT was the fuel filter so I pulled it and blew threw it to clear a gunk from sitting but now it won't start at all, I just got it on the road and argued a crap load to get the wife to trust the truck and this happened, please help!!!!
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[Your41Plague12]

Sounds like a bad ignition coil to me. The same exact symptoms happened to me, and I replaced the coil and it was fixed. Check it out, I was able to see a burnt spot when I opened it up.

EDIT: Ignore this if you don't have HEI.

[HotRodScottsdale]

What's a hei?
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[csb#356]

HEI is the type of distributor. The coil is in the cap, easy to tell if you have one and if its a 77 you probably do. With the fuel line not connected to the carb crank the engine and see if fuel comes out the line or look and see if there is fuel in the filter if you have a clear inline filter and see if you have spark it sounds like the fuel pump struggled for awhile and then gave up. It happens. Or there is an ignition issue but you should do those two tests first.

[jayman68]

Originally Posted by HotRodScottsdale

What's a hei?
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It's the electronic distributer with the coil in the cap.
Hope you solve the problem.

Is it the filter at the fuel inlet at the carb that you checked (if it has a carb)

csb#357 responded while I was typing.

[HotRodScottsdale]

I checked the fuel filter on the fuel pump and took it off and cleared it and I can hear the pump still workin and if I squeeze the line I can hear the pump trying to work harder and I can hear the gas hittin the carb when I let go,how can u tell the differences between a HEI distributer and one without and how hard is fixing an ignition coil?
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[81ratrodc10]

Hei will have the coil attached to the cap if u have a points style it will have a coil mounted seperate some were under hood
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[Goldfinger]

It's as simple as pop on pop off with almost any ign coil.

[HotRodScottsdale]

Dose it mess with my timing and is it a roadside job? It's stuck at a gas station and I dropped the last ofmy coin on gettin the truck platter for the road, I did put new spark plug wires on before I got it on the road, mabey I did something wrong there but it ran fine for two days before this,
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[HotRodScottsdale]

Well got my box home, after hours of checking things I found out my fuel switch controller pump thingy under the cab that joins the two tanks crapped out on me so I did a quick by pass on it with a tube and it started up and drove like a champ so now that it's home it's not moving till I get a new one to put in, anyone know the name of that part?
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[J Knight]

Fuel tank selector valve.

[jayman68]

If the switch got bumped and is sitting in the middle position it will not let the fuel flow from either tank, that has happened to me before.

[76Charlie]

If you are getting fuel when you turn it over it isnt the fuel selector switch. Dump some gas out of the line to the carb if you can, get a can or something, crank the engine and fill the can with gas. If you fill it, you good, if not, you know you ain't getting fuel. Now if you are getting fuel, spray some carb cleaner in the carb, if that doesn't help. It's the ignition coil.

[HotRodScottsdale]

Well once I cut it out and by-passed it the truck started up right away and ran nice,so I'm guessing that was my problem but now that I've looked in that area of my truck, holy hack job! I found three new wires I have to trace down and find what they were put there for and looking to get a new wire kit for the switch and selector valve, wanna clean it up
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[76Charlie]

Post some pictures, maybe I can help you out. What year is the truck? I just went through all the wiring on mine during my engine swap, all is fresh in my mind I'm having problems with fuel selector valve too, but they are $120 to replace -.- If you can't afford it you can T the lines and run both at the same time

[bilfman]

Definitely sounds fuel delivery related. On older trucks peeps have been known to put several fuel filters in the system. Follow your fuel lines from the tank to carb and find every filter, replace them all. I had one dual tank truck that had 4 filters on it. 2 just out of the tanks, 1 about 2 feet from the carb and the one in the carb, don't forget the fuel filter mounted inside the carb. There is a little cartridge style one in there too, it is right where the fuel line enters the carb. You can just leave this one out if you have inline filters

[HotRodScottsdale]

Yeah I will try to get some pics up of the random wires, the look like the PO tried to do something and never finished it, all the wire look like they have been hacked onto other wires then tucked away, I'm gunna stick with my left side tank till I buy a new valve,truck runs pretty good the way it is now and my girls truck is our work truck so that's what I'm using now but I just got this on the road again after a long sit from trans problems and really want it to be my daily driver again
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[76Charlie]

I hear ya! these trucks are fun to put around, my father in-law's tellin me how rare these trucks are getting, I'm noticing too (im only 18), I see 80's square bodies, but never i mean NEVER a 70's.

[HotRodScottsdale]

Exactly and to find a Scottsdale in my town is a hard find, a nice one at that is even more of a hard find so if I can keep my proud round eyed box on the roads I will!
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[76Charlie]