So does someone feel like explaining this magnetic pickup nonsense to me?
I will look into it though, it seems more and more likely.

I replaced all of the injectors with cleaned ones, and I put a little oil in each cylinder.

And after I got the new injectors in, the stupid *** little plastic fitting on my booster pump on the frame rail broke, so my front tank is now useless. (Until I replace that booster pump.) I plugged the hole and unplugged the front tank, tried starting off the rear on fresh gas and it did not do any good.

The magnetic pickup sounds like a good place to start, if only I knew what the effin thing was.

 

Okay well I figured out what the magnetic pick up is.
Is there any way to test it?

I think I might just go pick one up tomorrow. $30 for a new one. $60 for a remanned distributor. I think I will buy the magnetic pick up tomorrow and see what happens..

 

Look for a reading of about 600 Ohms.

 

Cheap part and easy to install. You have to pull the gear and the shaft off the dist. to get to it. I made the stupid mistake of letting the oil pump rod come out with the dist., then it dropped down the hole and into the oil pan when I had the whole mess up and out of the motor.
Don't do that. I had to drop the oil pan to get my arm up there to get it.

 

And don't forget to mark the reluctor wheel so it goes back on the right way.
These instructions cover more than you need but might help.

Duraspark_distributor_recurve_instructions_index

 

ArdWrknTrk, that link was for the wrong kind of distributor just so you know.

 

EDIT: RHP's link pictures a DSII distributor, but even if you have a TFI dizzy the pickup and wheel should be similar, no?

Perhaps Google image has F'd me. I only did a quick search on those terms.

 

The link you posted with instructions.
And I believe so, I was just saying that wasn't my type of distributor. No biggy.
I'll go order one, hopefully just get one.

 

So are you getting the pickup, or a whole distributor?

 

just another idea...maybe a short in the wires to the dizzy and around in that area? i had a 97 f150 with a 351 swapped into it that i got off a guy, ended up having several shorts in wires around that area that led me to break down a time or two..

 

The distributor wires look rather well. I just bought the pickup alone. The reman'ed distributors are $60 or so, and I don't even think it's my problem, so i'm just going with the $30 pickup cause it seems like it could be.

 

I hope you've found your problem.
Good luck!

 

I installed the new magnetic pickup, no change.
It still fires randomly but will not start.

Any suggestions guys? I'm completely lost on this.

 

I think i'm going to pull the ignition switch. It's the only thing left I really haven't messed with, and it was giving me issues earlier, so who knows.

Shot in the dark, hopefully it works.
Open to suggestions still..

 

A lot easier than pulling the ignition switch, would be to hot wire it. Run an insulated electrical wire from your positive battery post to the proper small wire on the coil. Not the side that goes to the distributor, but the other side. You should hook it to that terminal, while still leaving that double connector hooked on the coil.