the engine cuts out and the tach goes to 0, as though I'd turned the key off. Two seconds later, it comes back to life and runs fine the rest of the trip.
Any suggestions? I'm guessing the box under the hood, but don't want to guess, and really don't want to get stranded. '76 300 with 3 speed, Duraspark I.
Thats probably it , but trace your tach to coil wire and make sure its not bared and shorting out along the way. Happened to me once and wasnt an easy find either!!!!
if it has the electronic module in it that is definately your problem. i had a 77 about 30 years ago and they were known for heating up, this would cause them to malfunction. back then we would swap to points to eleminate the problem. after i rebuilt the motor i went with a mallory unilite.
I just priced an after market module, it was $26 at Napa. They have another one for $64 if you think it is any better. I just picked up an extra to have just in case. I am really not into being aggravated if I can help it.
Best part was the guy at the parts store had an old dent he used for plowing, didn't have use fore the module since the dent his history, so free was real nice!!
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Harold
Molly Hatchet: No guts, No Glory
If it came back on right away, I don't think it's the module. When they experience a heat-related failure, they often take 20-30 minutes to start back up. My guess would be loose wiring that got budged due to road vibration. This is not to say it wouldn't hurt to carry a spare module.
I looked at the tach wire shortly after it happened. I took my time when routing it, and there were only a couple of spots where it might possibly chafe, so I put heatshrink around the wire at those spots, during the installation.
Drac - is there any way to troubleshoot the trigger pickup coil? I was in the distributor last weekend, doing the recurve. I was really careful with everything I touched, but that doesn't mean I didn't inadvertently damage something.
I picked up a new ignition control module today, which I'll install for peace of mind, with the old one as a backup. A buddy of mine, who used to work on these things back in the day, said to always carry a spare; they'll expire with no warning.
I had a problem where I was going down the road 50-60mph, and it would just shut off like you turned the key off, then in 5-10 secoonds it would fire right back up. Well, when I kept my foot on the gas, it would dump raw fuel down the exhaust. When it fires back up it would make one h-ll of a back fire. so much that it split my 7" round muffler wide open. I went though three mufflers before I got it figured out. $$. I'm a slow learner.
So when it dies let off the gas pedal quick.
It started out doing this once every couple weeks, but progresively got to a daily deal. At least then I could trouble shoot it more.
I changed the module box three times trying different units. used and new
Changed the Coil twice
Checked all the wiring several times
Put in a new Pick Up Trigger - Have not had the issue in 2 years now.
Originally I was told you have to pull the distributor, and Gut it from the bottom to replace the coil. NOT TRUE. remove the rotor and then the 6 or 8 finger trigger star. ( Lack of better word). I used two small prybars on the bottom of the star against the distributor housing. very gently. The star removed easier than I thought it would. The Pick up coil is simply screwed to the advance plate with 1 or 2 screws and I think there is an alignment notch. There really wasn't much to it. Of course the wires go through the housing, so check for nicks and cracks there.
I don't think there was a gapping type spec between the coil and the star ( alignment notch?). I did check my timing when done, just because.
There was nothing that told me it was bad, just the only thing I didn't change. ended up being pretty cheap and easy. so I was a little pizzed at myself for not diving into it earlier. at first i was a bit scared of it. Ended up being easy. Have to admit i did play with an old distributor first.
I went though three mufflers before I got it figured out. $$. I'm a slow learner.
I'm familiar with that tune
I think I'll replace the pickup coil as well. I'm starting to drive this thing a lot, so it's cheap insurance. I was also told to check ignition switch wires, which I haven't done yet.
The official term for the trigger star is reluctor. I learned a lot about removing it when I recurved the distributor three times last weekend. I also learned that on the Duraspark I, it's held in place by a tiny roll pin that you'd never know was there, until it's lost.
One drizzling chilly September day, I had a very very similar situation happen to me. The truck started up, warmed up, and went into gear just fine. As I let off the gas to coast to the first stop sign, it happened just as you described . Having the long term intimate knowledge of my truck, I instantly thought it was coil before my boot hit the bumper.
I had just installed a SuperStock coil and remembered that I had one short length connection that I wasn't confident about at the time. I changed the terminal ends, from female spade for the factory coil, to a loop the was snug on the coil's post. Anyway, I found that one of my crimps had let loose, and wouldn't you know it would be on that short piece. I knew that particular wire was too short to allow enough slack for normal harness movement, especially on my rough riding (empty) F250 flatbed. So, I fought cold electrical tape for a rainy roadside repair that lasted a year and a half until I swapped intakes.
Oh yeah.....been through all that too. Just last week I was experiencing the "shut itself off" syndrome. I'd just push in the clutch, turn the key and it would start right up again. So when I got home (I was only a mile er so away) I pulled out the spare Iggy module I've had for many years and swapped them out. Haven't had a problem since. So now I'm going to go get me another spare module. Im glad I kept one in reserve and I will continue to do so. Not bad considering I haven't dealt with this issue for somewhere close to 20yrs.
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Edelbrock Intake, Carter 625 carb, Comp Cams 268 bumpstick, Crane BBC roller tip rockers, Dynomax headers, Summit Turbo mufflers, 2 1/2in Rancho lift, 33x12.50 BFG All Terrain TA KO's, TFI coil, Taylor wires, Hayden fan clutch, and no "M" in 400.
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