today i used my bronc to do some deliveries all day long.. its an 87 fullsize with a carbureted 302 with a H.E.I distributor and a c6 tranny..ive never driven it all day like this since ive had it. i didnt drive hard i just had it going all day, turning it on and off. after i got done i was heading to my wifes work and kept thinking, man i cant wait to get home and give ol girl a rest from driving all day. i was almost to her work and the truck stuttered a few times and then died!! it would not start back up so i checked a few things, i checked to make sure fuel pump was making noise and it was, so i took the fuel line off carb to make sure filters werent plugged and not letting fuel thru and it pumped fuel just fine i was going to check spark but i didnt have someone to crank truck while i watched for spark so i called my aunt(closet person to my location) to come help. by the time she got there (about 30-45 mins)i told her what happened and decided to try to crank it and the truck fired right up and i drove all the way home! that was two weeks ago and today on the way home from work it did the same thing...truck did not overheat but i almost think something in the ignition system may have overheated... any ideas???

 

Apparently you ruled out fuel issues already, even though you could measure the fuel pressure to see if you're getting enough. The Fuel Pressure Regulator could be failing. But personally i think you're on the right track, the problem is the spark, the HEI is a Chevy dist. right? i would check how the coil is faring these days (try a replacement, they aren't that expensive), they tend to fail from heat when they're on the way out. I would also check the wires, but that would be just for maintenance.

 

My 92 is a different set up (EFI 351) but i had a annoying random die problem that would happen every 4-6 months. I did a fuel pressure regulator and a fuel pump. Of course it ran great for 4 months and did it again. About a year and a half ago I replaced all the vacuum lines with high temp silicone line I got off amazon for 25ish bucks. Never had a problem since. Since your carb'd I dont know what you have for vacuum lines but just replace them anyway. And for fun and for free check and clean up all your grounds. Good luck!

 

Thanks guys for the responses! Anymore guesses are appreciated. Encho what do you mean by chevy dist? I'm new to this type of dist. My other trucks all had a seperate coil. This truck has the coil on top of dist.

 

The coil being on the distributor is just a GM design, I think the aftermarket started making them for fords. I doubt a actual stock GM distributor would fit a stock ford, chev's distributor isn't even on the same side of the engine. But then again who knows. It is a Ford engine right? 87 Broncos came with efi so somewhere along the lines some things have been changed..

 

Ok thanks v8. Yea my truck has a ford engine. 302. I was on another site asking this question and they said maybe a magnetic pickup coil/pickup module. What do y'all think about that?

 

It's called the PIP and yes, sometimes it fails, but i think the condition would be a permanent no-start. As for Chevy Dist. i meant it's a Chevrolet style distributor, and as mentioned, it has the coil in the body.

 

Ok encho thanks a lot I'm goin to get a new coil and try it! I'm also about to buy a 4bbl carb! Previous owner put a 2bbl on so i can't wait for that!

 

sounds like you got some items running against you. that bronco should be efi unless you have a 351w/C6 which didnt get efi till 88.

the truck needs 3 things, air, fuel and spark. air and fuel have been confirmed so spark would be the next area to look at. also double check your grounds and other wiring to make sure something isnt grounding out cause the rig to die.

when it died was it like someone turned the key or did it sputter and such when comeing to a stop?

 

It was efi and got converted to carb. I can't actually tell if it has spark because I've been by myself both times its happend. No one 2 start truck while I check. I jus think its in the ignition because once it sits for 30 40 mins it starts up and runs like new

 

inspect the cap/rotor to make sure there isnt any corrosion or that cap is cracked. if the truck is auto just chalk the wheels, put it in neutral and put the key to the on position and jump the solenoid on the fender to start or go get a bump starter from an autoparts store. this way you dont need anyone.

 

Ok I will try that. Thanks for the good advice!