Ok here is my problem, I searched alot and tried a bunch of stuff that was suggested. to avail though

What is happening is when my truck gets hot it dies as if it was not getting any gas then will stall out. I needed a brand new distibutor so I went ahead and got one with new points, condensor, and the same vacuum advance from the last distibutor that one was already adjusted for pinging due to no more smog crap. Which by the way really worked it has lots of power and runs so much better now with everything new., other than this problem. that did not solve it at all. I was on a drive home from San jose when this problem started. It was really hot and the traffic was at a dead stop and very slow moving for about 30 miles took forever! The engine temps climbed from the normal 190 to 230. Thats when it first happened. First time I got under the hood and checked it out. The coil was too hot to touch, so I stopped in at the nest towns kragen and replaced it, still happened though and still to hot to touch. So next town replaced the ignition module, that did not cure it either. checked all the wiring and all that seems to be intact and in good condition.

Now the funny thing is that I can start it right back up again when it it does die. But... as the engine is turning over, it will turn over and turn over and not start until I let go of the key then it will start right up???? Then it will sometimes go a small distance and sometimes a long one but it will eventually happen again though.

As i said this never happened until I put that new distributor in but them temp were not that hot out either. could it be that the vacuum advance is not compatable with the new distibutor? the old one was a dual vacuum port one but I had one plugged off. And the new one is only a single, but they bolted right up no problem.

am at a total loss here and so is everyone else I talk to hope someone can help.

thanks
Bubba

 

Wait a minute here - you said you got a new distributor with points, but you also bought a new ignition module? That's not right. BTW, the coil is going to be hot anyway, that doesn't mean it's failing. Anything attached to the block by metal will be hot. What year truck\engine is this? This will make things easier to talk about.

 

71 400. I am sorry I meant the voltage regualor not ignition module

 

Check the point gap and the timing. As for the vacuum advance, if you have plenty of power accelerating, I would think it's fine. Stalling when hot doesn't really point to the vacuum advance. Other things I might be concered with are issues with the fuel line boiling. Go ahead and check the gap and timing, though.

 

the gap is ok and so is the timing on dead on i did notice bubbling in the fuel filter I have one one the clear ones that you can clean out. I have all metal lines fromt the tank to about a foot from the fuel filter. and then going to the carb about a foot or rubber then metal and then couple inches rubber on both sides of the filter and rubber right to the carb. Carb is mounted directly to the manifold. i have a holley economaster with a edlbrock low rise economy intake. the ones with the small intake runners. could it be that I need to raise the carb? on one of those phenolic spacers? vapor lock???

 

Mine does the same thing down here in TX. Hot day, get balled up in traffic and the gas boils. It is worse in the winter gas to summer season changeover. I have made mine worse by running it through an electric pump that preheats the gas. I can pull over, pour water over the pump, and it comes back to life.

I improved the situation somewhat by wrapping my fuel line in pipe insulation then wrapping that with AL a/c tape for a reflective barrier.

I think the best solution is a return line, but that is some fairly serious work.

You might try chilling the fuel line with a ice water soaked rag next time it happens to prove the theory.

GL

 

but there is lots of fuel in the line and the filter is full ?is the gas just to hot to fill the float bowls? like I said it will start right back up again the second it dies. return fuel line???

 

Determine whether it is spark or fuel. Thinking "as if it was not getting any gas" is not good enuf. Follow the tests for spark and fuel listed in your service manual or any number of threads here.