Dies after less than a mile... an hour later FINE???

[RVAWagon]

Ok y?all I?ve searched on here but can?t seem to find my exact problem, I didn?t want to start a new thread if one existed. Sorry for the long post here, but I want to make sure I give you all of the details.

Details:
1987 GW
Gas V8 360
Auto Trans
108K miles

I have owned this for about 3 weeks now and I?ve had this problem happen twice now. I drove this home to VA from NC after buying it and it drove fine. It sat for a week while I got insurance and registration done and then I went to drive it and it cranked up and I drove it from my house down the street to the first stop sign (.25 miles) and I was waiting to turn and when I stopped it cut off on me. It cranked right back up and when I put it in gear and then gas it died again. I opened the hood and checked a few things as my neighbor drove by and stopped to help. I tried to start it again and nothing and gradually it wouldn?t even crank up at all. He checked for spark when trying to start it and still nothing. We towed it back to my house and I took another car. My wife got home about an hour later and it cranked up fine and she put it in the garage. The following day it cranked up fine and I sprayed carb cleaner in it and hadn?t had a problem, it cranked up and drove fine each day.

I drove it a few days later and no problem. I got home and then I had to take it to drop it off at the mechanic to get inspection and new tires. I went out to crank it and absolutely nothing. I noticed the positive battery cable was getting hot when trying to crank it. It sat for an hour and cranked up fine, I drove it to the mechanic and told them to check it out. They replaced the positive battery cable and said it was starting fine.

This past Saturday it sat all day and on Sunday it cranked up fine and then I got to the same stop sign and it was doing the same thing. I tried a few other things and then came to realize it would crank and idle fine, but once I put it in gear it would die. I let it sit for about 30 minutes and then it cranked up fine and I drove it back to my house and parked it. I then went out and cranked it up about an hour later and drove fine all day.

So, any ideas what is causing this problem, it seems to be when it sits for a day or more and then once load it put on the engine.

[Ristow]

Verify the carb has fuel in it next timeout does this. You can actually remove the top of the carb easily and observe the operating fuel level.

It sounds like a fuel issue to me.

[babywag]

Bad coil wire connectors, see a lot of them that it's just a few copper strands of wire left hanging on for dear life.

A new connector/pigtail can be bought from parts stores, or just replace the wire connectors if you're handy.

If it was fuel related I don't think it would fire up immediately when left to sit.
Sounds like ignition or wiring related?

Could also be the distributor pickup wires/connector.

[jimel94]

Could be a fuel issue. Thats what mine ended up being. It can be that ur fuel hoses arent holding the proper fuel pressure all the way through. Had to pull mine.

[RVAWagon]

Thanks for all of the tips and advice. I will be tinkering this weekend.

Any other thoughts or theories around based around the fact that after it cuts off the first time, after that it cuts off when there is load on the engine, as in when I put it in gear?

[jsinajeep]

Check the ign. module next time it happen to see how hot it is. If it hot
it is going bad.

[serehill]

absolutely

Check the ign. module next time it happen to see how hot it is. If it hot
it is going bad.

This for sure.

[charlie500]

See if you have spark. I thought this was helpful:

1 - pull high-tension coil wire out of distributor cap - using a screwdriver with an insulated handle put screwdriver tip in end of wire and hold shaft about 1/4" from a ground ( not battery - potential explosion ) - is there spark yes/no?

2 - if # 1 yes repeat same test downstream of distributor at spark plug end of wire - yes/no?

3 - if # 3 yes then most likely spark plug is bad or fouled though there are a few other very very rare possibilities

4 - if #1 is no then put a test light on ignition coil + with key on , is there power yes/no?

5 - if #4 yes then put test light on ignition coil - with key on, is there power yes/no?

6 - if #5 yes then crank engine over, does ignition coil negative test light flicker yes/no?

7 - if #1 no and #6 no then problem is in primary control circuit ( otherwise known as ignition module )

9 - if #2 no then problem is distributor cap and/or rotor button.

10 - if #1 no, #4 #5 yes and #6 no - bad coil

http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=121158

[RVAWagon]

^^^^^
That's great! Thanks. I will be going through all of these probably over the upcoming days/weeks!

Thanks for all of the great ideas! Keep 'em coming if you have any other tips, tricks, or thoughts!

[RVAWagon]

So thanks for all the tips.

UPDATE: With all of the storms we had on Saturday, I wasn?t able to work on the wagon and then Saturday night, not wanting it to sit all day again without being started, I went to drive it around the neighborhood. Well it started up fine and then after about a mile, it died on me and would not start up again. So I towed it back to my house and tried to crank it after about two hours of sitting and nothing. It had power but would not start.

Sunday I went to AutoZone and picked up: ignition coil, distributor cap/rotor button, spark plugs, and spark plug wires and went back to work on it. I didn?t get around to changing the wires and plugs yet? they are a PITA to get to, but changed the other parts and still nothing. Found the starter (not sure why it?s on the bottom near the transmission) took it off and back to AutoZone to get a new one. They also tested it while I was there and sure as anything? it was dead. Went back in installed the new starter and it fired right up!

So I?m hoping that this dying starter was my problem the whole time. Only time will tell if I still have that weird issue where it dies after a few minutes when it has been sitting for a day. Also when load it put on the engine.

Thanks for the help and tips!

[grandwag89]

I'm leaning towards fuel issue myself. Check to see if your filter has a return line and that it's oriented in the 12 o'clock position. Mine acted the same way if it ad no return and took too much fuel. After a while the excess would evaporate and it would fire back up.

[61Hawk]

Check the ign. module next time it happen to see how hot it is. If it hot
it is going bad.

Which is why I carry a spare, had two go out on me. On the side of the road it's about a 5 minute fix to get you somewhere safe, 10 if you want to swap them out right there.

[TexasJ10]

I would be shocked if the stalling issue was related to the starter. It's possible that compound issues are at work. Ignition modules are always a suspect in stalling and failing to start, and fuel issues with stalling.

[Z71]

My 1984 J20/360 engine was doing similar things when I got it some years back. Turned out to be the pick-up sensor in the distributer

The J20 would run fine for awhile...then stall-out..not re-start. Wait 20 minutes and would start and run again.

[JeepJeepster]

You say sometimes it does nothing, do you mean it wont even crank? Hopefully that was just a bad connection and was fixed with the new cable.

Mine was doing this very thing. Sometimes it would die, start itself back while still driving, sometimes it would take several minutes then it would start and backfire suddenly. Instead of replacing this and that, I completely replaced the ignition with a stealth hei on a relay, new msd coil also on a relay, new msd cap+wires, new fuel pump/filter, fresh carb rebuild properly adjusted by me, removed air pump junk, removed unnecessary vacuum hoses and replaced all the remaining new vacuum lines.

After 27 years, the factory ignition is worn out and out dated. The ignition module on the drivers side fender could most likely be your problem (could be a fuel problem or bad connection on the coil as mentioned) but your symptoms describe a bad module fairly well. Maybe a bad coil pickup. Anytime something works till you drive it, doesnt work, then works when it cools off I always suspect something electrical. Its possible it could be other issues, but probably not.

Edit: just read your post about replacing the starter. As someone said, probably a compound issue.

You can buy new ignition modules but they are all cheap china junk. Thats why I went with the stealth hei module. You can use USA GM modules.