Hey there, my dads 84 will stall occasionally when the car is up to running temps. its totally random, he will have to let it sit and completly cool down before it restarts. Any ideas? maybe ignition module? i'm going to do a complete tune up with the plugs, wires, cap, rotor, fuel filter etc. car has 24k on it. thanks for the input.

 

Have seen the ignition module inside distributor cause this but it is just a guess. Complete tune-up a good starting point.

 

thats why i was leaning towards the ignition module, i've experienced this with other cars when it gets too hot, it shuts off and has to cool, then it will restart.

 

Have you checked for codes? Have you determined that it is an intermittent ignition interruption rather than a faulty fuel function?

RACE ON!!!

 

As CFI pointed it out it is better to pull the codes/trouble shoot the issue before throwing parts at it.

 

On a 23 year old car that may have not had a tune-up because of low mileage, i don't know where doing a complete tune-up is good maintenance or throwing parts at it. You're call.

 

no codes showing

 

What do you mean by "showing"? Did you try to pull codes? Have you determined that it is an intermittent ignition interruption rather than a faulty fuel function?

RACE ON!!!

 

Did you pull any stored codes? IE put the ECM into diagnostic mode and retrieve anything stored?

Even if the check engine light isn't coming on, the ECM will store anything that happened in the past until you clear the codes. If the problem is intermittent (such as yours) the light may come on only briefly or even not at all, but the ECM will register the fault.

They need 3 things to run..

1. Suitable compression (which we know you have).
2. A suitable fuel / air mixture
3. A suitably strong spark delivered at the correct time.

Your issue is either #2 or #3 not happening under certain conditions. If you don't have any stored codes, what we need to do next is to do some testing once the problem presents itself.

I would start by testing fuel pressure when the car stalls and won't refire. Not fun to do on the 84...you will have to use a T to a low pressure (0-15 psi) gauge. The ideal place to test is between the throttle bodies, but you can also run the line just past the fuel filter as well.

The CFI system should have between 9-13 psi to run correctly. If you have pressure in that range, even if they car won't start, we can eliminate a fuel pump / restricted line issue and start looking elsewhere.

Next thing I would do is look down the TBI units and see if the injectors are spraying fuel as it's cranked. If you have correct fuel pressure and the injectors are firing, time to look at an ignition issue.

The first thing you should really do is pick up a factory (Helm) service manual. They are indispensable.

Get the car hot, get it to replicate the condition, and be ready to test your fuel pressure. Let us know what you find out and we'll go from there.

PS agree with the above....I will diagnose a problem into the ground before I'll replace a single part....Throwing parts at the problem to fix it = frustration and $$$. Better to spend an extra afternoon troubleshooting and save a few hundred $$$ in wasted parts.