My 87 RAM needs some help!

[The Beast]

I have an 87 RAM with a 318 that unexplainably died while I was driving it three weeks ago. It had no spark and for some reason started an hour later when it cool off. I has not done it since then, but it has been running funny. It's very moody now and runs good one day and then crappy the next. The motor is carbureted, has 211k miles, and a high altitude ECU (#4379082). I replaced the timing chain, distributor, and the rest of the ignition components. Any thoughts?ray:

 

[bremereric]

Ballast resistor...coil etc....check your ignition voltage present on on side of the ballast resistor with the key turned on it should be very close to the battery voltage...if not check the bulkhead connection and trace it back to the ignition switch....with the battery disconnected also make sure the positive ignition wires are not grounded...

 

[caferacerx]

did you replace the coil? they can stop working when they get hot and start working when they cool off
it could also very likely be a bad wire somewhere, loose or dirty connection, check the bulkhead connector, fuse box, any and all wire connections,
make sure you have full voltage to the ignition components, then start jiggling wires to check for a short

 

[memike]

This happened to me and it was the coil, my son drove it and called to let me know my truck was down, and just felt like it ran out of gas, so I drive to the truck about 3 hours later and it started right up., I thought is was the fuel pump, and or filter so I changed them out and it did it again a few days later, The coil was my problem.. I hope this thread brings some good news back to us and you get this figured out... I have bought a bad ecu before, and I see some good advice here.

 

[The Beast]

This happaned after I replaced the coil (the original one was leaking oil). I was told by one of my friends that these trucks (86 & 87) use ECUs that incorperate the ballast resisters, vacum advance, and the ingition control module in one box. Im going to get some electroninc parts cleaner and remove and clean the bulk head and see what happens. Heres a pic of the ECU:

 

[OrangeCrate]

This happaned after I replaced the coil (the original one was leaking oil).

Do you mean it never happened with the old coil? Is the replacement a "whamco" no-name piece of taiwan crap from one of those bottom-feeding auto parts chain stores? I'm thinkin I know the fix.......

 

[caferacerx]

Do you mean it never happened with the old coil? Is the replacement a "whamco" no-name piece of taiwan crap from one of those bottom-feeding auto parts chain stores? I'm thinkin I know the fix.......

ding! ding! ding!
I think we have a winner

 

[79dodge4ever]

check for play in the distributor shaft bushings, it will cause it to run great in the yard but can cause some pretty wierd symtoms and die unexpectedly and start after its cool. causes the gap to open on the pickup and have no spark when hot

 

[The Beast]

I got one of those $30 accel coils. When I cleaned the connectors to the ECU it seem to run a little better. Im going to check the distributor for play but when its in one if its moods, it wont idle very well. What is the gap for the pick-up in the distributor?

 

[memike]

I got one of those $30 accel coils. When I cleaned the connectors to the ECU it seem to run a little better. Im going to check the distributor for play but when its in one if its moods, it wont idle very well. What is the gap for the pick-up in the distributor?

In my Haynes it reads that from 1977 and up it is 0.006 air gap. using a none metal gage

 

[moparornocar72]

I always keep a extra coil in the truck for right now cuz it is such a common problem in these trucks. Mine did this 2 weeks after I got it.