so here is the issue, when i first got the car in april, it would under die under accel after it got warmed up. then after a few months it started doing it again. when i first got the car it had been overheated several times while dealing with cooling issues. it started dieing again at a drift even at 220 or 230 degrees. after i let it cool down to like 165 and made another lap, that was the only lap it didnt die on. its acting just like it did before so i am sure its the pickup coil again but i have not torn into it because i have been out of the country since right after that event.

it seems like the block is heating up the distributor and cooking the pick up coil. or am i way out in left field.

 

anybody have any ideas?
when i replaced all the other gaskets, there was just one thin one for the distributor, anyone else have anything different?
thanks

 

The dist gets just a thin paper gasket. The ignition module is more sensitve to heat than the pick up coil. Make sure the module is healthy and installed with heat transfer grease between it and the dist base. Is your fuel system set up for high Gs. You could be experiencing fuel slosh and loss of fuel to the carb jets under hard cornering.

 

i will test or replace both as soon as i get back. last time it was doing this i replaced the ingnition modual and it did nothing, then i replaced the pickup coil and it fixed it.
im TBI so i dont think Gs and transitions should be an issue. am i wrong here?

thanks

 

Even the most basic 3rd gen is capable of pulling .85 in the skid pad. That's plenty to cause fuel starvation with less than a 1/4 tank. It's just something to think about. Take a close look at the distributor for any sign of excessive wear or damage. If the engine runs okay cold, it may be hard to verify failure with cold part bench testing. You may be stuck verifying spark drop out when the engine stalls and fails to restart. Once you verify no spark, you should be safe to replace or overhaul the distributor. One thing to try, when the engine dies and won't restart, unplug the timing connector and try starting the engine. If it starts this way, you have verified pick up coil/ign module failure.

 

what is the life expectancy of a distributor anyway? my odo stopped and 135k a couple years ago, and the last owner definatly neglected it. would i be better off paying the extra $40 for a new distributor?

also, the first time i was having this issue, (when i first got the car last april) it would straight up die. (fixed by replacing pick up coil)
at the track in late october it would act like it died, no rpms, no power steering etc. but if i turned the key, the stater would grind. the go pedle did nothing, but if i left her be for a couple seconds, she would come back to life and respond to throttle inpute again.
again, on the last lap after letting it cool, everything went smooth.

 

That really sounds like the module/coil over heating. You may want to get a new distributor.

 

hmm... that sounds like unfortunate logic.

one more thing, i was thinking about this late last night, and i remembered it did this a few times trying to leave stop lights on the way to the event as well, while at normal operating temps. does that change anything?

yall rock

 

sounds like a dizzy problem (corrosion /cracked cap etc) my 91 with tpi was giving me hell ran great cold but once it warmed up, it would run like doodoo (stalled coming to stops ruogh idle) so i replaced egr and cts...(stopped stalling but i was then losing power and mis/backfiring once warmed up) so i was just checking wiring under the hood and found that my dizzy cap was ziptied down,cracked /corroded...i am waiting for replacement to come in and also for my fuel pump which was shot...idk how useful anyof this is bc you have tbi (at least i think i read that lol) but its a similar issue that may lead you to your ultimate resolution based on what asedoc has reccomended

 

A failing ig mod or pick up coil will get worse. They start by failing when hot then just die. Atleast yours hasn't stranded you yet.

 

the cap and rotor, as well as modual and pickup coil were replaced in like july. i could not see any visual issues with the dizzy at the time, but i didnt really known what i was looking for either.
sounds like we can conclude that either the coil or mod is getting cooked. would a old dizzy do this? should i replace it anyway as preventative maintinance?
would a bad egr show up on aldl?

sorry or all the simple questions and i really appreciate the help guys.

 

There is a code 32 for EGR system failure. The emissions sytem in these cars is primitive and so is the ECM's monitoing capability. So there is a wide range of possible problems that wont show up as a trouble code.

Before you replace any parts, recheck saprk and fuel injector pulse along with fuel pressure to be sure of what's missing. The distribuotr can suffer mechanical failure and replacement modules do fail.

 

i got all my aldl stuff but i cant get my ecu to talk to my lap top. everything seems to be good except running a little rich (different thread). but i dont want to lose another event to something i could have prevented to i bough a new distributor, cap and rotor. (didnt look great after sitting for 7 months anyway). the next drift event is the 12th ill let you all know how it goes.

 

so far so good with the ignition. i replaced the ecu to and the aldl started getting some data. but the only thing i got was raw data from MW2, PROMID a and b and a couple other things erratically. looks like i wont make it to the track until the 18th. but ill have a many more parts and more time to tune before then, so thats no biggie. i really want to just make this thing run right.

 

iv had a couple pick up coil problems, but one was intermitant like your situation, and the other was shorted. that was just pick up coil experiences iv had to deal with on 2 of my 3rdgens. but at work, iv had to replace several secondary coils due to heat soak, so i mounted mine on the bulk head (firewall) to prevent that. and with icm's, my experiences were they flat out die with no intermitant problems. but thats not true to everyone elses experiences....just start with diagnosing your primary ignition circuits and components until you reach the secondary ignition system. would be nice to keep an eye on fuel pressure when you make those runs, but tbi i dont believe have shrader valves, so you must make an inline splice on the supply side and watch what happens to it when you run it. fuel pumps can certainly be intermitant

 

update:
i drove 5 hours to Charlotte and drifted for about 7 hours pretty much straight. just stopping to change tires. the motor ran like a raped ape. i filled up the fuel tank right before i got to the track, i ran a 160 thermostat, removed the hood, and flushed the whole cooling system a couple days before and put some redline watter wetter in her. i hit 230 a few times but mostly stayed about 190. no issues at all.
i also got between 25-27 mile per gallon on the highway getting there.

hope this helps somebody else at some point

 

Have a question related to this topic. I have these same issues on a 92 PU, 350 Vortec, GMPP TBI intake. Would mounting the coil to the firewall behind dist. make any ill-effects, transfering of heat etc.? Just replaced intake gasket, having issues gettting it timed back up and running. Have checked and checked and checked TDC etc. several times, wondering if I had hit it right. Is there any defense against this problem? Thanks Folks, also, what, other than the grease pack that comes with module would be best to use?

 

How do you set up a carburetor for High-G's? I've been struggling with stalling under braking and very high G-corners for years.

 

just so im clear it is running to some degree in order to experience it dieing right?

first note that my problem was the pick up coil (located inside the distributor) not the ignition coil. not sure how one would relocate that puppy. relocating the ignition coil though, one could try a 'coil on cap' set up, i dont know anything about putting a ignition coil on the firewall personally.
second the grease that it comes with it is dielectric grease to insulate it. it is the correct stuff. if you need more spark plug boot grease and electric connector protector are also dielectric, not sure if they are exactly the same though.

on timing: when you put the distributor back on there should only be one way that is goes all the way down and the rotor should end up just before the number one terminal (in the cap). when i put my motor back together after doing my heads, the only way the distributor would go all the way down, put the rotor just past what was the number 1 terminal (and what the book said should be the number 1 terminal.) so i just rotated the all plug wires on the cap over one.

hope something in that helped

 

start with jets. there is also something about drilling a hole someplace. i dont have any personal experience, (i still run TBI) but that is what i have heard from circle track guys.