Hi. I have a 1986 LG4 Camaro, 305, auto. Rochester carburator, 92,000 miles. All stock.
The car started to have a random problem of just shutting off when driving. The car will idle fine in he driveway for an hour and not miss a beat. But now even after a few miles driving trip it will just die. No warning. No sounds. No sputtering. Just shuts off. Usually I will coast to the side of the road, put it in neutral, or park, and it immediately starts right back up like nothing happened.
What do you think?
Fuel: It doesn't sputter before. And it immediately starts, like normal. So I don't think its a fuel problem.
Air: Probably not.
Spark.
Battery is fully charged. If it was a loose cable I don't think it would start back up. When the battery is low it idles like it has an occasional missfire. Pops through the exhaust.
Spark plug wires. My first thought it was the wires maybe loose, or the "spark" jumping from wire to wire causing it to misfire and die. I have newer DUI brand wires in good condition. One of the spots the wires were crossed I wrapped in foil tape thinking it would insulate. It may have made it worse. So I separated the wires and used Flex seal tape, thinking it would insulate better. Back to normal, were it dies.
I thought about if the ignition module was bad. It has a newer DUI brand with cap and coil and ignition module. I removed the DUI cap, coil, and module and replaced with new stock parts. No change. I really think its the ignition module getting too hot. I did use the grease that comes with it.
I don't think it could be the distributor itself. All the wires seem to be in good condition, and plugged in correctly.
I replaced the computer a few years ago. It also has a 1990's chip (superchip?) . I don't think the chip would cause that. or a faulty computer.

Thanks. Mark

 

Consider that primary ignition power may be getting interrupted. The ignition coil must have +12V from the ignition switch. That power also feeds the ignition module in the distributor. If other systems appear to lose power when it dies, there may be a problem with power feed to the ignition switch. If none of the other systems, accessories, and lights get interrupted when it dies, there may be connection problems between the switch and distributor.