energycontacts

iTrader: (1)

i have a 1990 TPI 350 auto. car starts but shuts off when it reaches about 20 minutes of driving. ive changed the rotor and cap and made better progress as far as engine hesitation. when i turn on the ac, the idle flutters up and down. car will not restart until completely cold again. will crank while hot, but wont fire. anyone with suggestions on where to start the diagnostic would be great.

ploegi

Ignition module in the distributor, or, the pickup coil. (same location)

energycontacts

iTrader: (1)

thanks, so that means a new distributor and coils right, any makes or brands recommended?

Viprklr

iTrader: (5)

No, it means possibly a new pick-up coil or module. No need to replace the dizzy.

Convoy25

iTrader: (3)

yeah its definetly one of those. i had the same problem. i'd start with the ignition module

Shinobi'sZ

This is what happened to me back in 1992 on my then 87' IROC...it was very frustrating as I was not familiar with how the ignition module worked or that it was in the distributor. A friend of mine pulled the dizzy cap, and removed the ignition coil...it was all burnt. The reason it runs for a while and then quits is because it is cool and then when it gets hot it shorts out.

There is grease between the ignition module and the metal base of the dizzy...the grease looks like it just got old over time or disintegrate thus allowing the module to gradually touch the metal base...then get hot...then short out...it is a gradual degradation that results in the car running and then shutting off...it is really a stupid design.

energycontacts

iTrader: (1)

well, i went to autozone today and bought the ignition module and pickup coil. when i opened it up, i realize the ignition module was easy to replace however the coil was different. i looked in the manual and my distributor must be different. mine has some gears on top of coil that needs to be removed so the coil can come out. ive looked for c-clips that hold it in and pins, but i can find what keeps the gears in. i tried prying it off like i did the rotor with a screwdriver, but can seem to budge it. i dont want to damage the existing coil as a base to pry off of, so i didnt try harder on the prying. anyways, i put everything back and started it up, i feared stalling so i kept it in the garage and let it run. it shut off again, so it must be the pickup coil. how can i get the coil off??? anyone know what im talking about? 1990 TPI 350 auto.

ploegi

You have to pull the distributor, take the drive gear off, and pull the shaft out of the housing. I think there are some screws somewhere or other that hold the thing in place, that once you have the rest apart, should be easier to find.

Daves03

for some reason i heard gm was notorious for dist overheating with no fire

naf

iTrader: (7)

Have you verified that there is no spark when it will not restart? When the pickup coil goes bad the tach will usually bounce or flutter. Failure of these ignition components will usually not result in a car that dies but a car that will not re-start hot-they stay cool enough while the dizzy is spinning but heat soak after it stops.

Have you verified that it is getting proper fuel AND pressure when it will not restart?

If you want to diagnose instead of swapping parts, the next time it does it pull one of your plug wires and check that it's sparking against the engine block while someone cranks the motor. Hook up a fuel pressure guage. Your problem could be as simple as a blocked fuel tank vent. Happened to a recent member and he threw a bunch of parts at it until someone asked him to loosen the fuel tank cap the next time it wouldn't start.

energycontacts

iTrader: (1)

the tach does flutter. as mentioned at the beginning, the idle is not smooth, especially when i turn the a/c on. i have not checked the fuel pressure as i have none of the necessary gauges or tools. the ignition module seemed to be in good shape, but it is an electronic part. i can see that the old pickup coil does not look as good as the new one i got, so i hope that is the problem. however im still not sure how to remove the old pickup coil, because of the two gears right above the pickup coil prevents me from sliding it up to remove. cant see what is holding them in. i will open the gas cap though just to check that aspect.

naf

iTrader: (7)

The pickup coil can only be removed by pressing out the roll pin that holds the distributor gear onto the bottom of the shaft, removing the gear and sliding the shaft out of the housing. When you pull the dist to do this, carefully mark the location of the rotor in relation to the distributor body, and the body's position in relation to the engine. Carefully re-installing to this same position should retain your timing settings within a few degrees.

Your pickup coil is only a few $ and probably should be replaced on a 100,000 mile or so mark. Your ignition module can be tested by any of the chain parts stores, AZ, etc. The test does not provide a guaranteed 'GOOD' if it passes but a 'FAIL' is certainly a bad module.

The next time it does it, check for spark when it won't crank. Then go from there.

90camaro420

Please someone help im going crazy now. ive taken this car to 3 shops and they cant tell me the issue. it will fire right up fine i can drive for an hour or so then park it and it will just crank crank crank act like its starting but wont fire. if i let it sit for about 40 minutes the sob will start again wtf???? ive just got the msd ignition control module- the cap-rotor- and ignition coil itself im going to put this all on tomarrow and PRAY it fixes it. then i just got off the phone with the original owner who says the cooling fan wont kick on unless the ac or heater is on vent only wtf!!!!! is the car overheating then maybe a sensor causing it to safety not start due to it bieng hot???? when it sits 40 mins it will start again and drive just fine. PLEASE i need help on this one lol im going INSANE

naf

iTrader: (7)

Hot soak failure is usually in the ignition system and usually the ignition module. MSD ignition module? Didn't know they made one. My MSD dist came with a GM module.

If the ICM doesn't fix it I'd look at the pick up coil next.

Nothing in the cooling system is keeping it from restarting. Check the lead to your fan switch on pass side head.

90camaro420

ok im getting ready to do the distributor cap,rotor, ignition module, and MSD coil lol sorry about that mixup the msd is the coil. so here goes i pray this works this car is such a beauty.

naf

iTrader: (7)

Got all that out, may want to consider the pickup coil while you're there. It's relatively inexpensive. I've heard that the small cap pickups were a problem but don't have broad enough experience in that regard.

90camaro420

Just did the distributor the pickup coil the cap rotor the ignition coil and it seemed to have fixed the problem and it runs like a raped ape now lol THANKS GUYS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED NEW PICS OF CAMARO TO COME!!!!!

da_barber

I'm having this same problem right now! Thanks to you guys I know where to start.