My 1986 dodge pickup runs great for about a minute, then it conks out... for that first minute, it runs strong and then---nothin'----it just dies.... its a 225 slant6 with a 1bbl carb... it has good spark at all 6 cyllinders and plenty of gas flow and the timing looks good,,,,,, it has spark control computer... any ideas?

 

Does it restart immediately after it dies or do you have to wait? Do you have spark at the plugs after it quits?

You should have dual pick-up coils in the distributor, one start and one run. The resistance thru both of these coils should be 150-900 ohms. You can check the air gap on the coils with a NON METALLIC feeler gauge. The start coil gap should be .006 inch and the run .008 inch.

You also have a start/run relay that should have a resistance across pins 4 & 5 of 20-30 ohms.

Your SCC should be of the 4 pin variety and has its own set of tests.

 

i can get it to start right after it stalls, but its a struggle, and it will not stay running... it conks right out again---- if i wait, it starts up nice again, but then dies within a minute

i still have spark right after it dies, i checked this by taking one of the spark plug wires and laying it on top of the valve cover... when i cranked the engine, it sparked a nice blue arc

the pickup coils measure 350 ohms and 400 ohms... the gap is set at .006 as you suggest for the start and .012 for the run as suggested by the chilton manual--- but if .008 is better, it can be changed

the start-run relay... i really thought we had it.... i checked through the coil as you suggested and it looked good... i popped the cover and checked continuity through the contacts while holding the coil in the 'engaged' position.... the meter was jumping all over the place through the k-ohms and meg-ohms range... i inspected the contacts, they were dirty, so i cleaned them-their resistance went to zero----i thought we fixed it, but still, the same old problem

my computer has 2 plugs--- 1 of the plugs is a 10-pin plug and i need to count the pins on the other plug

thanks for your advice---i'll keep diggin'

other pertinent info: the carb is brand new and so is the timing chain,,, so now you can see that i have spent unnecessary time and money on this machine.... i'm more determined than ever