Once started and at Temp the truck will idle fine for as long as it's sitting there. While driving it will go through spurts where it will run fine then it won't, then it will be fine again, etc. When it's not running fine the truck will without warning start jerking and hesitating and you have to let of the pedal some and then you can re apply pressure. It will also randomly bog down and you just have to let off of the pedal some and then press it back down just right and everything will sometimes start running smoothly again other times it will take a couple minutes of dealing with it before it smooths out

Uphill, it is guarenteed to lose power almost immediatley upon entering the incline. It will bog down, regardless of gear, to the point where you have to hold the pedal just right and it will hold a steady slow pace up the hill. If you attempt to down shift you only lose momentum and find no reward from the lower gear, just the same bogging issues. Something about the incline causes a loss of power / lack of fuel?

In the last month I have replaced all the basics; plugs, filters, oil, gas and carb treatments. At this point I have removed the carb and am going to try a refurb to see if that does it. The truck was sitting before I got it best I could tell.

Any thoughts and/or ideas are appreciated. From other threads you can see that this truck is headed for a swap so I am not willing to invest much more in to it rather than the new carb. I do want to drive it from NC to KY to where I'm doing the swap and other work at. Hoping to get it running good enough to get it there so I don't have to trailer it.

 

sure sounds like something in the ignition, maybe the module would be my first guess.
also chech to see if the heat riser in the exhaust manifold is working (not sticking).
84 would have hydraulic lifters so its not the valve adjustment. Make sure the advance in the distributor is advancing (put a timing light on it and rev it). check for weak spark. (spark plug spark checker from auto parts store, the kind with the adjustable gap). check timing with timing light. check resistance of the plug wires (can be done at auto parts store by someone who is knowledgeable.) At night, open the hood and see if you can see sparks jumping around from plug wires. what plugs did you put in it?

 

years ago my father had 84 ram 6 225,did the same thing.
untill it finaly died, it was the magnetic pickup in the dist.
this may help,worth checking it out. good luck

 

yes I believe it is definitley ignition related!! Magnetic Pickup is 1 I forgot.

 

Thank you for the ideas. I will start working through those this weekend and see what comes of it.

Can't remember exactly which plugs I put in. Standard replacements from the auto parts store. I did gap them correctly before replacing. All the above issue were present before and after the basic maintenance was done anyhow.

I'll follow up with what I find out

 

for the plugs in YOUR 1984 slant six, I would recommend the "NGK UR-4" plugs. They are the small "peanut" plugs. (NGK actually has the best quality plugs nowadays)
they have the conical taper seat. do not overtighten them/ set gap at .040.
these are the best plugs for a slant six!

 

Sounds like the exact problem I had. Your catalytic converter is plugged. Your engine can't exhale.

 

his engine is not a magnum with a plenum pan that always eventually leaks and causes your engine to burn oil and clog the cat. if you read in the 2nd gen section the plenum pan gasket is a common problem.