Hi, I have a 1985 dodge pick up with the 318 in it. I recently pulled her out of the barn to get her on the road. After a week of driving it, it just cut off one day and then wouldn't start for an hour or so. as if something was over-heated and then cooled off after sitting. I got it back to the house and it stalled out again. I pulled the coil wire out of the distributor to check for spark, no spark. After sitting several hours it started again only to run for about 5 mins. Then not start until left alone for several hours. I initially thought that something was wrong with the radio suppression capacitor because the wire was disconnected. However I did get it to start after I removed it. I have since swapped the coil out (ran for five mins) the porcelain ignition resistor (ran for 5 mins). I was assuming something electrical was over-heating. throughout this time frame the coil would give spark and then stop after the engine died. Today I swapped out the pickup coil in the distributor, still no spark. And then put in a new ignition control module and still no spark. Now it won't start or throw a spark from the coil at all.... I am extremely confused as to why it will not spark. The coil wire, coil, pickup coil, ignition resistor, and the ecu have all replaced. And I still have no spark. The only thing I haven't replaced is the radio suppression capacitor because it still ran and randomly gave spark without it. I'm assuming it has no effect on whether or not it will spark???? Please, any help would be greatly appreciated. I have shelled out $150 in parts trying to figure this out. Thanks for reading and any suggestions!

 

also, I checked the leads going to the coil with a light tester, both the positive and negative leads have power going to and from them. But no power is coming from the coil wire that goes to the distributor.

 

Did you set the air gap properly on the pick-up coil with a non magnetic feeler gauge?

 

Yessir, .006

 

The only way you're going to get any voltage/power out of the large center is if you power up the primary windings of the coil which creates magnetic flux lines. Once you remove the power from the primary windings the flux lines collapse back into the coil and into the secondary windings and out the large terminal.

 

Sounds like a wiring problem since all of the major parts are new. When it is cold you need to do some serious wire manipulation (wiggling) while it is cold and will run. You might try running a dedicated ground to the ECU because the mounting screw ground to the firewall has been a common problem.

 

when the truck stops running you should try checking for power at your fuses.

 

Anyone ever figure this problem out as this is exaclly what my plow truck is doing ?
A real pain in the butt !