Hello,

My grandfather has a 1987 Ram D150 LE long bed and it has been stalling out on him for some reason lately. He has decided that he is done with the truck and is passing it down to me. It is in really good condition for its age and everything on it is original. I am excited to get my hands on it and I plan on restoring it. I have a couple of questions for anyone out there who can help me out.

1. Where are the best places to shop for replacement and upgrade parts?
2. What would you all suspect is causing the stall issue? He says that it starts up great and that he has kept up with the maintenance on it. He mentioned that when he had the AC running the other day and went to roll up the (power) window he could noticeably tell that the AC fan slowed down and sounded like it was struggling. He says when you are sitting still it does fine but it is dying while he is driving it. Could anyone guess as to where I should start troubleshooting. I am thinking it sounds like the alternator or carburetor is causing the problem.

As I said, I am a total rookie with older vehicles or any kind of mechanic work, but I though this would be a good place to start and my neighbor is a absolute gear head. What do you all think I need to get going on this project?

Thanks everyone,
Dan

 

First thing, welcome to the forum and to the world of older trucks! You'll find there's a lot of knowledgeable guys on here who are willing to lend a hand.
1a. As far as replacement parts, your local parts store should have most everything you'll need. If they don't have it in stock, they can usually have it next day.

1b. Upgrade parts may be a little harder to come by. Some aftermarket catalogs and online stores have Mopar performance parts, but can be hard to find if you don't know where to look. Some of the other guys on here can probably point you in the right direction on that.

2. Does it only stall when it warms up or is it a constant issue? If it is constant and only when you're on the throttle, I would suspect the carb or fuel filter may be clogged up. If it is still charging the battery then the alt. should be alright.

Sounds like you have yourself a nice project there! Good luck and congrats!

 

Welcome to the forum. The electrical issue could be a bad ground if the battery checks out OK. You can go to most parts stores (for free) to have your battery "load tested" to find out its health and at the same time they can check the charging system. Bad grounds and power connections on older vehicles are quite common due to rust and corrosion. If it was the alternator you would normally begin experiencing starting issues as alternators usually either work or they don't.

If the local parts stores can't get what you need for replacement parts just come on here and someone will usually be able to get you a source. Upgrades unfortunately are few and far between but some are available depending on what specifically you are looking for. Your local salvage yards will be a great source so find out where they are.

Words are important because one persons stall is another persons loss of power. The stalling issue needs a bit more info as there are so many things that could cause this depending on the symptoms. It could be fuel, electrical or even exhaust. Does it happen when accelerating or slowing down or at a steady speed and at what RPM/speed? Does it shut off and catch again on its own or does it need to be restarted with the starter. Does it restart immediately or does it take some time? Does it do it when it is cold or hot or both? Any more info you can give us will help us help you and save you time, money, and labor. Don't immediately trust a parts store for what is wrong without checking here first if possible. It is your money.

 

if you have a neighbor that is a gear head you should see if he has a timing light. with age the timing chain stretches and it effects the timing.

 

That is all good to know. I didn't think AutoZone would carry parts for a car that old so that is a relief. I do have a couple of salvage yards that are fairly close to here and I was planning on checking them out pretty soon. As far as the diagnosis questions go, he said he had the issue the first time and took the truck to a mechanic and the guy claimed to drive it 50 miles and had no issues. I think it is mainly a cold issue though because he said it happened on his street most recently and he just turned around and parked it. He did say that it completely died three times and he had to restart it. the first time it happened he was going up a hill, the next time he was going downhill and not going more than 15mph. I am going to tow it whenever I find the means and have my neighbor help me figure it all out. I will keep you all posted when I figure it out. Thanks!

 

If it were fuel you should loose power rather than it just shutting off. I would look at the EGR system first and then the electronics.

 

X2^
Also if it seems to happen only when cold, make sure the choke is working properly.

 

Okay I will look into that as well. I am still working on getting it to the house but now I have some ideas on where to start looking... Thanks again for the help!

 

Keep us posted on how it works out.

 

I sure will, thanks again...