Ram Tough alright!

[erviebear]

my 1985 Dodge D150 pickup is ram tough alright! tough to figure out that is. Here's the scoopp. about month ago began idling rough. then went into slight hesitation when accelerating would shake and vibrate first ten feet then straighten out ok. Then went into backfire through muffler one day afte i got on it and let off gas. it died about 100 feet later. would not start then starter locked up by turning it over so much. replaced starter all was ok but still doing the rough idle and vibrating when acclerating first ten feet or so. Then it began this thing where I'd shut it off and it wouldn't start for next two to three hours. Now mind you inbetween all these symptons i replaced starter-volt reg.starter relay.fuel filter. Someone told me to check run-start pickup in distributor. Replaced entire distruiibutor cause found drive gear shattered. was also told probably jumped time so i replaced timming gear-chain-sprocket. and water pump. put all bacjk together followed the tdc guidlines and aligned dist. with #1 plug and now it will only start with starting fluid and backfires through car, I give up! any body listening that can help? please!

[Parson4]

Could be the dist is 180 degrees out from what I have read........

my 1.5 cents worth :D

[erviebear]

thank you for replying! how do i get it back in syn from 180?

[erviebear]

how do i get it back in sync from 180 degrees?

[Parson4]

If that is the case, you will need to remove the distributor, and turn it exactly 180 degrees.....NOW, having said that......There are a lot of guys on here far more qualified than this "old cowboy" (in fact most all of them are)that will probably jump in here in the morning and explain it to you in very eazy terms.....

And another way is to yell real loud.......HELPPPPPPPP SPEEEEEDO or BRUCE :D :D

[Speed Dragon]

First, you need to make sure of where the rotor is pointing at TDC, cause that's where #1 plug wire should be. It does sound like you have it 180 out, or more simply, you put it in backwards :) Dodges only go in 2 ways, right or 180 out. Just pull it out and turn the shaft 180 degrees and drop it back in, if it's right, it should try to fire right up.

[charlie1935]

I have been known to switch the wires in the distributor cap 180 degrees when I knew for sure the dist. was 180 out. Sure drives the next guy that works on it crazy. :D :gr_patrio
Charlie

[Dodgevanman]

The fact that he said that the dist. drive gear was shattered tells me that this truck has a slant six. The new dist. may have been installed a few teeth off rather than completely 180 out.

[erviebear]

UPDATE; thank you all for your superb advise and taking time out to help! got it right I think as far as the 180 problem..it starts now but still have to work accelerator and get it past the spitting and sputtering and then it evens out after I rev it a few times. I guess this is an indication timing is still off a bit? Also found out I may have been on exhaust stroke instead of compression stroke earlier which helped when seating the new distributor. anyway I let it idle for 30 minuets and knew then I had made a difference timing in the right direction because it would only run for about 5 to 10 min. before and stall out....any further input from here would be greatly appreciated before I try and adjust something and end up taking two steps back!

[Speed Dragon]

Sounds like you need to use a timing light on it and replace the accelerator pump.

[BigW350ram]

I need a accelerator pump for my Rochester quadrajet but I don't know where to get one from.

[erviebear]

To those who have been following my first post and giving advise (Ramtough alright!) round two has begun. after getting dist. set perfectly and timming set right on the nats ass -it ran excellant last night. a little sluggisg but not to bad as lonfg as i didnt put my foot into accelerator. (ordered an accelerator pump today) now today I took her out for another spin and got about 3 miles down road and it surged and hesitated like it was going to stall but then quickly straightened out. contimued to drive another couple of miles -ran my errand and started home when got about two miles down road and di the surge and bump and I'm gonna stall on you thing but straightened out again. got home and it died when i put it in park. starts up with pumping and grinding starter until it kicks in. now it is bacjklfiring through muffler again. pop goes the wiesel ! what now. timming is set perfectly. was running beautifully last night.

[Parson4]

Are you sure you tighned the hold down bolt on the dist real good ??? Probably clear up and run like a baby when you get the acc pump in :D

[Speed Dragon]

Out of gas?

[erviebear]

don't think so just put two gallons in it last nite after got it on street again. i was getting 15mpg and only went about 9 or so miles today. it restarts pretty good after working the accelerator but i got to keep revving it until it smooths out enough to idle although rough but then it stalls out after a few minuets again. the back firing comes when i restart it and rev it up pretty high then let off gas it then bogs and cuts out at high rpm while revving it up .

[Speed Dragon]

What did you set the timing at? You have to set it when it's warm, no choke on, and w/ the vacuum line off of the distributor.

[needa440please]

two gallons?Probably Out of gas!

[erviebear]

nephew set it at factory specs. amazing in itself for an engine this old. he followed all procedures with everything warm but dist. does bot have an advance. carb. is spewing gas like a sprinkler when it dies. so i removed carb. to install a accelerator pump and found guts of carb. just a nasty mess. decided not to use at this point and quit the nickle and dimming and will install a refurbished or new one tommorow and see how things go.

[erviebear]

installed new carb and fuel pump runs better but still has a miss fire somewhere. idles for a while then will act like it wants to quit then idles a little longer then quits. starts up ok . it acts like it still has a miss fire when driving like it wants to cut out as it will buck once or twice up around 40 mph and acts like it wants to stall out. geez this is frustrating.

[bherder]

nephew set it at factory specs. amazing in itself for an engine this old. he followed all procedures with everything warm but dist. does bot have an advance.

The dist does NOT have a vacuum advance??? I find that sorta' hard to beleive, unless it's been butchered or replaced with a 'hi-po' (So far as a /6 goes) dist....

carb. is spewing gas like a sprinkler when it dies. so i removed carb. to install a accelerator pump and found guts of carb. just a nasty mess. decided not to use at this point and quit the nickle and dimming and will install a refurbished or new one tommorow and see how things go.

Sounds like the way to go on this.....

[Speed Dragon]

The dist does NOT have a vacuum advance??? I find that sorta' hard to beleive, unless it's been butchered or replaced with a 'hi-po' (So far as a /6 goes) dist....

Could be out of one with the ESC, they didn't have the vac advance on them. My '87 Diplomat doesn't have it, for instance. The Spark Control does it instead. If this is the case, his truck either has the ESC and he doesn't know what it is, or someone put a distributor out of an ESC truck/car in it. I'm kinda thinking he has ESC from the troubles he's describing.

[erviebear]

does not have a electronic spark control box-control module -resistor or vacum advance. I've had several people look for them and they just aren't there.personally don't know how truck has been running all this time but it had ran like a champ until all this aforementioned trouble began about a month ago now...why at this point does it act like it wants to cut out then ebven out and then does die after several minuets from that point. it bucks and wants to stall when driving the same way but is restarting fine. :VHOT:

[Speed Dragon]

Can you get some pics of the insides of the fenders, the engine, and a close-up of the dizzy? That we we can look at it and see what you got, and go from there.

[erviebear]

GOT 'R' DONE! replaced plugs and wires and she smoothed out beautifully no quirks. she was down two weeks. I mised my baby!THANK YOU ALL out there for your time -patients-input ! Hopefully someday I can give advise and help someone.

[88D250]

Does your truck have a mechanical fuel pump? I assume it does my 88 D250 has one. I have had problems like you describe. I found that the fuel pump wasn't working correct. I have an electric back up pump I installed. When I turn it on the problem would clear up. I installed a new fuel pump and it is OK. Also check all your gas hoses from the tank to the carb. I have had hoses that would have a pin hole or were so hard the spring clip clamps would let it suck air. I had to competely replace ALL THE RUBBER GAS HOSE ON MY 88 D250.

[Speed Dragon]

GOT 'R' DONE! replaced plugs and wires and she smoothed out beautifully no quirks. she was down two weeks. I mised my baby!THANK YOU ALL out there for your time -patients-input ! Hopefully someday I can give advise and help someone.Awesome dude, glad to hear it. Now go lay some rubber! Then take a pic and post it up :D

[Dodgevanman]

My 85 van has a slant six with the ESA computer, dist. has no vacuum advance. The vacuum signal from the carb. goes right to the ESA computer. Piss-poor design.