Diplomat stalls after driven short distance

I have a 1985 Dodge Diplomat, 318, auto.The car starts and runs great. After I drive 10km's or so, it dies. After ten minutes of waiting around it will start and drive fine for a couple or few km's and die again.I tried a new coil,plug wires and plugs. Please help.

Reply to
snay
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Drive it to the nearest junkyard, and see if you can get $50 or so for it. Then go buy a real car.

Reply to
Dan C

It is a cute car. I suggest you to keep it.

What kind of problem it has. I bet it has carb in it, so the only thing i can think of is the distributor. find a dummy spark plug, and keep it with you. when it dies, pull one of the spark plug wires and put in the dummy plug. Touch the engine and crank the car. you should see a spark jump. If not, most probably you have a distributor/coil problem.

good luck.

Reply to
uccoskun

next time it dies see if your getting spark. ignition module may be getting hot.

Reply to
robs440

It may be a fuel problem. Check for...of all things...water in the gasoline.

There is a fiber-based filter in the tank of those cars; the fibers swell up in the presence of water to block the fuel flow in the event of water in the tank. You might be able to get rid of the water by using one of the gas-drying additives, if the situation isn't too bad.

A clogged fuel filter is a possibility, too; the filter gradually clogging under suction from the fuel pump, then when the suction is released, the junk sinks down to the bottom of the filter housing again.

Reply to
Gene Poon

Thanx for the suggestions. Could you describe the exact location of the ignition module. Im gonna change the old lookin fuel filter. Could a plugged cat show these simptons. My friend thinks so, I dont. If its plugged, then it should run like crap all the time, not just when it warms up. Agree or disagree?

Reply to
snay

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ignition module will be on firewall or fender. it will look like this.

Reply to
robs440

after trying an ignition module I discovered that it was the fuel filter. But, earlier on in my frustration I screwed around with the pick up coil. What's the gap supposed to be between the pick up coil and the round spining thing under the distributor cap. My terminology might be off.

Reply to
snay

Thanx alot guys for the help thusfar. Ill be sure to pay it forward.

Reply to
snay

IIRC, the gap between the reluctor and the pick-up coil should be .008 inches. I seem to recall that you should use a brass feeler gauge.......Dr. P.

Reply to
Mr. Bignose

There magnet on the pickup plate would tend to give the feel of an incorrect setting when checking the air gap using a steel feeler gauge. We used a brass feeler gauge for a better feel.

Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech

Reply to
maxpower

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