79 van_help!

ignition ?

does it lose spark ?

I don't know It will just stop.

If your mechanic thinks that the 351 Windsor has a timing belt, you need a new mechanic.

Fuel Spark Compression

It's one of the three. All 3 are pretty easy to test. If the problem is intermittent, it hasn't jumped time. That won't fix itself. He needs to find out if it's starving for fuel, or if it has no spark when it doesn't run. But then, a mechanic would know that....

He said timing. I added belt;-) I guess they had a chain.

listen up:

once a timing chain jumps, there's no way it will later re-start and run normally

so far, you've provided scant info except that your mechanic seems basically clue-less on this

I'm not being harsh here, just realistic

No problem. I understood that part.That it wouldn't do that if it were the timing.

I have provided all the info that I have. Seriously.

If I knew how to work on it and repair it, I would, so, I guess he and his crew either can't fix it, or don't want to. I am starting to think they don't want to. He has a huge back lot. It's not in the way.

So...I guess I should find someone else. Thanks for the help. Pauley...

Sounds like the control module to me. My wife's 75 Mustang II 302 ci used to cut out for no apparent reason.

Thank you. I'm open to anything at this point.

Pauley...

first thing is to determine if it has spark when it quits

if not, we're 70 % of the way to a solution

well, he said it hasn't started in over a week.

How am I to know if it has spark when it quits?

Pauley...

My '81 had similar problem. I replaced the control module, but that wasn't the fix. I finally got fed up with this bad behaviour and started pulling wires. Immediately found the cause......bad crimp on the wire terminals to the coil..... from the factory that made the wiring harness. The terminals had just a few of the wire strands connected. Apparently the crimp machine wasn't set correctly and instead of a tight crimp on the terminals, it mashed it and cut most of the wire- strands. This was the problem for others besides myself. Easy fix for such a frustrating problem. Maybe a fix for you too!

Dave S(Texas)

Where are you. I have a 79 E250 you can buy real cheap:)

Al in Tucson

Yeah, just what I need...

Pauley...(WAY the hell away from Tucson)

Sounds good, but 26 years after it left the factory? This never happened before May of this year, to my knowledge.

Anyone else have any other ideas? I am going to copy these things down and give them to the man with my van and see if he has checked these options.

Pauley...

I would pull the Duraspark module and take it to a parts shop to test it. Have them run the test at least 10 or 15 times to make sure it gets as warm as possible. Or ask your mechanic if he happens to have another ignition module laying around that he can swap out to see if that solves the problem for you. These modules tend to suffer from overheating especially in the summer time and that will cause it to cut out for no apparant reason, then after it cools down a bit, it will fire back up. Not an absolute diagnosis but definitely something I would check. If it is the module, get the Motorcraft Duraspark replacement. Aftermarket ignitions never seem to last.

Razor

He said it hadn't started in about a week, when I talked to him last. Thanks Pauley...

Still might be worth checking - you never know with those things until it's tested.

Razor

One more thing. I forgot about it. I had been driving the van every day before it started acting up and all of a sudden it wouldn't start and it backfired and the muffler exploded.(New one) I have no idea if that says anything about it. Just thought I'd toss that in the mix. Thanks again Pauley...