1987 Dodge 250 Stalls After 20 Minutes

DODGE TRUCK
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HEATGUY70
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  • 1 POST
Hi guys, new to the forum. I have a 1987 Dodge 250 pickup 83,000 miles,360 engine Rochester carburetor. Truck is a little hard to start,runs fine for about 20 minutes then stalls under any driving conditions and weather. Restarting the truck takes effort almost draining the battery and pumping the accelerator while cranking to restart. After it starts it runs fine for another 20 minutes and the same thing happens. Only replaced the fuel filter at this point. The truck is only used for Home Depot runs and pushing snow. Am I looking at a fuel or ignition system issue? Thanks for helping the Heatguy!
Feb 18, 2007 at 1:19 PM
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KASEKENNY
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 18,907 POSTS
As mentioned if we can start the vehicle using starting fluid, that would point to a fuel issue. However, on your carburetor it was common for the floats to stick which would either flood the engine or starve it from fuel. So we need to check this to see if it is the issue.

It could also be a weak ignition issue as mentioned but the way to check this is to remove a plug and connect it back to the ignition wire, then hold it against the block and crank the engine. The spark should be strong and blue. If it is not then we need to dig further into this as most likely the secondary side of the coil is not delivering the high voltage needed for the ignition system.

Here is the needed info to dig through this. Please post any questions and we will get back to you. Thanks
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Mar 25, 2020 at 12:08 PM

Suggested Repair

Check the Rochester carburetor floats for sticking that floods or starves the engine. Use starting fluid to see whether the stall is fuel-related. Also check spark by grounding a plug to the block while cranking; a weak spark points to the coil secondary not delivering enough voltage.

Conversation Summary

A 1987 Dodge 250 pickup with a 360 and Rochester carburetor is hard to start, runs about 20 minutes, then stalls under any conditions. Restarting requires extended cranking and accelerator pumping; only the fuel filter has been replaced. The expert recommends a starting-fluid test to separate fuel from ignition problems, inspection of commonly sticking carburetor floats, and a grounded-plug spark check for a strong blue spark, with further coil secondary diagnosis if the spark is weak.

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