Chevy & GMC Vans

AstroManiac wrote:In 45 years of mechanic-ing, I've never had a problem I couldn't figure out & this Astro is really giving me a headache!
My buddy that owns it, has spent quite a bit of money for parts & it feels like a full-time job working on this stupid thing.
Give me an engine with a distributor that uses a set of points & a good old carburetor any day!

My daily driver is a 1963 Ford Falcon with a I6. I commute 40-50 miles a day, get 20 mpg combined and can actually fix it when it breaks, if it breaks. No smog requirements, cheap to insure, cheap to register. You just can't beat it.

Here's another wild ass theory. Engine cover off, everythings ok. engine cover on, engine compartment heat increases. plug wires get warm and more flexible, relax a bit and arc to the foil in the inside of the engine cover.
In my case it isn't theory, my relatively new bosch 8mm plug wires did this. So I zip tied them into bondage to keep them away from the cover.

I had 86 4 cyl. Safari that would give me a mysterious ESC code. After a lot of parts it turned out to be the rotating magnet in the distributor had a small crack in it and very small sliver fell out. I would get a code when it was cold, then it went away when it warmed up. Don't know if this helps or not.