'74 2L Starts Then Dies, Never a convenient time... Options

[GregAmy]

Nice beautiful New England Day, heading off to the Manchester CT car show and...car won't start. Cranks, a few cylinders fire, then it dies. I cycle the key and hear the pump running and then stop (as before) and same thing: spits then dies.

I tried cycling the key a few times, with the mindset of building more pressure, and it spits a few more cylinders then dies. Even got it to rev a little bit with a half-dozen key cycles, but always dies.

Only other symptoms is that I noticed the last time I drove it earlier in the week it was dying when I put in the clutch. Was not consistent, only did ti a few times, but that was unusual behavior.

Stock 2L fuel injection, but with cold start and idle air bypass systems disabled; been running fine like this for the several years I've had it.

Checked all the relays, each works with the heater blower. Swapping them makes no difference (which I expected, given the pump cycles with the key). My guess is that however the pump is supposed to continue to run after releasing the key, it's not getting the power it needs (just a guess, I've not gotten under there with a voltmeter to verify). The wiring diagrams are not clear (to me) how that power is applied to the fuel pump relay.

Any way to quickly salvage my afternoon trip to the car show, or am I using my beautiful afternoon to swap the street car onto the lift for extended diagnosis?

40-yr-old electrics, gotta love 'em.

- GA

[GregAmy]

Thanks for the tips; keep 'em comin'!

I re-checked what Tangerine did when I left the car with him after I bought it, he only noted "Engine Tune-Up, Adjust Valves, Set Timing" but no points/condensor on the parts list. I think the car is well due for that and possibly some wires and plugs, and I'll toss in a Bosch distributor cap and rotor while I'm at it.

Advance Auto seems to think they can get the Cardone distributor. I'll give 'em a shot at it and remove any possibility of the trigger points being an issue.

I tested the CHT sensor last summer per the book, and values were within range both hot and cold.

And I'll buy a fuel pressure tester.

This is one of those problems that is seemingly random, leading me to lean toward something electrical. I hate to get into just replacing parts, but that's about where I think I am right now...