Distributor Pulse Generator Fault?

[J. Kousczi]

Greetings, I have a 3.0L 1982 911 SC which recently has begun to stall when under power.  The engine suddenly dies; it turns over and cranks ok but does not fire up to be restarted.  After several hours it starts just fine and continues to run.  The engine is otherwise strong and smooth, but the unpredictable stalling - not fun.  The battery and engine grounding locations have been brushed clean and the coil has been replaced.  I believe the problem is a faulty distributor pulse generator:  with the ignition on and cranking, there is no voltage between the distributor pulse wire shielding and the distributor pulse input.  Moreover, a volt-ohmmeter shows continuity between the two conductor wires from the distributor. 

 

Questions:  Is my suspicion correct about failure in the electronic ignition pickup?  However, if there is no voltage pulse detected during testing, how is it that the engine still starts and runs after the connector is mated back to the CDI control module?  Would one expect to find continuity between the shielding and pulse wire, or is this another indication of a pulse generator problem?  A replacement distributor is a considerable outlay, and I want to make sure I have the right diagnosis.  The distributor P/N is 0 237 304 016.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Loren]

 

Have you checked the fuel pump output?

[J. Kousczi]

Thanks for the welcome!  I have verified that lack of fuel is not the problem, it is an electrical issue.  I am hoping that someone familiar with electronic ignition pickup failure weighs in to answer the specific questions posted above.