My HEI is possessed!!!
 

My 1978 T/A has some sort of gremlins in the HEI. After the car runs for a while, pull it into the garage then try to start it a week later, all I get is turn over , no start. If I remove the wires/connectors from the HEI module then put them back on , it starts no problem. Any ideas? I've checked the wires and don't see any problems. Before I would just replace the module, now I've narrowed it down to the connectors. Now this problem doesn't happen if I drive it every day, only when it sits.

Check the pickup coil for broken wires....the vacuum advance moving back and forth tends to create intermittents in the pickup coil wiring...moving it may temporarily fix the prob, only to have it show up again...

George

Yeah I used to have this intermittent problem in my Cutlass. The pickup coil was the problem. Sucks because it requires removal of the distributor. Mine would start up and drive fine, then I would park it and go to start it again a short while later and no fire. Luckily it seemed to always do it in front of my house and not anywhere else. I found the break in the tiny wires going to the pickup coil.

Sounds like the same problem I'm having. Just wandering why it doesn't die when it's running. Maybe it warms up then cools down, and some scientific mumbo jumbo happens, and it causes it to short out. Well, I'm glad it doesn't happen driving. It's got me at taco bell 3 times and walmart at least 4. It's like when I run into a store, I feel like I'm on a game show, and have 10 minutes to get in then out or I'm screwed. When it does it, I can literally have the cap off pull the connectors, back in the car, start it in 2 minutes. Theft deterant I guess!!

Mine ran ok, went to a store, couldn't restart it. I hate intermittents, at least when they finally break, it's easier to diagnose.

George