UPDATE Re: 84 Ramcharger ignition (Strange one)

From : hemipower

Q: went out today and began to prepare to change plugs. cleaned the crud from around the plugs and gave em a shot of pb blaster. deciding that i like a warm block when doing so i began to prepare to start her. begin to do various base line voltage checks to compare to when it is warm and not starting. check batt voltage 11.8. turn on key to check coil voltage. 7.5 hmmmm whats that. i hear tick.tick.tick.tick.tick. kinda fast listen by carb to see if it is something inside making a noise due to electric fuel pump. nope. listen closer. sounds like it is coming from dist. remove cap and sure enough it is coming from inside the cap. what the heck it is the center button ticking. hold a screw driver by the tip and see a small little spark jumping to tip of driver. hmmmm. look and see that the reluctor is between blades. turn off key and reinstall cap. get in pump the pedal a few times and she fires right up. runs beautiful. no squeaks smoke ticks or anything. let run for about ten minutes and run inside for a pop. come back out and it has died. try to restart no good. prime with gas with no luck. retard dist as suggested by budd no diff just slower crank. advance a little and no change. put back to original spot. check and i am still getting voltage7 to coil. check ballast resister. 12 in 7 out. notice no more ticking from cap. decide to disconnect lead to dist and check ohms while hot and not starting. should be what 150-850 or something. it was 350 or so cold and now i am getting no resistance at all. it appears to be fully open. check each lead separately to ground and both open. it is my opinion that the pickup sounds suspect and will be changed next. do we all agree is it possible that the inside of the center coil tower/button assembly is at fault when warm that ticking coming from it cold was weird. i could try that first but the funny reading from the pickup when hot seems to point that way. p.s to marsh monster i have also tried a known working coil as well. changed and or checked parts. bresistor changed starter relay changed brain changed coil change for check it has sat and cooled for a few hours. let me run out and try it real quick before i hit post. damn its raining again. anyway. check ohms at dist leads. back to 300. i bet myself it starts. it does right up. it has got to be the pick up. i would swap it out now but with the rain it will wait till morn. i think i have it licked. -- hemipower 55 flh whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority its time to pause and reflect. --mark twain .