86 Hardbody z24 lost all power while driving

[RhinoFLA]

Hey how's it going tr? So I was driving home from St. Pete the other day and was about 10 minutes from my house, I go to shift into 4th and there's no power there at all, I downshift and coast off of the road, as soon as I stopped the truck shut off. I started it, it started right up and then sputtered out, multiple times. Sat there for about 15 minutes looking for loose connections, vacuum leaks etc. and it started up, so I started heading towards my house, got about 2-3 minutes down the road and same result let it sit for a few then drove it all the way back to my house.

The temp gauge doesn't work so I checked the coolant levels and checked to see if the thermostat was opening because it kind of seemed like an overheating issue and the ecm was going into limp mode or something? But the levels were fine.

I drove it yesterday from Largo to St. Pete and it ran fine the whole way. Any thoughts as to what it might have been incase this problem resurfaces? I'm trading the truck to a friend next weekend and I'd like to make sure this is taken care of before he ends up getting stranded or something. Thanks for any input

[A-ron]

fuel pump if it sputters off

[RhinoFLA]

fuel pump if it sputters off

hmm you think so? I mean it's running fine now, starts up and drives great, but like I said I had been driving it for about 40 minutes or so the other day and mashed down the pedal when I was shifting into 4th and there was nothing there, then it'd start and sputter out repeatedly until it finally just started running again. I've never had a fuel pump go out, will they show signs like this? Randomly shutting off, and then one day just give out?

[A-ron]

yea they do sometimes, they even get louder and then one day just not turn on..
also if the truck gets spark from a coil pack it will get hot and cut out as well when ever it wants to..

[obituary]

bad ground ! /short .

[Empire]

if the truck has a butt load of miles and hasn't ever had the fuel pump replaced, I'd start there. A dying pump will still pump fuel, but at a higher electric draw and the longer it runs, the hotter it gets, the higher the draw is. Was it a bit warmer out the day it was dying out on you?

From there, I'd do the standard tune up if it has been a while. The fuel filter could be junked up. The plugs could be on their way out. They'll work for a while, but eventually the resistance will build up to the point where the spark isn't strong enough to ignite the fuel. Same with the wires. cap, rotor etc. All of that stuff can have a significant impact on how the truck runs.

If that still doesn't solve the issue, then I'd move on to triple checking all of the connections. A loose/poor ground wire will be ok for a while, but then cause problems after a while. Same with vacuum lines. When things get hot, they expand, and that can cause issues.

From there, I'd look towards the coolant temp sensor, the crank/cam angle sensor, throttle position sensor, mass air flow sensor

much beyond that and you've got some major issues.

[RhinoFLA]

appreciate the input. The trucks got around 106k miles on it, runs solid aside from that shit that happened the other day. Fuel filter, plugs and all that is on my list I've just been busy working a lot. I'll run through the grounds when I'm swapping all of that stuff out, I had a alot of plans for the truck but idk trucks just aren't my thing haha, trading it for a prelude this weekend. I'll start with basic maintenance like you said, appreciate it guys