NEED THE PELICAN EXPERTS! SC won’t stay running

[shoooo32]

We’re coming back from a Utah road trip and my buddies 1981 SC won’t stay running. He’ll be cruising along at 80mph and it will lose power and die. He quickly cycles the key (dangerous; we know) and it fires right up and he keeps going.

This one is puzzling me. Feels like fuel as it’s not a hard cutout like ignition. Lambda?

Fuel tank, pump, filter and accumulator are new within the last three years.

Thoughts?

[shamrok]

I know you say it's not a hard cutout, but is the ignition Permatune by chance?

Take a look at the wiring to the fuel pump relay, I seem to remember there is a fuel pump cutout tied to the rev limiter, something might be loose. Also check the fuel pump relay itself, swap it with another relay.

Check the battery terminals as well, I had a loose positive once and this would happen to me.

[RDM]

It wouldn't be really hot in Utah, would it? I had a very similar situation over a number of years. To see if my symptoms match your symptoms, go here:
Memorial Day diagnosis

There is some excellent diagnosis work there. For the solution, see reply 12. I installed a CDI+ and the problem is finally gone.

[shoooo32]

UPDATE:

We tried a new fuel pump relay and that didn't cure it. Then we jumped the relay and it ran fine for 500 miles. We put the relay back in and it died within 20 miles.

What would cause the engine to stall and also allow it to restart by cycling the key? As Shamrok suggested, could the rev limiter kill the fuel pump and then be reset with the key?

[timmy2]

Disconnect the brown/red wire from the rev limiter and see if it still fails.