86 f150 starting and dying prob

i have an 86 f150 302 that randomly wont start or dies randomly....if u wiggle the distributor cap it usely starts...ive replaced the cap and rotor and coil. i think its the icm but not sure. any thoughts?

It could be the icm, but usually when the icm goes bad it's dead for good. It's most likely the PIP(profile ignition pickup) inside the distributor. You have to remove and disassemble the distributor to replace the PIP. That being said, I would try the icm first do to it's relatively ease of replacement. You can't really test these intermittent dead and alive components because if they're in a live state when tested they will likely test good. Good luck.

thanks....how hard is the pip to replace?

thanks....how hard is the pip to replace?

Well, first there is the matter of removing the distributor and reinstalling it in proper (ignition) time. That isn't a big deal if you know what you're doing and take the proper steps BEFORE removing the distributor. As far as replacing the PIP once the distributor is removed, you need a nice little puller and some other hand tools. I took my distributor to the Ford garage to get the PIP installed after I removed it from my 1988 F-150. I don't recommend a rebuilt distributor, as I have learned from reading forums like this they are mostly junk.

ok i appreciate the help. thanks

ok well i finally got it fixed and it was probably the PIP but we went to replace that and it was gonna be a headache to get to, so i just went ahead and replaced the whole distributor (which is $60) and it runs very nicely...it actually runs better now than it did when i bought it. thanks for the help.