Thank you all for the suggestions, gentlemen. I read the posts this morning when I started working on it again.
Typing up some lessons learned below that I hope will help someone in the future. If looks like I'm wrong in my assumptions, I probably am so feel free to correct me.
Like I said in the original post, the truck would turn over but not start after sitting for a few months. I checked for spark at the end of the spark wire but didn't get any. Also tested for spark on the ignition coil but didn't get any either. Replaced the coil. Still no spark. Replaced the ignition control module, still no spark.
At this point it was either the distributor or the crankshaft position sensor. Conflicting information on the CPS online and at AutoZone, Advance Autoparts and Napa -- Advance Autoparts said they'd have to special order it, Napa got me the part the next morning and AutoZone said the truck isn't equipped with one. Of the 3, only AutoZone was correct - 1995 and earlier didn't have a CPS.
The distributor comes with a new ignition control module so no need to purchase both.
Getting the timing right was the most complicated ("scary" is a better word) for someone like me that's never done it before. I read all kinds of stuff about finding TDC, having different computer readers, etc. What I found is that it isn't that complicated at all.
The long story:
I did mark the position of the rotor and had an approximate direction of the "back" of the distributor. While the distributor does have "lanes" for where it will line up with the crankshaft (I'm assuming that's what turns it during cranking), mine didn't line up perfectly. Inside the distributor shaft, there's a small "guide" that may also need to be aligned and may be the reason why the new one didn't line up just like the old but I obviously couldn't see inside the engine to know how it sits at the very bottom. Either way, after getting the new distributor in place, the timing was quite a bit off and the engine wouldn't stay running.
The short story:
Install the new distributor and do the best you can with getting the new one lined up the same way as the original one. What I mean is mark which way the rotor is pointing and put the new one in to match it up. Get it as best as you can but don't stress over it too much. Once you get it installed, adjust (i.e. rotate) the distributor by hand until it sounds like the motor is idling well.
Once you get that far, get a timing light -- borrow one, get a used one for $20, etc. You don't need to (at least in my case) find TDC, check compression on #1 cylinder, etc. if you have the distributor lined up "pretty close", your timing will be off but good enough for the engine to run. Do not forget to unplug the "timing wire" which is either behind the glove box or in the engine bay depending on the year (1995 is behind the glove box). The timing light showed that my timing was about 8-10 retarded. Being that far off, the engine was idling really nicely but had absolutely no power when in gear trying to accelerate even a tiny bit. In other words, don't be lazy and think your marking is good enough. Timing it takes an additional 20 minutes and you'll know it's running proper.
The toughest part of the job for me was the distributor bolt. It may have been the original distributor so maybe the bolt hasn't been removed in 25ish years. I stripped one distributor wrench but luckily not the bolt. Soaking with PB Blaster a few times and freezing it with the CRC spray may have helped but still took forever to get it out. Try to get a 6-point 9/16 distributor wrench instead of 12-point. But... I think an even better option is to use a 1/4" socket ratchet as it'll (barely!) fit under the aluminum "upper housing" (i.e. big round plate). You'll need a pipe to extend the ratchet and good chance you break your ratchet (I broke my old Craftsman) but the distributor wrenches just won't work on a stuck bolt -- the shape and the length make it impossible to get good enough torque on the bolt.
The below are some quick steps that should be a complete how-to. Although there are many forum posts and guides, some were for later models, some were overcomplicated, etc.:
- Mark each plug wire on the distributor cap and take a picture of it.
- Remove each wire and move it out of the way. (No need to unplug from each plug and remove the wires completely like some guides suggest).
- Remove the intake (I removed all of it to get out of the way).
- Remove one bolt for a bracket holding some wiring looms next to the ignition coil on the passenger side and move it out of the way. You'll know what I mean when you're there trying to fit the ratchet.
- From the passenger side of the engine, use a 1/4" ratchet with a 9/16" socket and a small pipe to loosen the bolt but do not remove it. The distributor is held down by a bracket and if the bolt is loose, it can be moved out of the way to get the distributor out. It's easy to lose a socket or a bolt back there so another reason not to remove it. (Don't ask me how I know.)
- Remove the old distributor carefully. Be careful not to get dirt in the engine when removing the distributor... it can get really dirty back there!
- Install new distributor with the rotor and the distributor housing facing the same direction as the old distributor. It should align very close to the old one.
- Plug in each wire to the distributor cap in the same order they were on old distributor.
- Unplug the "timing wire" behind glove box (or wherever your model is).
- Tighten the distributor bolt so it doesn't move around with engine vibrations but loose enough so that you can twist the distributor.
- Get a timing light and connect the clamp on cylinder 1 plug wire. Cylinder 1 is at the very front of the driver side.
- Start the engine. If it idles, rotate the distributor so the timing light shows it at 0 degrees. If it starts but then stalls out, rotate distributor by hand in both directions (very slowly) until you get it to idle and then use timing light to adjust to 0 degrees.
* I timed it when the engine was barely warm but checked it again when it was at normal operating temps to make sure the timing stayed true.
- Tighten the distributor bolt the rest of the way (not too tight so you don't piss off the next guy).
- Unplug the positive and negative battery cables. Touch the two cables together to unload any electricity on the system.
- Reconnect the "timing wire".
- Reconnect battery cables.
- Start it up and make sure it runs well and SES is gone.
- Put the rest of the things back together -- intake, bracket, etc.
Hope this helps someone... and hope I didn't forget anything. All in all, if things go smoothly, now that I've done it once, I could probably do it in 1 about 2 beers. I mean 1 hour.
Surprisingly, the gas was probably 5 months old (or more since the truck isn't driven much) but was not the reason for the rough idle and the lack of power like I and others thought may be the case.
I also suspected mice chewing wires but didn't find any. They did bring all kinds of junk into the intake so make sure you check that if it's sitting a lot like mine does. Hadn't considered them building a nest inside of the exhaust pipes but that's a really good point and will probably happen one day.
Thanks again for the input and for checking above for inaccuracies.
Cheers.
