Dodge problems

[MoeBawlz]

I got a 96' Dodge Ram 1500 that is having problems and i need to fix it asap. As it is, the truck runs, but every once in a while itll drop RPMs a bit, but then kick back in again, or itll die entirely. It always restarts after a little bit of coaxing, and its throwing an intermittant code, but i didnt get it scanned in time to see what the code was, the idiot light went off before i got it on the scanner.

anyone have any ideas as to what might cause this problem? I was thinking something in the fuel system, however it has a new fuel pump in it. But who knows maybe the pump is bad already... If anyone has any info or ideas, it would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[MrQuick]

you have a possible dirty IAC (idle air control) motor or a bad TPS (throttle position) sensor...all items located in the throttle body. start by removing the IAC motor and cleaning it out. Let me know if you need the proper procedure.

[MoeBawlz]

I just replaced the TPS today, cus that was my first inclination but it still died on me... and the IAC shouldnt matter when the truck is cruising, which is when it decides to fall on its face. But i can still clean that out anyway.

[MrQuick]

oh its cutting out when driving sorry....check your PCM for moisture in the connections.

Lets start by what have you done? There is alot of possibilities for 96... bad pcm, shorted battery, intermittent short or open in ASD, fuel pump, crank sensor, cam sensor, ignition coil, BUS, and ignition switch circuits.
All are common.

[zbugger]

That sounds a lot like ignition issues to me. Check your coil to make sure, and trace everything in the system including the crank position sensor.

[sinned]

Lets start by what have you done? There is alot of possibilities for 96... cam sensorC'mon Vince, there is no cam sensor in a 96 1500. I think what Vince meant was the distributer pick-up, which is a fairly common problem on the early Magnum engine.

It would be helpful to know why it is dying, running around with a fuel pressure gauge attached would least narrow the search to whether or not it's fuel or spark.

[MoeBawlz]

yah thats my plan for today is to check fuel pressure and work from there.

is there a way to test the distributor pick up? or is it just hit or miss?

and so far in the last year it got a new fuel pump, and yesterday a new TPS. Im gonna hopefully narrow the search down today and see waht i come up with. ill check the connections today too n make sure that its all dry.

wouldnt a bad PCM basicly go bad entirely? or could it cut in and out like that?

[sinned]

PCM will come and go; sometimes tapping lightly on the case will cause the truck to stumble IF that's the problem. Don't just check fuel pressure, install the gauge and tape it to the windshield. Leave it there until the truck acts up so you can see what FP does during that condition. Testing the pick-up plate is kind of like the fuel pump, comes and goes. Difficult to bench test a part that’s working when you test it.

[MrQuick]

C'mon Vince, there is no cam sensor in a 96 1500. I think what Vince meant was the distributer pick-up, which is a fairly common problem on the early Magnum engine. sorry yeah its really a pick up but our parts guys insist on calling it a cam sensor...go figure?

no test, its a a replace and see part. You can check the square wave on it but that requires tools you might not have.

[MoeBawlz]

Ok checked fuel pressure and it was constant when it was fluttering, although it never fully died on me. but im pretty sure fuel pressure is ok. My brotehr took it in to scan it at Autozone when the engine light came up, and it said somethin about air fuel ratio management or somethin like that. I also realized that it only happens when its warm, not when cold now. Now that being said, and the TPS being new. how do you guys feel about it maybe being the MAP sensor going out? im only sayin this because its when the car is in closed loop and the scan mentioned air fuel ratio.

tracking this thing down is being a real pain cus it fails so few and far between. it only dies about once a day and flutters every so often.

or what do you guys think about maybe O2 sensors?

[MrQuick]

welcome to my world...imagine doing this while getting paid flat rate...ok, won't go there. Like to have an exact code for the problem. It might not be involved. Never had an o2 cause an engine to shut off before , but you never know.

[MoeBawlz]

Yah thats kinda what i thought, with a bad o2 usually itll run just fat or lean.

do you think it may be the MAP or am i barkin up the wrong tree?

I just dont want to sit here and replace sensors and parts with no avail.

[zbugger]

I still say it may be ignition related. How is it on acceleration? What happens when you floor it?

[MrQuick]

yeah I hear you. Its really difficult diagnosing a problem without the car in front of me and for you not having the proper diagnostic tool. A scanner would be nice cause you can moniter the system while you drive.

Just a note, I've replaced 1 map sensor and that was because it was contaminated by someone doing a throttle body service. Im still leaning towards a wiring, cam(pickup) or crank sensor problem. There was a recall for the ignition switch harness...was that done already?

[MoeBawlz]

It runs completely normal when you floor it, except for the few times it flutters. but it flutters any time while driving. but as a whole it accelerates totally normal.

i dont believe any recalls were taken care of at all on it. how much of a pain is that to do? Im going to look into the wiring more today and hope i can come up with somethin.

if it were wiring wouldnt it happen when the truck was jostled so that the connection would be broken temporarily? because if thast the case, it even happesn when its idling in my garage too.

[MoeBawlz]

Ok update time, hopefully got it fixed.. For 4 days its had NO PROBLEMS it even drives better than it did before... all because I replaced the MAP sensor. When it came down to it its the only thing that made logical sense after finding all the facts and seeing myself what was going on. So, i wont say im out of the water yet cus who knows, maybe the problem is just hibernating.

also an interesting bit, aparently the MAP had been replaced once before on this truck as well, so maybe it was just a bad aftermarket part that didnt have the longevity of an OEM part.

[sinned]

Glad to hear it's fixed (maybe). MAP will do all sorts of jacked up things, usually they just won't run at all though, weird that it intermittently ran crappy then cleared up.

[MoeBawlz]

well, my brother took it to a shop locally to get it scanned, and of course as he pulls up the idiot light goes off... but the scanner said somethin about low voltage and somethin about the air fuel management. So of course my first thought was TPS, so we changed taht to no avail, then it just made the most sense to me that it would be the MAP so after swapping that out it ran just fine. Oddly enough it use to lurch real hard at 50 mph, but no more now it shifts smoothly through each gear.

crazy dodges...

[MrQuick]

cool, well that turned out to be an easy fix. Sucks because you could have seen that failure with a scan tool. crazy dodges indeed! LOL

[MoeBawlz]

eh thats ok, im planning on picking up a snapon handheld scanner actually this year. It wont pay for itself for a little while but i figure itll sure make life easier and eventually pay for itself.