Did something happen to ol' Ralph? Haven't been on the forum in a little while. I noticed he hasn't been responding to posts anymore...

Real helpful guy, seemed to know these trucks inside and out.

 

Yeah, unfortunately Ralph died unexpectedly shortly after Christmas. He is most certainly going to be missed here.

 

New?
I just had my crank sensor die on my 96 yesterday.
They can do different things when they die, mine had bare wires right where the wires enter the sensor body.
239k on truck, I've had it the last 70k of that.
I've never replaced it before on that truck I'm thinking it was sthe original sensor.
I did do the trans in it when I got it (trans was out and in the truck's bed when I bought it) and I pull the crank sensor out when I do a trans on one.
I borked one once while putting in a trans. So ever since I pull it and get it out of the way.
They fail in different ways, in my case the truck stalled on me while driving down the road. After sitting a little while and jiggling wires I got it to run enough to get me to work then 3/4 of the way home and it flaked out in me 3 times the rest of the way home. I got it here without having to have my son come and get me with his trailer though.

When I had my 97 full size, (also with a 318 magnum) I pulled into the gas station to a pump, shut it off, pumped my gas and when I went to leave it wouldn't start.
That time I did get the code 11. I called for a ride, my ride took me to the parts store then home for a few tools went back and it started. So I drove it home with my ride following me just in case, and changed it in my own driveway instead of at the gas station.

 

I only just returned to the forum and one of the first things I noticed was that none of the threads had RalphP as the last poster. As he was a very prolific poster, It immediately concerned me. So sad, he is missed indeed.

 

Yep, it was a real sad day when we discovered Ralph was gone. He posted the day after Xmas and then nothing. A week or two went by and I was beginning to think the worst. I checked public records for obits and didn't see anything. Then finally someone found out from Ralph's wife on FB that Ralph passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. Our worst fears came true. He was about 65. A real large man, probably factored into it.

Ralph has helped me for years. A big help! He'd get above my pay grade on occasion and I'd have to remind him I'm a DIY dope. Then he'd back it up a couple notches. But what was nice about Ralph was he was always available and his knowledge of these 1st Gen Dakotas was unparalleled. I lost count of how many times he helped me. He is REALLY missed.