2001 01 Dakota 3.9L Crank no start No fuel No spark Replaced PCM, TPS
 

It died in an intersection. I had 1/2 tank of gas, but gauge shows empty. Putting gas and starter fluid into the carb did nothing. It doesn't appear to have a spark. I replaced the PCM and the TPS. It did start up later for no known reason. I drove it up and down the street. Next day it died again.

Any solutions are very welcome. I'm parked in a no-park zone.

If you aren't getting spark, likely the crank position sensor. Get one from the dealer. The aftermarket sensors just don't work as well.

Replaced the Crank Position Sensor. Local dealer couldn't get the part until next week. He said an aftermarket part would work fine. Put it in and get a flashing odometer with a No buS code. What should I try next? Still parked in a no-park area.

Were you getting the no bus before crank sensor replacement? If not, then the PCM doesn't like that sensor.

....Carb? You have a throttle body, not a carburetor. Double check all your connections for spark, distributor, coil, spark plugs. One might have come lose or corroded a bit. HeyYou's suggestion of crank position sensor is the next step, you HAVE to get a mopar one. I can attest that 3rd party ones do not meet specs very well. I had to grab one for $4 from a junkyard for my truck as there's no dealerships near me. Otherwise the 3rd party ones gave me false codes and stumbling, even the BWD which some people say are alright (was actually the worst in my truck). Even a new 3rd party crank sensor could be the issue, especially since you mentioned nobus AFTER replacing it.

The nobus code is something shorting and overloading the PCM causing it to safe-shutdown or a loss of connection to one of the 5v sensors. This is why it worked after awhile, then died again (likely after it cooled down it unshorted, then when it heated back up, reshorted) hopefully you haven't blown the new PCM. Although with the failsafes in place, you shouldn't. Unplug the TPS and Crank sensor and see if the nobus comes back. If it does, then those sensors aren't shorted it might be a grounding issue. Check and clean your body grounds (grounds are actually my current bane, most of my issues have been bad grounds).

EDIT: Did a bit of researching and it seems about even between crank sensor and loose/broken ground.

Skree covered it.

I wasn't getting the no bus before the crank sensor replacement.

You have a faulty sensor then, return it to the store you got it from and get one from another place. If you manage to get it running with one from somewhere else, I would suggest parking it at home until you can get the OEM sensor.

Thank you for helping me out.

Disconnected the TPS and Crank Sensor. The 'No buS' did NOT show up.
Codes that did show are
0123 Throttle Pos Sens Voltage Hi
0320 No Crank Ref Signal at PCM

Autozone will only give me another crank sensor to try per guarantee. I may get good at replacing it.

If the replacement doesn't work, I'll get a mopar part and try it.

Any more suggestions?

I know I certainly got good at replacing it... Along with the tango of a custom connector the previous owner put on it, I eventually hand-made an adapter so I wouldn't have to chop the wires off each time I replaced it. I used to use Autozone parts, but as of late they haven't been that great of quality. I tend to use Oreilly or Advanced now, however, I've had good luck with Herko brand parts bought online, they're pretty cheap and everything I've used has been good quality. Example: I currently have a herko TPS on my truck, tried one from Autozone and it was improperly ranged. Even when I let go of the gas, the TPS read about 20% and wouldn't unlock my torque converter unless I hit the brake.

Anyway, since the nobus didn't pop back up, that's a good sign it's a bad sensor, definitely return it.