Nope, The Pre-1998 models dont have the digital odomiter, So it flashes the CEL and btw to 2001RAM he's done this trick, Go back to the first page, He said code 45 ect. Thats the Pre-1998 way.

 

So I can still look it up,I think. I got an OBD 2 scanner for Xmas and have been eager to use it.

 

Well all the hard starting, backfiring, and power loss at any speed went away after I changed the Plugs, Wires, Distributor Cap, and Ignition Coil, and everything was going great. Then when going down the highway, the engine light started flashing again, and popped up another coil error code (43).

When I cleared the codes yesterday, I drove the truck for about 20 minutes before the problem started again, but I never got any error codes. I got to go get my worship on this morning, then when I get back I am going to look into covering all the wires against heat to see if that is causing the miss fire. I already ensured all the wires are snug on the Distributor cap and plugs... Sure wish I could have gotten some error codes, just doesn't make sense for a truck to start clunking and missing like that after it has heated up, and then only at lower RMP's.... well at least not to me! ha!

 

i think your replacement coil has gone bad.

heat won't hurt plug wires unless they're laying on the manifold and melting.

 

has anyone had the cps go bad without getting a cel? when mine went bad i had a cel and it ran like crap with bucking, hesitation and dieing at idle.

 

Thats very possible... Could be a bad coil out of the box, and an easy swap...

 

I did. The truck ran like crap and no CEL.

 

i think this is the problem with my ram. but i tried turning the key "on-off" 3 times stopping "on" and i never seen any codes. i am going to put a new crank sensor on it anyways... anyone know what they normally go for so i can compare?

 

The dealer part goes for 144 bucks. I must inform you that using Napa or other 3rd party suppliers for those failed not once but twice on my truck. None other than the one's from the dealer worked.

When I had asked the tech at Dodge what the hell was going on, he told me that the aftermarket parts are not screened nor tested. They don't care either because, with electronic parts, they have a no return policy so, even at selling a CKPS for a mere 45 dollars (Pep Boys) they still make money off the part as it's non-returnable. They don't care whether it works or not. They pay 10-20 for it. They buy the rejects for dirt cheap, mark it up and then make a profit.

The other thing that should be noted is: when changing either of those components- sometimes a resync with an OBD tool is required. And, the only place that has those tools is a good shop and, of course, the dealer service shops.

What ends up happening is the CPS and CKPS offset values go out of range thus causing timing issues. Just bring it in to the dealer and have them check the offset value / timing. They will adjust for the new sensors in the PCM program by writing in new values. It's the only way to reset the sync offset.

 

One thing that the CPS and CKPS do is control the coil pulse. When they go out, you end up with a coil that does not pulse in time with the cam and crank. What you end up with is an out of time condition. In worse cases, you end up with no voltage at the coil input thus no spark and it stalls out. Then, upon restarting it, it may or may not run and, if it does, it's only a matter of time that it will crap out on you again.

So, even though you changed all your wires etc, that's most likely just a fluke / coincidence. Then, as you stated, it came back. Now, the other thing is this: when a misfire occurs, it may or may not throw a code. In fact, I know for a fact that it is allowable up to a certain number of times where, it will not throw all the same codes out there.

But, the difficult part of this is that there's more causes of which you describe than just what I had mentioned. It really can be a number of things such as a bad ground on the PCM or, your coil driver circuit has gone kaput at the PCM. This controls the coil on / off pulses. When mine went out, same symptoms as you described with all the misfires. One day it spit this code then the next time it was something else relating to misfire to a bad coil code etc etc. It went on for a few days until I tested out that part of the circuit.

First, I measured the voltage to the coil. No anomalies were noted. Full 13.58 VDC to the coil. I also measured the voltage at the ASD relay. I also checked the ASD relay in both powered and non-powered and that passed all resistance tests. I then checked the wire to the coil for high resistance. That was good. I then checked the switched ground wire that goes from the coil to the PCM by simply removing the connector at both the PCM and coil and running a resistance test. It passed too.

However, what failed was the strobe at ground. Backprobe the coil connector with an LED test light and note if it pulses ON/OFF. If it remains on all the time, there's your misfire problem. It is is arcing inside the cap when voltage is applied 100%. It arcs across the cylinders via the cap thus causing misfires like mad. After replacing the PCM, it fixed my misfiring issues once and for all. It can also go the other way where, it's not switching ground on at the PCM thus no power or, it may be intermittent and getting stuck in either on or off mode.

You may also have a bad distributor. It may be eating caps. Pull your cap and check the spring contact for wear or being cut. Remove the rotor and check it for bent contact or loose contact at the pop rivet area. Now, move the shaft from side to side and up and down. There's not supposed to be any side to side movement. IF there is, you need a new distributor. Another part of this is the dwell circuit inside. That also may be shot to where, you get codes stating maximum dwell time not reached. A new distributor from the dealer is 116 bucks.

Now, a fuel pump that is faulty will also generate the same symptoms. When it runs low on pressure, it causes a lean running condition thus causing misfires and the truck to barely run, hard to start (worse the colder it gets), sputtering, and, stalling. If the pressure is so low, it will stall out. The injectors have a requirement and, that is to have sufficient pressure.

So, like I said, it it difficult to say what it is without isolating each system and ruling things out one by one until you find the root cause/s.