1. I have a 2001 ram with the 5.2L. Has anyone run the 5.2L engine off of the ecm for a 5.9L and if so what are the pros & cons of doing this. I am trying to get more out of my truck but have a very, very limited buget. The reason for this question is because I have an ecm from a scrapped truck with the 5.9L. I want to see what other say about this because I can not afford to have something go wrong with my truck. Let me know it would be great to hear what others have to say. thanks

Also lately I have been having a hard time getting the truck to start. If i have not driven it in as little as two days it will not start on the first turn of the key. It will crank all day long, notice that it smells as if it is loaded up with fuel once it does start. reasent replacement of the cap, rotor, wires and plugs. Any ideas out there would be big help.

 

From what I have seen, on the later year trucks, the majority of times a 5.9 pcm will not run your 5.2 correctly. Some say it works on the OBD1 trucks though. I'd say since you have it, all you have to do is plug it in and see if it works. Just don't go too far from home until you test it good because if it puts your truck in limp mode, you are not going to want to be out on the interstate or somewhere. The main thing to look for is that it came from a truck from the same year and with the same trans type and security group as your truck. If those things match, then plug it in and give it a go.

 

No start problem could be the coil

 

Well I will have to swap out the pcm and try it. I will let you know what I find. Thanks silverdodge

mad scientist, I have run both the stock coil and and aftermarket msd blaster coil and still having the same thing. Like I said before this only happens when the truck is not run for like a day or two. If I drive it everyday it starts up fine everytime.

 

Going off that info; your battery could have a cell that is going dead (which would drain faster). Have it load tested.

Lower starting amps=starter motor not at max torque=lower compression=strong gas smell on startup from accumulation of fuel.

 

Thanks MAD SCIENTIST I did not even think of that as a possibility. That makes sense to me now. Will get to that as soon as I can.