Hey, having trouble with my truck that i cant figure out for the life of me...let me start from the begining...my check engine light used to come on every now and then and shut off on its own...first few times it was a misfire in 7 and o2 sensor voltage code...then is was a misfire in 5 and the o2 code...so i replaced the o2 sensor and decided to do a full tune up...and i bought some new (well reman'd) injectors aswell...upon taking the distributor cap off the 2 Screws broke holding the distributor down so i removed the intake manifold to get to the distributor with ease... While trying to remove the broken screws one of the ears on the distributor broke, so i ordered a rebuilt distributor...to make a long story shorter i installed a new o2 sensor, reman injectors, rebuilt distributitor, cap and rotor, plugs and wires, gaskets, thermostat, ect and oil pressure sensor...

started her up and she ran like a champ...the smoothest most quiet idle i ever heard it run...like a brand new car...then to top it off i wanted to clean out the engine so i ran like half a bottle of seafoam thru the brake booster vacuum line and didnt let it stall out once... She ran for like 20 mins then all of a sudden stalled out...i started her up and she just died right after starting it... So i figured i needed to get her on the highway and blow all the carbon out but when i started the truck i started spraying power steerig fluid from the return line which was rusted to hell and i prolly stepped on it while working on the truck... So i order the new lines and install them...now the steerings working again so i take it on the highway...mind you she still stalls without giving it gas and i have this really loud pinging sound unlike any ping i ever heard...kinda like a bad gas sound but worse...Also she doesnt really have any power...i cant pass 50 mph and when i get to 50 the truck starts to lose power and the rpms and speed start to fall no matter how much gas i give it...almost like its going into limp mode... I put the scanner on it and im getting a p1391 cmp/ckp sensor code so i figure maybe the timing is off so i reinstall the distributor and manually turn the engine to todc on cylinder 1...start her up ran for a minute on her own then stalled out...Put the scanner on her again the p1391 is gone and now i got a p0505 iac systems code so i pull the iac out and clean it up, put it back in and start it...she started up and was running on her own at 2100 rpms and climbed up to 2400 then slowly went back down to 1000 and ran for a few mins then stalled...so i unplugged the iac and started her up again and now she'll idle without stalling until i put her gear, then she'll stall out...i cant figure out why im losing power on the highway or what that loud *** pinging sound is...i drove it aroud for like 15-20 mins with the iac unplugged the check engine light didnt come on so i dont have any codes atm...any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated... Im tryin to get her going for winter because i just got a new job and i have to travel 50 miles a day so i need the 4wd...im losing my mind here...please help!


2001 Dodge Ram 1500 Sport 5.2L V8 4WD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOfS3...layer_embedded

 

i just installed a new iac and ran some more seafoam b/c i thought maybe b/c i didn't let the seafoam soak in the engine for 10 mins after sucking it up that i didnt melt away all the carbon and just disturbed it a little, leaving carbon in the cylinders that was getting red hot and causing detonation...(mind you my truck never pinged prior to seafoam) Well anyway the truck is still doing the same stuff...still stalling at idle (with the new iac plugged in) and when i come to a stop...still short on power and can't pass 55mph...and still have the hurtful pinging sound....im running out of answers and really dont wanna take it to the dealer after spending so much money and time attempting this myself...

Any suggestions/advice? please....

 

Did you replace the plemun plate and gasket while you had the intake off? If not, that could cause the pinging if its bad. Check you cat. Remove the pre-cat o2 and start it up. Does it run better? If so, cats clogged. Which sounds like may have happened after breaking up the crap in the motor with the seafoam.

 

yea i replaced the plenum pan gasket new bolts and all...ill check the cat...would that make it stall and ping?

 

It would certainly explain some of your symptoms. However, something else you are going to need to address is fuel sync. You pulled the distributor, and replaced it..... so, sync needs to be reset. Unfortunately, that requires a scan tool..... If you have something that can read sync, you can reset it yourself. If not.... take it to a shop that has a clue.

Did you reset the PCM after doing the IAC stuff? It needs to relearn the new part. Just disconnect the battery for a few minutes, hook it back up, and start it up. See what it does.

 

Did you torque the plenum according to FSM (torque value and sequence)?

And yes, the cat can cause it to stall and run like crap. You might pull the plugs and see waht they look like as well. May have buildup from seafoaming. Just guessing.

 

I have a scan tool but not sure if it can read the sync and no i didnt reset the pcm...i will try that when i get home from work tomorrow...thx

yea i torqued it to the right torque and sequence according to the haines manual i have...and i pulled the plug outta cylinder 1 and it looked fine...i guess ill check the others too...cant hurt lol

 

I remember my old gen 1 rams that had carbs instead of injection. With those, I could drizzle in a small trickle of ATF into the carb to let the detergents in the ATF clean out the sludge. Seafoam is like that but thinner. Even though it is thinner, modern injected engines do not always respond to something so much thicker than gas & air going straight in like that. I could be way off, but your sensors would throw off some codes if the timing is off a bit, but not at the distributor. I have a small reason to believe you could have bent push rods in the engine. It would not hurt to pull some of them out on 1 bank of cylinders, 1 at a time & see if they roll smooth on a flat surface. I suspect if they are bent, it will be very obvious once you pull 1 out even without rolling it on a flat surface. This will cause the lifters to not reach the correct height which then causes the sensors to throw codes because they know it is not all flowing in the order and amounts that it should be. Please don't use seafoam. I know some swear by it, but there are safer ways of cleaning that sludge out. I pour B12 chemtool in every other tank of fuel and add a pint of zmax to ever oil change, my lifters & oil pan are very sludge free.

 

Are you saying that seafoam bent a push rod?

 

Well adding the seafoam coulda bent a rod if i poured it in to fast...but i didnt and the truck didnt stall while i poured it in so i dont think i bent a rod. Although i dont think ill ever use seafoam again because after installing all the parts the truck ran(idled) beautifully for like 10 mins till about 20 mins after pouring in the seafoam...i was supposed to shut the truck off after pouring it in and let it soak for 5-10 mins but i didnt and just left it running for the 20 mins until it stalled.....i called up seafoam and explained what happen and he told me that the hot soak period i skipped was important because thats when the seafoam soaks into the carbon to effectively break it down...so he told me that he suspected i didnt fully break down the carbon and thats what was causing the ping which never happen prior to the seafoam...he then told me to use the seafoam again and let it soak for 5-10 mins after inserting it then drive it...i did it and it barely blew any white smoke which i guess means i got it mostly out the first time and its still pinging.