| 70chall440 |
08-14-2018 03:08 PM |
01 Ram Stutters and loses electrical
As the title says, I have an 01 Ram 4X4 Sport with a 5.9. I bought this truck in 02 with 11K miles on it. I am a life long Mopar enthusiast and currently own 11 vehicles (all Mopar), so I am pretty capable however, this truck has stumped me. The truck currently has 102K miles on it. The truck has 2 issues which I have not been able to resolve;
1. Since the truck was relatively new (to me) while stopped in gear (i.e. at a stop light) it would exhibit a "stutter" in rpm. You can see it in the tach as it would dip perhaps 100 rpm or so and then return. It will do this perhaps every 30-40 seconds and for the most part isnt dramatic, just annoying. That said, there have been times where it dipped perhaps 300-500 rpm. I have changed plugs, plug wires, and distributor cap & rotor. Iv'e checked all of the wiring as well. I will say that it "seems" that if I put in a fresh charged battery it doesn't seem to exhibit this issue, but that might not be accurate and more wishful thinking.
2. A few years ago the truck began unexpectedly losing electrical power; to clarify this issue, I would go out to start the truck and there would be no electrical power (regardless of when I last drove it). If I jumped it, it would start and act like a weak battery, struggling to hold an idle. At first I thought the battery was bad, so I replaced it and all was good for a little while (several months), then it began again. I've checked the alternator output and that seems to be good. The truck doesn't get driven all that much so I suspected that there was/is a drain someplace but there have been times I would drive it, park it and come back and find no power. I installed a battery cut off that disconnects the battery at 11.9V, this ensures that it doesnt leave me stranded. I also have installed a solar charger which seems to help, however if I leave the charger off for say 2 days and then turn the key to accessory for 5 minutes, the disconnect will kick off the power. Bottom line is that either the alternator isn't charging the battery enough or something is draining it. I've checked the fuses in an attempt to find a draw but haven't found anything. Without the disconnect, the battery will drain in a very short time (at least to the point that the PCM will not function).
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