Started up my 2001 1500 5.9L with 124k miles Tuesday morning 3/12 and let it idle while the windshield defrosted, about ten minutes. Drove 3-1/2 miles to drop off garbage, shut off engine. Restarted to leave, put trans in gear, rolled forward and engine quit; no CEL. After some cranking, it re-fired and I drove 10 miles (40-45 mph, two stop signs, one red light), to my next stop; ran fine. Four hours later and 20 degrees warmer, it didn't want to run. More cranking and it finally started; no CEL. Raised hood and checked for loose connections; all good. Dropped hood, it quit. Dug code reader from under seat, no fault codes displayed. Ground on starter some more, fired up, put in gear, went forward 50 feet, quit. After doing this twice more, truck decided it wasn't going to cross the sidewalk into the street. Traffic too noisy to hear if fuel pump was running. Called nearby garage that did HVAC work nearly two years ago to fetch it, called wife to fetch me.

Went to garage to give them key, walked out of office and rollback had just arrived with my truck. A mechanic listened for fuel pump while I turned on ignition switch (a lot quieter here), pump didn't run. Went back Thursday 3/14 to talk to mechanic assigned to repair and give him background on what happened on Tuesday and all the previous work I did (see my post from 5/26/2022). Not the fuel pump. He suspected PCM because gauges weren't working properly and he could go into a fault code thing with the trip odometer that showed "no bus".

Is this likely to be a PCM failure, or is there something else to look for? My concern is that after spending $300-$400 for a new module and who knows how much labor to troubleshoot, will this take care of it or is there an underlying issue? My wife frets about how much money to throw at it, while at the same time she can't/won't decide to replace her 16 y-o car (want new tech in old car apparently; that ain't gonna happen).

Thank you for your advice.

 

Additional information from 5/26/2022 post: new water pump, new WP bolts, new thermostat, new upper & lower radiator hoses, new heater hoses, new bypass hose, new inlet pipe, intake gasket set with new bolts, plenum repair, replace damaged coolant temperature sensor, new double roller timing chain (old one had 1/2" slack), new valve cover gaskets, new PCV valve, new distributor cap and rotor button, new plug wires, cam position sensor replaced 3/25/2022.

 

Try this to verify if the PCM is good or bad -

 

Found this video to be better, less jumping and jerking around.
Went by shop this afternoon to check on status of the "Ewe"-te (like in "Ute"). It was sitting outside; fixed or shoved aside? Went through the sequence of events to the service manager that I had related to the mechanic. He said the mechanic had probably spent 4 hours troubleshooting, and Friday it just decided to run. SM and mech both said the instrument module had been removed from the instrument panel. "Yes, we removed it to re-assemble the shattered pile of IP pieces and install new dash pad and IP bezel." https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen-ram-general-discussion-non-tech/440914-dash-skins.html 7/11/2022 entry for the sordid details. I'm guessing it shook enough to break contact with the socket to the PCM, thus causing the fuel pump not to run and other ills I've encountered. May have been the source of the "check gages" warning I had 10/29/2022 https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...s-message.html.

Will pick it up tomorrow, hope it runs for me.

 

Picked up the "Ewe"-te this afternoon. Talked to service manager again when I paid bill, and showed him pics of the before dash pad replacement. Then I talked to Ray, the mechanic, to understand what he encountered and show him the before photos. Ray said he drove it about twenty miles this morning to make sure everything was okay. Ray thinks the instrument module lost communication with the OBD bus and therefore the PCM didn't know what was going on so the truck stopped running. Makes sense as it was idling then quit when I dropped the hood closed last Tuesday. Asked Ray if he did anything to anchor the instrument module so it wouldn't jar loose again and he said no, so if this happens again, I'll know what to look at first..

Lesson learned: if it won't move and should, use WD-40; if it moves and shouldn't, use duct tape. I have both under the back seat.

Joe Truckster

 

Great, hopefully that'll be the end of that. Too bad there's no limp mode for the dash/PCM/OBD interconnecterings.

 

Follow-up: have been driving "Ewe"-te at least once a week since the PCM episode in March on 20-25 mile round-trips to get it up to temperature and all the fluids circulating. Went to start it Monday 11/18 to run an errand and he/she/it wasn't having any part of it. Starter turning over the engine but it wouldn't run, left it for another day. On Thursday, pulled the instrument bezel off and pressed on the instrument cluster and it started and ran. The underlying plastic support structure that hold the cluster screws is disintegrating and the cluster is left to bounce around and lose contact with the PCM. I used pieces of craft sticks to wedge the cluster in place but I'm concerned the pressure, as little as it is, will cause more breakage.

I no longer trust this vehicle to get me someplace and/or back. How have other owners dealt with this?

 

I *think* there is a company that makes a new dash for the later second gen trucks.... There is a thread about it around here somewhere..... Not exactly cheap though.....

 

A brand new lower dash for the '98 - 01 2nd gen trucks can be sourced from these folks if you have a flush wallet:

https://drtparts.com/product/dodge-dash-replacement/

I thought about waiting for them to re-produce the '94 - '97 lower dash for my truck, however, I got lucky and found an excellent used lower dash locally off Facebook Marketplace.

 

If you haven't done so already, I would reset the TIMP and the PCM... both are easy to do.. just check youtube for videos..