Hi, I have a 04 Ram 1500 hemi. I was pulling my boat yesterday and put about 5 gallons of gas in my truck. Shortly after, 5-7 miles the truck acted like I had hit the breaks and slowed down. Then it picked back up for just a minute, then slowed down again before coming to a complete stop and the engine shut down. For the first few minutes the truck would turn over and fire buy then kill its self a second or two later. This morning I tried starting it and it I'll not fire anymore. Do y'all have any advice to what this problem could be? I'm completely stumped...

 

Any codes thrown?
Red lightening bolt or amber CEL. light on?
I think on 04's you can do the "key dance" to display the codes in your odometer.
Post up what you find.
Al.

 

yeah, need those codes, could be a ton of stuff.

 

Red lightning bolt comes on when I turn the key

 

That is normal when you turn the key, they are asking if that came on before the engine died, as it would indicate an alternator or battery connection problem most likely.

Does it struggle to turn over?

I'm gonna eliminate some possible issues:

1) Did you fill up with Watercraft Fuel? (if so you may have some Water in your fuel)

2) Did you submerge the back of the truck in the water to put the boat in/out at the slip? (if so you may have gotten water in the tank somehow, most common is a cracked filler neck)


We will need to get the DTCs from the computer to be able to help some more, but it definitely sounds like a fuel problem or fuel pump problem.

If you can't get any DTCs (Diagnostic Trouble Codes) to display using the key method (check the link in my Signature for a How-To) then we will have to get creative to figure this out.

 

I had one code show up but it was only an 02 sensor and that's bc I have straight dual exhaust with no cats on it. The engine light stays on bc of that.

 

Also, what would cause the oil cap to blow off randomly. Usually happens between 40-60 mph. No loss in power. I'll be driving and then pop... it shoots back to the back of the engine bay. Always stop and put it back on. Has happened about 5 times in past year... once or twice due to my personal error.
Would this lead to any of the above problems?

Truck has 174k miles. Always been thoroughly maintained. Never once have had any problem except one coil pack.

 

So, your CEL was already lit and you know the original code that caused it. Have you checked for codes again since this happened? The CEL can come on only once but maybe you have more codes stored and you wouldn't know because the CEL was already lit. This is where you should start, if you haven't already.

This is why I invested in a OBD-II scanner. I have 4 vehicles to maintain. One of them popped a CEL Friday afternoon. I was able to scan it myself and found it just needed a MAF cleaning. $8.55 later and a couple of hand tools, MAF cleaned, code gone, no mechanic, no getting it to a shop, no labor fees.

You are looking for a needle in a haystack that this forum can't help you with with no more information than we have. If there are codes, that will go a long way to start troubleshooting.

 

If you are popping the oil cap off that means that you have excessive Positive Crankcase Pressure, which is usually an indication that your PCV valve is shot or the Lines leading from your PCV valves are blocked.

I've only ever seen that happen on a Non-Turbo/Supercharged engine, when it was 12:1 compression on race gas...

Check your PCV valves and replace them if they are bad.

It is possible that this is happening because you've got too much crankcase pressure or a very bad vacuum leak, but its hard to say without seeing it happen in person.

 

Wait, are there more than one of these? or was that a typo?