Ive recently acquired my grandfathers 2006 5.7 Hemi. Single Cab, Standard bed, Tow and Haul, SLT, and 4WD. I took it to the original dealer for airbag issues (Including the Takata recall.) They replaced the Passenger Airbag Switch, The Blend Door Actuator, and the Rear brake rotors. My grandfather didnt really maintain this truck apart from standard maintenance such as oil changes and what not. Now It runs great and such, but today it died twice after filling up the gas tank. I pull into my street and the truck suddenly dies, and my check gauge light comes on. I put it in Neutral and started it. I then pulled into my driveway and parked. I let it sit as I checked the dash for the check engine light yet there was nothing. Then it died again! From the research Ive done, Ive come to the conclusion that it could either be my Fuel Pump, or the Oil Pump. I just wanted to gain others thoughts before I buy a part I ended up not needing, and being stuck with the same problem.

Edit: I forgot to mention that this has happened previously and I even told the dealer. Though they plugged into the ODB-II and found no codes and I was on a time crunch to get this vehicle back due to an ice storm about to hit my area at the time.

 

I don't know if you have a throttle cable or drive by wire on the throttle. I'm sure HeyYou or other folks here with more recent model vehicle experience can tell you that. I'd start with some simple stuff before you go to the trouble of replacing the fuel pump. If you have a throttle cable to open the throttle body plate, I'd check it to see if it's dirty and sticking. I've had a couple do that over the years. One thing I'd do while the weather is cool (well, bitter cold here) is open the relay box under the hood. Swap the fuel pump and a/c relay modules. If your relay is going bad, it won't power the fuel pump even though that is still a good unit. Get yourself a decent little code scanner, although with it being a Dodge, you don't really need one except to erase codes. The key dance will work on your truck.

The key dance. Do not go to the start position. Turn your key on, off, on, off and on. Leave it on the third time. On older Mopars, the check engine light will begin to flash. On vehicles with the digital odometer, like yours, the code will appear in the odometer. Have a pen and paper handy to write any codes down. On an older one than yours, the flashes spell out a code. One flash followed by two flashes would be code 12. This means the battery was disconnected in the last 50-100 key starts. 55 means end of test session. Yours will show a 4 number trouble code.

One thing I'd do is flush the brakes. If your Grandfather just did basic maintenance, he may not have done that. Brake fluid is hygroscopic and absorbs moisture out of the air. It will keep the brake lines from rusting from the inside out and your caliper from freezing up. That can cause anything from a pull to the side or a wheel locking up.

If your oil pump is giving you trouble, your oil gauge will show zero pressure or at least light the check engine light.

 

So I did the key dance and the Odometer simply flashed -done-. What I find strange is that this issue has actually been going on for awhile. Turns out its been an issue for a few years. I asked my grandmother about it and she said it did that pre-2017 (My grandfathers passing) I think this is just such a weird issue that I havent really seen much detailed info on. All I know is, If I do figure out whats causing it, Its gonna get slapped right onto this thread in the hopes of helping someone else with this same issue.

 

Does it only do it when the tank is full? The "done" means there are no codes. When it stalls the next time, get out right away and open the fuel cap. See if it makes any noise. Do you have trouble with the pump kicking off a lot when you fill the truck?

I'm just guessing here. I suspect you may have an emissions system problem. Especially if the pump kicks off a lot. The fuel pump is possibly getting a little worn and the fuel being used isn't being replaced by air so a vacuum is building in the tank and the pump might not be able to over come it.

You can get a code reader for under $100 that will let you erase a code. If you think it may be a vacuum in the tank killing the engine, drive with the fuel cap off after the next fill up. If the problem goes away, your charcoal canister or other vent assembly might be stopped up. If your grandfather routinely crammed every, last, single, itsy, bitsy, drop into the tank on a fill up, he may have over whelmed the emissions components. These can be a pain to track down and aren't cheap, but they are cheaper than a fuel pump. How many miles on the truck? If it's less than 100K, your pump should be good.

 

She currently has 104628 miles. I know he didn't "top it off" on fill ups. Just simply let it click and went.

 

Still, does it only stall when full or under other conditions?

 

Honestly, I need to gather more "data". Im going to see if I can replicate it. If I can, Then ill let yall know.

 

I've traced this type of problem before. Sometimes it will only happen if you stand on one foot, raise your right hand above your head, put your left arm straight out and hold your tongue juuuuuusssssst right out the side of your mouth. In short, only when one thing is just a certain way. Maybe there's a bad ground, perhaps it's a stopped up emissions vent or something else. Pay attention to if one wheel is lifted, you're turning, it's a certain speed, under acceleration or slowing, or what ever trips the issue. I'll bet it turns out to be something simple.

I worked on a car once that would shut off turning right. Not always, just sometimes. I used nearly 1/2 a tank of fuel chasing it. It turned out to be a ground strap going to the computer. It was corroded at the frame, where you couldn't see the corrosion. When you turned right and went into a driveway, the slight frame flex would pull on the cable and the engine brain box lost power. No power, no ignition. A new cable with an extra ground added to the wiring and I called the customer. When he showed up, I showed him the bad cable, told him what I did and charged him 1/4 what other shops had charged in diagnostic fees but not fixing the problem.

Just keep aware of everything that is happening.

 

This thread is really old now and I totally forgot to post the fix so I'll put it here now.

Drumroll please...


It was a gunked up fuel pump. After replacing it, it runs like shes right off the lot, all 14.6 miles per gallon.

 

Hey, no point rushing into anything, right?

Thanks for posting the fix.