I have to rescind my happy dance. I got in the van tonight and the light came on right away, before I even cranked it over. All day it ran fine, no light, with starting and stopping. Not only did the light come on again, but that strange slight ticking sound came back too.

Can someone tell me if I take it to a Dodge dealership, can they do a complete scan that will give them more info than just the DTC's?
[sm=headbang.gif]

 

Lanesharon,

There is a TSB out on how to properly route the ignition wires. You may want to follow the directions on this closely.

http://www.dodgeram.info/tsb/1998/18-48-98.htm

This stopped my ticking problem and engine light issue on my 2000 Dodge Ram Van conversion by PrimeTime with the V6 3.9L.

And yes, getting cheap wires doesn't help. An 8mm set would be ideal. I would not go higher than that since more spark being delivered can shorten the life of a basic ignition coil. Only the performance ignition coils work well with the thicker gages. The most important factor here is the wire shielding. Those ignition wire looms are very important to snap the wires in and hold them for these engines.

Peace!

Stev

 

Stev, Thanks, I rerouted the wires exactly the way I took them off. I had owned the vehicle for months before this problem came up. But, I will check the TSB.

It dawned on me this morning that there is one consistent thing to all of this. I disconnect the battery negative until the electronic system resets. Then I drive and drive, no problem. But, when I let the engine totally cool down, I get the light.

I know this to be true, because last Sunday I went to a get-together that lasted about 4 hours. All the way there, while gathering up several friends, I never got the light. But, after the engine cooled (while we were there), the light came on. Same thing yesterday. After I get the radiator flushed today, I will try this out again.

 

Forgot to add. I bought the Duralast 8mm wires.

 

Just wanted to add one piece of info. I talked to the Dodge dealership today. They have no way of doing a 'more precise' scan on the van. The service attendant told me that they only see what we can already see through the odometer. He did say that they have 'experience' behind them. Also, he told me that they charge $90 to $180 to take a look at it.

 

Yeah but do they back up that overpriced "experience" with a refund if they don't find the problem?

 

It's very strange that the issues the vehicle is having are related to heat and cooling.

What grade of oil are you using for the 5.2L? Is it the 5W30 or the 10W30 per the OEM requirements?

What does the coolant look like in the radiator and over fill bottle?

Has the radiator ever had that "stop-leak" additive added to it at any time? That stuff is down right nasty to the insides of a cooling system not to mention messing up the coolant sensors.

 

Nope it has 10w30 Pennzoil in it. Radiator fluid looked okay, but I wanted to change out because of the 50,000 mile mark. I have to assume, after looking at the other parts, that this guy never did routine maintenance.

And, of course, I ran into a problem draining, but I will put that on another post. Man, I want to drive this thing over a cliff!!

 

Remember to use DISTILLED water when refilling the radiator with the proper coolant mixture. This will greatly extend the life of the radiator, the thermostat, water-pump, and HVAC heater core. Distilled water doesn't have the other tap water minerals that will use up the coolant protectant inhibitors.