yesterday i got new fuel pump relays, put it there and i got fuel at rail, test drive car and seems ok,, idle was rough , this morning started and ran for a minute, then died and no fuel at the rail again. i will measure relays again, waiting for new ASD relay too. I never changed the neutral switch which i will do today, yestrday it didnt wanna start in P only N
today it starts in P no problem, but once i noticed in P it shoot a gas it didnt in N, looks like some electrical problem.
Thank you everyone for help
there really is no fuse for PCM in glovebox or anywhere else, i could bet on it

 

after putting new relays in code 42 is gone, now i get code 41, book says : generator field not switching properly, open or shorted generator field control circuit.
What is the generator field?

 

The alternator field is a coil inside the alternator that is controlled by the voltage regulator to (ahem) regulate the voltage output of the alternator.

 

Hello all,

boatshaft - sorry to hear about your troubles. I am experiencing the same problem and am just now finding this thread.

My 2500 Ram Van 5.2L has stalled just after about 2 miles of driving the last three times I've driven it that far (don't drive it much). It seems to stall while slowing or stopping (like at a stop sign), but without any hesitation or sputtering beforehand. It starts quickly, runs smoothly until all of the sudden, nothing. The first time it happened, it started right back up. As of today, it is stalled out on the street in my neighborhood and wouldn't start within ten minutes of stalling. It's too cold tonight to mess with a van in the dark, so I walked home.

Not considering the possibility of catastrophic mechanical failure of some sort, the electrical problems that this thread describes seem like a real pain!

One confession that may be useful info - the auto shop clerk talked me into some Lucas Oil fuel injector cleaner on my last fill up. I put the goo in after filling the tank. It was more viscous than gasoline then, but if it didn't dissolve properly, I'm imagining a thick viscous substance now that temps are in the 10F range (I'm in Wisconsin).

I'll probably try to limp the van home tomorrow, or else get it towed because we have winter parking rules that mean cars must be moved to alternate sides of the street on a daily basis.

My problem seems like a fuel system issue, but I haven't checked anything yet due to the weather. My van is a conversion, so I'm not thrilled about taking the console off to get under the doghouse.

 

Trying cleaning the IAC before going much further on yours. If it is covered in carbon then the situation described above will happen. And cleaning the IAC is real cheap and easy, and most times cures this problem.

 

Will definitely check out the IAC, Mobile Auto, thanks for suggesting. I managed to get the doghouse off pretty easily. I wanted to check the fuel pressure at the rail on the Schrader fitting so I took off the doghouse and air filter assy.

The IAC will be a breeze to get at - right there on top... However, I can't find the damn pressure check fitting on the fuel rail. Will it be on driver or passenger side fuel rail? My van is a 1997 2500 Ram Van 5.2L. I see the fuel line come into the rail, I see the pressure regulator thing, and the tubes that connect the pass-side rail, but no pressure fitting. I'll take pics of my IAC and post.

I managed to limp the van home just now (only a few blocks), through school drop-off traffic! I kept on the gas while braking at stops to keep from stalling and made it into my driveway. It stalled as soon as I let off the gas. Whew!

 

I just removed the IAC and cleaned it. It wasn't very dirty at all - still brassy colored, but there were a few bits of gunk on it. See before and after shots.

IAC just before removal, air filter housing pushed aside. The IAC is in the center bottom of the photo, just above the fuel rail cross-connecting hose. I know most of you guys already know this, but someone else might read this thread later on...

Here is the IAC after I removed it, not yet cleaned up:

And after wiping it off with a shop towel:


I re-assembled everything (left the doghouse open) and tried to start the van again. It started right up, ran for about a minute, and then stalled and wouldn't start again. I'm confident it will start if I leave it alone for another hour or so. Seems like the IAC wasn't the problem.

PS: I still haven't found a fuel pressure check point. The fuel rails are in plain sight - maybe my year/model has a different fuel pressure check valve? 1997 Ram 2500 Van 5.2L

 

Yours and my van both have the plastic fuel rail that does not have the test port. The adapter that we would need is over $200 the last time I checked.

When it shuts down do you still have spark? And does the fuel pump run when you cycle the key?

 

The fuel pump does make a normal-sounding gentle whirring noise from the fuel tank if you engage the ignition to "on" before starting the vehicle. This pumping noise lasts about 1-2 seconds and sounds the same as I remember it.

I'll check for spark tonight, I'm still at the office for now. It's probably time for plugs/wires anyway, so this might be an opportunity to do that.

Thanks y'all, will keep you updated.

 

update on my 1997 Ram van 5.2L

I checked for spark on one plug and confirmed that there IS spark, even when the engine won't fire (while cranking after stalling).

I started checking the fuses and relays. On my model, the 10A fuse for the ASD and fuel pump relays is in the glove compartment fuse panel. This fuse checked fine.

The fuel pump relay is under the hood, just above the radiator in the fuse/relay box that is easily accessible. I checked the sockets with the relay removed and realized that this is dumb, because the relay internals are needed to complete the circuit... You guys have mentioned this, but it didn't sink in upon first reading. You have to have the relay in-place, or jumpered in place, to take readings that make any sense...

Pin 30 shows 12V all the time, regardless of key/ignition position, or whether the van is running. This seems correct. Pins 85 and 86 are the pins that energize the relay. They seem to be working, pin 85 (the +12V source) shows 12V at the socket (relay removed), when the ignition is "on", and 0V at the socket with the ignition "off". Pin 86 is the ground-side for the energizing terminals and shows 0V at the socket when the relay is removed, regardless of key position. If you check the pin voltage with the relay installed, Pin 86 shows +12V with ignition "on", and 0V with ignition "off". I did this using a little alligator clip on my DMM:



I just stuck the DMM black wire in the battery negative terminal, which is about 10 inches away.

The important pin to check is #87, as mentioned by many of you already. With the relay installed, pin 87 reads 0V with the key turned off, and 0V with the key turned on. Thus, I think the relay is bad. I will replace this and report back.

Also - with the fuel pump relay removed, I still hear a slight whirring noise when I turn the key to the "on" position without starting the van. I thought this was the fuel pump kicking in, but it still happens when I remove the fuel pump relay, thus depriving the pump of power. Am I hearing something else entirely. It almost reminds me of a power antenna being engaged, but my van doesn't have a power antenna, so no help there.

Can I manually jumper the fuel pump power and see what happens? I should be able to just jumper pins 30 and 87 at the relay socket and make the fuel pump go.