Trans Shift Issues:Solved
Poor Power Issue:Solved
Rough Idle Issue:Much Better
Poor Gas Millage:Better, what can I say, it's a long bed.

For years, ever since the trans was worked on, when I asked for a bit more power it would down shift into what felt like neutral, when I let off the gas it would engage again. I assumed it was out of adjustment. Finding a vacuum leak and fixing it helped a little, but it still did it.

The power has been poor for quite a while and it's a 5.2 so shouldn't be that bad. Idle has been rough for ever, gas mileage has sucked.

Last night on the way home from work it quit on me again!!! Thought I had it solved with a new coil and it ran for nearly 2 weeks but last night on the way home... We're talking Dallas Texas, on the way home from a long day at work, as in HOT. If that wasn't bad enough the starter refused to turn over so I called AAA (thank you God) who took me on home.

I went in to cool off, and about 7 came back out messed with the ignition switch, nothing. Tapped on the body of the starter, it turned over this time then fired right up as it has been doing when it cools off. Well I happen to have a crank sensor on hand, a friend bought it by accident and gave it to me so I put it in. Fired it up to test it and it started right up, it was late for me so I turned off the lights and went to bed.

When I got up and headed for work an amazing thing happened; The minute I stepped on the gas I could tell there was more power. The constant roughness was nearly gone. When I hit the highway and the gas, I was shocked when the trans didn't down shift. It was if someone had traded vans with me in the night. That van hasn't run that good in... 8 years. I am shocked. I had no idea all those problems could be associated with a weak, but still functioning crank sensor.

Now, I'm going to change the oil this weekend, and flush the rad, re-align the front end, and if it just won't quit again on me, I'm going to swear it's an early Christmas!!

 

Good job!
Was the ecm generating any codes?
I have an 88 F350/460 gasser ford that never gave up any codes related to any problem it ever had.
I am thinking that the much more modern ecm in the 2001 A1500 dodge will have better investigative powers!!

 

Bad crank sensors will not generate codes on these vans.

 

Glad to hear you found the culprit. I hope it continues to behave.

 

Ahh, what pain!! Put a new coil in it after it broke down on the highway. Ran quite well for about 2 weeks, then started quitting again. Put a new crank sensor in it. Man it ran great for about 2 weeks, now is quitting again. Though it is getting much better fuel milage, and the trans is shifting MUCH better.

Quits when it's hot, especially if traffic slows down. When I pulled the cowl there was zero spark. If I had a hair dryer I'd try and heat up the computer and see if it will stall the engine. Before it stalls it starts running real lean. Sounds a bit like a diesel, then the engine just cuts out. If I let it sit and cool a while, it will start back up and away we go. If it is still hot, I might make it a mile before it does it again.

No codes except idle throttle control mod and i replaced that.

I'm thinking it HAS to be the computer... think I'm putting in a rebuilt one this week and see what happens. I hate doing work this way, putting in parts without knowing if they will solve the problem, but I don't know what else to do.

Any thoughts, help, suggestions, all... any appreciated.

1999 B1500 Ram Van w 5.2 and about 250K miles. Other than this problem it runs quite well.

Thanks in advance,

Jim

 

The hairdryer thing is for when the PCM is cold, not hot. To me it sounds like the PCM is shutting down and you're losing power to the injectors.

 

Is it possible that when the pcm gets hot it shuts down? Last time when I was on the side of the road I had no spark, and it very well could be as you state the injectors are loosing power also... Doesn't all that point to the pcm? And couldn't I check that theory by taking a hair dryer to the pcm, get it hot and seeing if the engine shuts down? My AC isn't the best, and when I'm in heavy traffic it often blows warm and I have to shut it down so it does get quite hot in the cab. Were talking Dallas, summer, HOT!

By the way, the engine never loose power in the morning on my way to work, only on the way home, especially if the traffic is very heavy and slow, and it's a very hot day. This issue is definitely heat related...

By the way, thank you very much for your input. It's definitely appreciated.

 

Absolutely.