Dodge RAM 1989 B250 5.2L.

For the last half a year we have been having the issue of Check engine Light flashing on at random time, and the engine dying. Sometime is would happen just when we turned the key on and then the engione would not even start.
But it always did eventually and would run for a while. One mechanic replaced the ECM relay with no change, then opened, cleaned and applied Diatectic Grease to every connector they could find. It would work for a couple of hundre miles and then start doing it again. There was one connector in particular that seem to cause the problem so we buypassed it and connected all 8 wires in it directly to each other using little socket connectors. Again it seemed to work for a while, but last weekend when I went to move it around our driveway, it all happened again. Our mechanic doesn't think it it is the computer but that we just have to keep chasing down bad connections.

One then that seems weird to me is that the time that I turn the key on and the check engine light is flashing and the ECM relay is buzzing, the electric Clutch to the A/C is also snapping on and off.. I haven't worked out why the A/C clutch would be involved when the AC is turned off and the engine is not even actually running.

 

Have you check battery connections? It really sounds like a low-voltage problem.

 

Interesting..Wouldn't that make the starter motor turn slowly? It turns over and turns the engine no problem. But I will clean the battery connections this weekend just in case!

 

This could indicate bad contacts in the ignition switch.

 

Ive been having trouble with mine for some time now , sounds like yours , the fix was the CTS or Coolant tempsensor on the block not the one on the plentium, or the one on the block for the guage, but the one for the ecm,unless it has the 2 prong for both , I replaced everything else, and wahla that problem of dying its finally over with !

 

Good thinking - Maybe I can check that somehow.

 

Thanks - something else to check!