I drive a 1994 Dodge B350 that was converted to a camper van by Roadtrek in May 1993 (yes, really 1993, though this is officially a 1994 van). It's a 5.2L v8 318. I've owned it for 7.5 years and worked through many issues. Currently, I'm out of ideas on a starting issue. It's complicated, so I hope you'll bear with me.

Van had been running great when it simply didn't start in the driveway one day. Cranked strongly but would not turn over. I'm having trouble finding a mechanic in my area, so several ended up troubleshooting with me. First, my husband and I diagnosed no spark coming from PCM, and that was replaced with a refurb. (Many items were tested during this troubleshooting, btw, and they checked out. I can list more if someone asks.) PCM #1 installed, and the van started right up, but ran very rough. After about 20 minutes, it evened out and we attributed it to 'learning' with a new PCM. On second longer ride, it died while traveling at about 40 mph, and would not restart (again, cranked but would not turn over, even once cooled off). Towed to shop.

It sat at the shop for over a month. PCM #2 arrived, and the van would not even crank at all. Shop hired an 'expert' and he came in and said it was, again, a bad PCM. PCM #3 arrived, and van started, but ran like absolute garbage... lurching and not accelerating. Expert came back and said EGR tube was trashed and needed to be replaced. While this seemed weird to have happened simultaneously with a bad PCM, turned out the EGR valve was stuck open, and the tube rusted through. Van ran very well after this was replaced, and I took it home.

Van drove well aside from a few minor things... it seemed to me that it revved too hard when first starting out from stopped. After about 20 seconds, this evened out. There was also an odd rattle, front, center right. Both could be completely unrelated but were not present before.

I drove a fair bit and it seemed to be fine, so I took it on a trip. After 120 miles, I stopped for gas. Out of paranoia, I re-started it right after shutting it off... and it started just fine. However, when I went to leave.... van cranked but would not turn over. Then it DID turn over but immediately stalled. Then it would start, stutter and fail. These were NOT issues previously seen. After about 20 minutes or so, I got it to start, but it wanted to die unless I kept it revved. I drove it around the parking lot a bit, and was able to keep it going. Hoping to head back home, I headed out, but hit a red light. It stalled at that intersection., and would not remain running for about 20 minutes again. I even had a few times that it backfired like a cannon when I tried to rev it and keep it running! Finally, I got it to start, and stay running, and got it to another gas station, where it died. I let it sit a bit, then.... it started right up. It seemed stabile, even. With MUCH worry, I tried driving it home. I successfully made it the 120 miles home in one go. AND... last night and today, it has started each time I tried it after that! Hot, cold, what ever - it has started!

None of the mechanics I've used before are willing to do any more diagnosis.

It had a new distributor cap and rotor in January when it stalled on the freeway out of the blue (oddly, these had already been replaced in 2017). It had a new idle air control about 4 years ago that fixed a random hot start issue I had had for years. Other parts have been replaced over the years. This seems most like the issue I had with the idle air control fix. But.... it's not that old. And dang.... all this stuff fails just sitting in my driveway... all at the same time? Three bad PCMs? I keep thinking there should be something underlying all this.

I'm really trying to learn about all this myself, but I really haven't done that much until I got this van. So... as I say, please be patient, as I'm learning. :-)

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

Getting a decent reman PCM is a real challenge. Most of the remans are worse than the one you are replacing.

Is the check engine lite on? Getting any codes?

Oh, and just for future reference, Cranks and turns over is the same thing. So, yours is a cranks, but no start condition.

If you have any aftermarket sensors in there, particularly crank, or cam sensor, replace them. These engines simply do not like aftermarket sensors. That includes the IAC.......

You may still have a bad PCM........ getting hot, and failing, is unfortunately, not unusual......

 

Thanks! I checked for codes as soon as I made it back to my driveway safely... and got only the 12 and 55 I expected to get (meaning the battery had recently been disconnected, and end of messages). The only time the service engine light came on was during the stalled/no start condition. Once running, it went away.

What makes this time different is that I got the previous crank but no-start, but also that it started then stuttered and died... and also started and ran a bit, backfired and died... and also started, ran poorly but stayed running while revved, then died. So, it had to be getting spark this time, I assume.

I actually bought another PCM myself during all this mess, and it took weeks to arrive (yesterday). So, I have a *spare* I could try at this point. But, honestly, it looks like it was yanked out of a junkyard and never tested or anything. It's filthy, as is the connecter even. I'm not sure what to make of it. Sigh.

I'll check the cam and crank sensors; I have no idea what their brand is. One mobile mechanic who came to help initially put in new ones, but then pulled them out when it still didn't start. I wanted them to stay replaced, but he didn't do that. Seeing as there was no spark coming out of the PCM at that point, I think changing them out wouldn't have made any difference any way, even if they were bad. Kind of like changing a light bulb when you have no power, lol.

Thanks again. As I say, I'm really trying to learn my way through this. Aside from doing brakes and starters and such with my dad when I was a teenager, I've not worked on my vehicle in 35 years... so it's a learning curve. But I have help. :-) But this is especially difficult when the problem isn't showing it self, but yet I can't trust the vehicle to really take it out much. I'd normally be living in this van now, and it hurts to see it just sit (and me to sit home and not camp in the fall).

 

May be just the coil going bad too..... Or a sensor freaking out. Next time it decides to run like crap, maybe disconnect the front O2 sensor, and see if the problem goes away.

 

Has the ignition coil been replaced, how about the spark plug wires?

 

I’ve had my share of issues with my 97 Roadtrek, with the 5.2 motor, one time I had similar issues as your experiencing, and it turned out to be the ignition coil, I actually carry a spare one in the van,,,