I can not seem to pin point the source of this problem. I dont want to keep throwing money away at it, unless I know exactly what is wrong... no guesses..

So far I have done a complete tune up
Replaced the fuel pump (fuel pressure is good)
Replaced all filters
Replaced camshaft sensor 3 times just to be sure (new parts of course)
Replaced crankshaft sensor twice
Replaced PCM twice, but both were used.
Checked map sensor, mass sensor both are good
checked all fuses
coil packs are good
starter and ignition is good
good spark

The only codes present are p0340 cam sensor and p1489 high speed control relay (but thats because the guy before me hot wired the fans to fuse box hole where the relay switch is supposed to go)

I also used my multimeter and checked the cam shaft sensor harness wires to pcm and found that the ohms are 0 so, the wires are good.. I checked also to see if the sensor is getting power. It reads 9volts dc. I did the same with the crankshaft sensor to pcm. I found that the wires are good from the cranksensor to pcm, but also I found when I checked the crank sensor harness for power, it shows nothing on the voltameter.??? Weird.. Is it supposed to be that way?? And the ground wires are good.

I accidently found out that if you unplug the cam shaft sensor it will start on the 3rd try, and it will drive good but will not go over 3000rpm and will hard downshift as im coming to a stop sign around 20mph.. Thats it... No miss fire, no rough idle, no weird shifting, no stalls, the engine sounds good, no ticks or noise. It will also start if I keep the camshaft sensor plugged into the harness but remove the sensor itself from the engine and then start it. I guess kind of a limp mode.

Ive been driving it around with the sensor unplugged because I have no other transportation. Im a little nervous because i dont want to make the problem worse.

I talked to the dealership and they said that it could cost me up to 300$ just to tell me whats wrong with it.. The cheapest I found was 100$ for diagnostics but no guarantee that ill get an exact answer to what i need to do to fix it.

Ive been told that the engine is bad, but I dont believe that. I ve been told that I need to replace timing chain and pump and make sure its in proper time. But thats a HUGE job. And will cost be over 1000 to get some ones else to do it. I can do it for around 250. But i need to know for definitely sure before i take on a big job that may not fix the issue or may not have been needed.

I just got this car a month ago. And as far as i know no one has replaced the cams or rebuilt anything. Idk.. and i lost the guys number to call him.. so thats not an option.

Please help.. if you know what the problem is please let me know.. thanks.

 

Stay on it, your getting close!!!
No voltage on that sensor would concern me! And LOW voltage on the other sensor means something!

You might have intrest in this:

 

SO! Hows it going now!!! Any progress?

 

well... i re tested all the wires and had the PCM reprogrammed... I yet again bought new sensors but this time got them from the dealership.... Brought it to a mechanic just in case.. Actually quiet a few of them.. such a waste of money.. just tells me things i already know..

If it wasnt raining right now.. I would take this engine apart and see whats wrong with it..

It is most likely a timing issue.. I cant get ahold of the previous owner so i can find out if the engine has been replaced or rebuilt or maybe he change the water pump and or timing chain...

It could be a mismatched timing chain and pump.. for that engine there are 2 different types.. the regular one or the upgraded one.. if you use an upgraded pump then you have to use a different chain.. maybe someone used the original or non upgraded chain with the upgraded pump.. but there is no way for me to find out because I dont know how I can tell. I dont want to just throw money at this anymore.. its really angering me..

There are 2 different 2.7s they both look the same.. but one requires a different computer and crank shaft. .. hopefully its the original motor..

It could be an exciter ring problem or cam shaft sprocket wheel is off... Idk how I could tell..??? I do know however I am NOT spending 1000 dollars to fix this.. Im done throwing money at it.. So when it stops raining im going to take the valve covers off and try to see if i can tell if its in proper time and inspect the chain and wheels for wear.. Dont know how i can tell??? Also check the chain tensioner??? Im not a mechanic but I have rebuilt and engine before with just instructions.. So i am stuck to doing it myself.. which should save me money... If i tried to sell this car in this condition I may only get 500 bucks.. i paid 1300 and put maybe 600 in it so far.. Im not gonna just waste my money that I dont have. I cant except a loss.... But honestly this i one piece of **** car... If trying to retime the engine and maybe put a new pump and chain in it doesnt correct this problem then I am forced to junk this car.... and I am going to beat up the guy that knowingly sold me a goner...

 

You said that you can start and drive the car with cam sensor disconected! Is this right?

You have 2 codes! PO340,P1489

PO340
You went and got measurements on the cam sensor -,+ , 9 volts dont cut it! That will drop when you crank the engine! (no start) do this voltage test again! Watch the meter while cranking.

P1489
Do the same test as above this time with that relay or jury rig disconnected! Watch the meter voltage! (dont overheat the engine, no fan)

If your starting and driving the car its not the chain most likely!

Quit throwing money at it!

How did you OHM the - wire to the cam sensor? Do this with the computer unpluged.

Anybody got a wiring diagram for this car?

 

Yes i already did all of that.. I Ohmd all the wires. I checked it for voltage a few times..

I paid a mechanic to figure this out.. He thinks the same thing that it runs too good in Limp mode to be the timing. But he checked all the wires too with special meters and scanned it .. He is stumped. So his final conclusion was that all the sensors are good, all the wires are good. and the pcm is good. He said that the only possiblity was that maybe the aftermarket cam sensor I put in it was acting funny and maybe i should try using a dodge part.. So i went to the dealership and bought the 58 dollar sensor with 1 yr warranty on it.. and took out the perfectly fine oreillys cam sensor that i bought for 32 dollars with lifetime warranty.. And it did not fix the problem. O and I can not return either one of them.. So there is money wasted there too..... Grrrrrr!!

He also said that if the dealership sensor did not work, then it must be an internal engine problem.

I then finally got ahold of the guy i bought it from yesterday. He said the only thing he did to it was put a new battery in it, fuel pump, and some suspension work. He only had it for maybe a year, he also put a cam sensor in it with crank sensor. But he put used ones in it. He gets all his parts from junk yard. So when i bought it I thought I could easily fix it myself. He did nt even register the car in his name because it just sat in this driveway. But he got it running by unplugging the cam sensor. My blazer used to do that when i had it. And i fixed it by retiming the chain and replacing the pcm.

He gave me the number to the guy he bought it from and I talked to him too. And that guy said he had it for a few years and he bought it from an old lady. But the engine has never been changed in it. Never been rebuilt. The only thing he did to it was ball joints, and he did replace the water pump and thermostat.. He also hot wired the fans, because they didnt come on by them self. Which is why the p1482 code if coming up.. He sold the car to the guy i bought it from because the fuel pump went out and he did feel like fixing the car.

As far as the high fan relay switch trouble code.. I put new relay switch in it and I ended up just keeping it hot wired because it didnt fix the fan problem. but I did get a coolant temp switch but havent installed it yet.

So.. I dont know what is wrong with it.. it is really angering me that i cant figure it out. But today im pulling the valve covers off and i will inspect the cam shaft sprocket and chain and see if the tensioner is good. Maybe ill try retiming it from the crank shaft to see if I can get the notches to line up and see if it starts it. but i refuse to ever bring this car a mechanic again... I can get a complete timing set with pump for 200 bucks if that is the problem. The dealership wants 1500 to fix it and they give me the concerned look like i need to sell this car.. But I am NOT selling this car I AM fixing it. Its my only transportation. I have NO job right now. Things are rough for me. I am burning through my savings by fixing this. If i can fix it. Then this can be a good car and last me a while. I will use fully synthetic oil in it.. and flush the engine of sludge every oil change. I keep up with all my cars I ever owned. I am going to inspect the engine for sludge too. I will clean out all sludge from this engine if there is any.

Any ways .. I ll keep you posted. If you know my exact problem. Or what usually fixes this problem please let me know. But please know that If pretty much determined not to be an electrical issue. I willl however triple check it just in case I missed something. And yes I do have a full wiring diagram for this car. and engine. everything checks out so far. O and the only reason it even gives a code for the p0340 cam sensor. is because it has to be unplugged to even start it.. lol.. so Im not able to really get a good scan because of that.. Its not accurate...

 

http://troubleshootmyvehicle.com/chr...ition-sensor-3

 

Thanks... but the crank shaft sensor is fine and all the wires are good too... Im currently taking the valve covers off right now... Im going to line up the timing marks and see what that does....

My car starts when the cam is unplugged.. it also starts with cam plugged into the harness but with camsensor out of the engine... So the crank shaft sensor is fine and the wires too..

 

NO!
Was the key ON?

MY thoughts: Your eng wont run the way you want it to because it in limp mode, not using cam and crank sensors for the fuel injection timing. When you plug in your cam sensor the eng wont start thats because it trying to use the sensors again for the timing of the injectors, They wont work unless the circuts providing voltage from the computer are in working order!

Could be a chain issue! But you said its orignal eng and not messed with!

Suggestion: Look at your wiring diagram and follow the power feed from the Crankshaft sensor and see what other sensors it provides power for, turn the key on and check that voltage. Do this for each sensor , leave it unpluged until you check all of them!

 

I just bought a used 2004 Dodge Stratus with about 46,000 miles on it. It sat for a year without being driven. (I bought it off of a nursing home, selling it for a dementia patient). They replaced the battery before I bought it. It will start right up, but will not stay started unless I give it gas. It used to die in idle, but, I put a liquid tune up and a fuel injector cleaner in my gas tank and that has helped. However, it will die almost immediately after I start it.