90 ramcharger with a 318, auto/OD, RWD.
truck started to stall during last winter, and in the spring it finally gave up. i tried to get it started over the weekend, and all i got was a big puff of white smoke from the TB. I've replaced the O2, ECT, MAP, and TPS sensors, no change... i went to the bone yard to find a replacement PCM, they didn't have any that looked right. I'm not sure if that's the problem or not anyways, the PCM was replaced around 2000,the comp was rebuilt 7/21/2000 by dodge...

did the PCM fail a lot on these trucks towards the end of their production run?

I'm looking for any suggestions, because i'm lost...

 

you know now that i think about it... maybe it finally lost it's timing? 157K miles, maybe the timing chain is stretched out, or the distributor needs to be adjusted...
i'd still like to know what you people think...

 

I would roll it over to TDC and pull the cap off to see if the rotor is pointing at the #1 wire, then have some one hit the key and watch to see if the rotor is turning.
Check to make sure TB is fogging?
Is the distributor sparking?
Is the gas good? Water in fuel?
Have you tried to run the codes?

 

she has spark, the fuel is new (i had to put the pump back in place after it shot out from the tank), the batt has been disconnected too long to retain codes. i'm not sure what fogging is... and my dad and i were going to check the rotor later today, if it doesn't rain...

 

fogging, spraying..........................
Squirting fuel as it should.
It should look like a heavy mist in sort of a pyrimid shape.
If it's just dripping, you might have a blockage.
Wish I could be more help but diagnosing over the internet can be difficult.

 

oh, spraying. i guess i should check that too...

 

ok. checked rotor position at #1TDC. looked good. fuel is spraying perfectly. put yet another set of new plugs in. old ones black, wet, and carboned out (they only ran in engine for a mile, and sat in engine for 2 weeks). the entire time it did run, it chugged heavily, and HUGE constant black cloud of smoke came out exhaust pipe. then it stopped itself, and again big white cloud of smoke out of TB. I'm still wondering if it's the computer... it has been replaced once already(rebuilt in 2000). that means it took 10 years to go bad, and it's almost on it's next 10...

The check engine light wasn't on while running, but it did show a code when i checked afterwards, for an internal SMEC/PCM failure... (#53)

 

What's the possibility of getting a PCM out of a junkyard or maybe off
E-bay or something like that?

 

i can't seem to find one around my house with the o/d trans. but i have like 2 more yards to look through.

another code popped up today, 37. Torque converter clutch solinoid. i picked one up last year from dealership, (only place that has heard of it. $60) cause the code popped on last year, but went "missing" from computer till now. I don't know where that part goes, or how to replace them. haynes, and chilton have nothing about it...

 

[QUOTE=moparjonzo;1843360]you know now that i think about it... maybe it finally lost it's timing? 157K miles, maybe the timing chain is stretched out, or the distributor needs to be adjusted...


Not a bad idea with the timing chain. Most factory 318's normally came with the cheap nylon gear tip, single roller timing chain. The cam gear usually began exhibiting signs of wear around 70-90k which can contribute to hard starting, stalling, ignition - spark issues. If that ends up being the issue, replace it with a factory 340 double roller gears and chain. The cam gear teeth are metal. At 157k, I would think it's been replaced by now at some point in it's life but stranger things have happened.

Tim