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2000 dodge ram 1500 engine shuts down while driving

5360 Views 57 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  billyreaves
I have a 2000 Dodge Ram 1500 V8 5.2 Sport that while driving sometimes (especially when it's hot outside) the engine shuts down and I'll have to pull to the side and sometimes it will start right back up and sometimes I'll have to wait 5 to 15 - 20 minutes till it will start up again. I so far replaced the idle control valve sensor and throttle sensor. Next I'm going to replace the crankshaft position sensor and the ignition coil and the camshaft sensor, just keep replacing these things till I fix it. If someone knows how to fix this I'm all ears.
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I had this happen on a 1996 and turned out to be the main coil wire
Can you bring up "live data" on your scanner? If so, more than likely your PCM is fine-
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I guess it could be the PCM, but could also be the wiring at your DTC hook-up??? I would just check all possibilities before condemning the PCM as they are not cheap to replace. Remember that one messed up ground can wreak havoc on electrical stuff, especially with the computerized stuff they put on these days-
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When are you getting the new PCM? You'll have to let us know if changing it out worked. Have you checked the grounds, wiring harness connections under fuse box, DLC connector wires to the PCM. Does your truck have an ASD relay fuse? No Bus sounds like lost communication. Check continuity of your DLC wires one at a time with no power on or you could mess up your DMM. Do you have a DMM?
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Your battery ground (black) wire probably goes to the side of your engine block. You probably have another ground (black) wire going to your chassis (frame). You also probably have more than one ground point inside or near you dash- these grounds probably have multiple ground wires attached to a single eyelet. Your PCM ground wires are multiple wires attached to an eyelet and are usually located on the firewall in engine compartment. Most grounds are held in place by a bolt or similar threaded fastener. Ground straps (woven) sometimes have just clips that attach to thin wheel wells, etc.... All of that being said, it's best to remove the grounds, clean up the contact areas with emry cloth, sandpaper, etc. to create a clean mating surface, then apply small amount of oxy-guard or dielectric grease on the cleaned surface and then tighten the wires back up. On another note- have you disconnected your PCM wiring harnesses and inspected the male pins and female sockets for any bent pins or pushed in sockets?
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Another thing that is easy to do is check for a short that may be affecting your DLC Bus wires. To do this, find out which PCM wire harness the DLC wires run to and disconnect it at the PCM. Next, get a test light and attach the alligator clip to the Battery (+) post red wire on the battery. You may need to run an extended wire from the test light wire to reach the Battery (+) post. After attaching the test light, simply probe the Bus wires at the DLC connection. If the test light illuminates, that tells you there is a short somewhere on that wire and you can either do a continuity (leap frog) test to determine the location of the area effected or just spice into the bad wire and run a new wire. Do you have a multimeter and/or a test light? As far a wiring diagrams go- Mitchell1 has a plan- I think I pay around $29/year and you have access to all the diagrams which in my opinion are good wiring diagrams. They are black/white diagrams, but are good.
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Yeah- take those off and sand and clean the surfaces, put some oxy-guard grease on and tighten back up. While your at it, looks like your battery post could use a little preventive maintenance checks too with cleaning as well. You should have a ground or two near the PCM- get a pic of them too. Also check inside and under dash area. Them little Billy bastards are in some unseen areas.
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Go on Amazon- they have it
Don't worry about a brand name. Just type "oxy guard grease" in the Amazon search and pick
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This work?
View attachment 144794
That will work
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The brush and dielectric grease is what you need. Brake parts cleaner is to spray your brake drums, calipers and rotors so you would not need it for cleaning the grounds. Its not necessary to remove the negative battery cable to clean other grounds. Let me know when you get your new PCM in- good luck
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MrDreamers-
I would recommend disconnecting the Battery(-) prior to hooking up the wire harnesses to the new PCM as 14Vern mentioned. This will prevent you from inadvertently shorting something that could possible damage your new PCM. Let us know how it goes after you hook it up. If it works, and the truck starts, let it idle for a little while and listen for any weird noises and also check the interior dash/lights, ect... to make sure all is working good- good luck
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Yeah- thats cool- it sounds like its idling pretty good. I heard Texas has got some major heat wave as we here in WV have been hot/humid for a while. When you get a chance, you should clean up the other battery cable and put some grease on that too. How far is work fro the house? Id take it to work and see how she drives- Im waiting on a part (WIN module) that I just ordered from Auto Tech Electronic in Laredo, TX to get here for my 2010.
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Yes- let me know how the drive to work goes. The heat wave is real crazy and I guess Lake Meade in NV is drying up too. I wonder if you took the A/C lines off in the pic above and applied some JB Weld to the cracks might help? Talk soon and stay in the A/C when you can-
That sucks- I'm not sure why but something is going on? Can you hook up a scanner and see if any codes pop up. Did you by chance change out the distributor lately?
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That would be a good idea just to see. Also, check your main coil wire that it's good-(meaning, check ohms from end to end) and make sure it's fitting snug on both ends.
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Yeah- go to O'Reillys and see if their scanner can get a code. Have you tried pulling out the PCM fuse and put back in? Im not sure if that would even help?
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Im not sure if it does, but you can check and see
MrDreamers-
Im no Master Tech but I know for a fact if the O2 Sensors start getting dirty or clogged, it can really mess with engine performance- this is a fact. If it were me, I would buy new O2 sensors and put them on myself. This way, you save money, learn something from replacing them yourself, self-satisfaction of not having to get ripped off at a shop or dealership and finally- you are the one doing the work, so if something gets messed up, there's only one person to blame. I have not replaced an O2 sensor in years, but remember it was pretty easy when I did. The only thing that might be a bitch is getting the old one to screw out without breaking the threads in half, best to spray some WD40 or Blaster on before you go to loosen them.
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