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Red Lightning Bolt flashing, truck won't start.

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96K views 53 replies 26 participants last post by  2014laramieCrew  
#1 ·
Hey guys I was seeing if anybody could help me with this. Went to start my truck today and it was just cranking but not turning over, finally it turned over and the red lighting bolt was flashing and the check engine light came on as well. It seemed like there was no power at all to the truck but I was near walmart so I barely made it over to the shop. I had them check the battery on the machine and it came up as bad so I replaced it. Went to start again and now the same thing was happening and it basicly undrivable. Its now dead in the water at the Walmart parking lot until I can get it towed somewhere to look at it. My question is if the bad battery caused the problem and lights to come on and it went into that mode, would replacing the battery fix it or is there something I would have to do to the truck to reset it to go back to normal. Thanks for any help. Never seen the bolt before or had any issues like this.
 
#2 ·
Can they check for stored fault codes?
If it's cranking, is it strong and continuous or is it a lethargic intermittent crank. My wife's 05 Grand Cherokee would not start if there wasn't enough voltage, even if the battery wasn't "dead". Try a jump pack or use good heavy gauge jumper cables if you're not getting a strong effort from the starter.
 
#7 ·
While you're at walmart try and get a multimeter.

Place it across the terminals on the battery while the truck is running and see if you're getting 14.3+volts.

Should be getting over 14 if your alternator is still good.
 
#8 ·
Does your RKE (remote keyless entry) system still work? It's possible that the Wireless Control Module electronically locked up.
 
#48 ·
The lightning bolt means there is trouble between you accelerator pedal and the
throttle plate. All electronic.
Is there a fix for what you are saying and how did you come up with this? I have a 2011 hemi with full power all dash and no error codes but won't make a sound when turning over. Only thing that happens is the red bolt flashes! HELP
 
#14 ·
I was going to say alternator but it sounds like that isn't the issue. LowUFO is beating me to every thread tonight:LOL:




Come on now, its a battery. Walmart may not be a good place to get a car worked on, but...its replacing a battery
 
#12 ·
Well guys thanks for all the suggestions......when I tried to crank it, it was actually a pretty strong crank, but it never would turn over and when it did a couple of times it was just shaking like a damn earthquake was hitting. A buddy hooked up a jump pack and it didn't do anything and showed that the new battery was indeed good. Yeah the RKE still works, I locked and unlocked the doors just fine. I also had somebody with a code reader get these codes from it......its alot

p0335- crankshaft position censor
p05210- engine oil pressure censor

then I can go to Chrysler enhanced engine DTC's and this is what popped up
p0642- sensor reference low voltage
p0520 engine oil pressure censor switch circuit
p060e- internal control module throttle position
p2122 throttle/pedal postition sensor low input
p2111 throttle actuator control system-stuck open

Sweet Jesus what does all this mean? After cussing up a storm and trying different things in the pouring down freezing rain, I gave up and called a tow truck to take it to the nearest dealer and Im waiting on the call back to see what the deal is. I will let yall know what they say.
 
#21 ·
Hi persuazion,
Keep us posted on what the dealership says and let me know if there's anything I can do to be of assistance!
 
#20 ·
Had a problem of my own ,truck was going into limp mode while driving. Was throwing 15-17 codes as well. Ended up being a hose clamp cutting into my wire harness which was shorting out the 5v wire. The lightning bolt was coming up on my dash as well. He first thought it was a bad ECM.Mechanic chased it for about 3 days. Wrote a thread about it.
 
#25 ·
Nope. Called Friday and they said their system was down and it was pure chaos there. I said " Ok well can you have the tech working on my car call me back and give me an update at least" they said sure.....but never did. Called first thing Sat morning since they close at 3 on Sat. The guy said that the person that knows anything about my truck is off for the weekend and will be back Monday.:doh: He said he asked the techs that were there and they had no clue what he was talking about. So HOPEFULLY tomorrow I will know some damn thing!
 
#29 ·
Whelp , I called them today and they said the pcm was bad and the crankshaft censor and they were checking to see if the throttle body was bad. They said there was a short in the wire that caused this. My question is if it was a short could it really take out all of these things at once? And should I take it somewhere else to get a second opinion?
 
#31 · (Edited)
A short could fry the PCM if there is no fuse to protect it from an over-current condition. However, unless this 'short' is corrected a new PCM will fry as well if their theory is correct.

Doubtful that a short would fry a resistance based sensor like the TB sensor. Over voltage would, but you're at the mercy of a 12V battery so, at the very least the system is engineered for that. What would be most likely is short occured on the TB circuit which would cause the lightning bolt to flash because it has no control over the TB and then fry the PCM.

Ok, Madlock out.
 
#35 ·
Yeah I'm beginning to wonder if they had a bad batch of crankshaft sensors or something like they did with the Ecodiesel oil pressure sensors. I've been reading about issues with them lately too, but I'm not sure I could narrow it down to a specific time range
 
#36 ·
Yeah I know what you mean. I read a couple about the V6's and a few on 4.7's and a few on hemi's within a short period of time. I can't recall any of them resulting in full out PCM failure. So that makes me wonder, perhaps this is just a PCM failure and nothing else. Without performing any diagnostics myself on the truck it's kinda hard to estimate the problem over the internet.
 
#37 ·
Yeah, for all we know they could just be 2 different issues that happened at the same time.
 
#43 ·
The lightning bolt is basically telling you that the computer is not receiving the correct voltage back from the many sensors it is monitoring. Because of the code you need to start checking off potential problems. It is good to try to get the error codes since on newer models when you do the 3 turn on ignition tricks it will most likely just flash the lightning bolt. A couple of codes that will pop up will be P0335 - Crankshaft Position Sensor and another could be P0522 - Engine Oil Pressure Sensor/Switch Circuit Low Voltage. A trick is to eliminate the possibilities. When you try starting the truck turn the key but release it, the truck will start and begin idling really rough and you will not be able to compress the gas pedal. Turn off the engine. If you look beneath the alternator and above the oil filter on the left side of the engine you'll see the first sensor to test, the Engine Oil Pressure Sensor Switch. Go ahead and disconnect it. Now go back and start the engine. You'll see the oil gauge go all of the way to the right; no problem. If the lightning bolt does not come on and it is running smoothly this will be the sensor to replace; a hard to get to job but I did it from beneath the truck. It will have the brass base. I used a short crescent wrench to do the job. The part (S4191) cost approximately $45 from O'Reileys and fixed the problem so I didn't have to go any further.

Hope this helps.
 
#44 ·
A P0335 "check engine light" code could be caused by:
Damaged CKP sensor connector
Damaged reluctor ring (missing teeth or not turning due to sheared-off keyway)
Sensor output open
Sensor output shorted to ground
Sensor output shorted to voltage
Failed crank sensor Broken timing belt
Failed PCM

Read more at: https://www.obd-codes.com/p0335
Copyright OBD-Codes.com
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Potential causes of a P0521 code include:
Low oil level in the engine
Old dirty oil (overdue for an oil change)
Low oil pressure
Faulty wiring or connection/connector in the oil pressure sender circuit
Faulty oil pressure sender/sensor

Read more at: https://www.obd-codes.com/p0521
Copyright OBD-Codes.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Potential causes of a P0520 code include:
Faulty engine oil pressure sensor
Excessive resistance in the oil pressure sensor circuit
Short in the circuit to/from the oil pressure sensor and/or PCM and/or ground
Faulty PCM (less likely)

Read more at: https://www.obd-codes.com/p0520
Copyright OBD-Codes.com
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https://www.obd-codes.com/p0642
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P060E Description The Throttle Actuator Control (TAC) system uses two Accelerator Pedal Position (APP) sensors to monitor the pedal position. Two processors are also used to monitor the TAC system data. The engine control module (ECM) performs an intrusive test in order to detect that the APP signals are not shorted together. The ECM accomplishes this by pulling the APP sensor 2 low momentarily and looking for sensor 1 to also be low. The TAC system also performs this test on the throttle position (TP) sensors. This diagnostic monitors the transistor used to pull one pedal and one throttle sensor to ground simultaneously. Additionally, Both processors monitor each other's data to verify that the indicated APP calculation is correct.

Read more: https://www.autocodes.com/p060e.html
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P2122 - Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor/Switch 'D' Circuit Low

Read more: https://www.autocodes.com/p2122.html
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P2111 - Throttle Actuator Control System - Stuck Open

Read more: https://www.autocodes.com/p2111.html


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I am not a mechanic, so what do i know :4-dontknow:

Sounds to me that you have a dirty throttle body, a bad wiring connection, & a sensor is out of position & needs adjustment
 
#45 ·
Good Info, as always.
 
#51 ·
I once had the flashing lightning bolt
The dealership looked at it, did something to fix it, ( they may have just disconnected the battery for 15 or 20 minutes ).

The Service Writer then said the Ram was fine, i had him ask the Tech about it.

What had happened that day before the flashing light occurred, was that i had sat in my Ram for about 2 to 3 hours listening to the radio with the engine shut off. Then i had started the engine without turning the ignition all the way OFF, then that is when the flashing light came on.

The Tech said that i had confused the electronic system, that i should have turned Off the ignition, then the system would reset, then i could Start the truck normally