OlDirtyJohn
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2010
- Posts
- 1,518
- Reaction score
- 50
- Location
- Naha-shi, Okinawa, Japan
- Ram Year
- 2004 Quad Cab 2500 *Sold*
- Engine
- Hemi 5.7
First post about this problem.. letting you guys know i got it solved...
Back story:
a week or two ago i was driving home from fishing. CEL came on, truck was running just fine though. got home, hooked up the code scanner.. forget the exact code, but it was low ionization on cylinder 3 coil. cleared the CEL with the scanner, ran the truck for a while, and all was good. no problems.
flash forward to this weekend. on my way into my 48 hour shift at work, truck is idling really rough, almost to the point of stalling. there is a significant hesitation at takeoff, and what felt like multiple misfires, and a noticeable loss of power while driving. no CEL though. got to work, noticed that mpgs had dropped by over 3 in just the 20 mile trip to work on the trip computer. i hooked up the superchips to it, no CEL or DTCs. tried listening around for any noticeable sounds or anything. thats a little hard with multiple aircraft turned up and flying all around me. problem is happening when the truck is both warm and cold. so i close the hood and go into work. ive got 2 days to figure out my plan of attack.
during my 48 hours at work i am running all kinds of scenarios through my head, and deciding what i am going to do. things that initially come to mind are: clean throttle body, clean/check pcv valve, its not an egr problem as they arent on HD trucks, plugs are only couple thousand miles old, and were gapped/installed properly, check plug wires, check coil packs, check plugs regardless of age, clean/check air filter, check fuel injectors/rail and clean if needed, and lastly listen around the valve covers for any signs of valve/valve spring damage. sweet, got my plan of attack down, now just count down the hours till i get off work. need to get this solved ASAP as im towing a couple horses over 400 miles in a week or so.
this morning rolls around, i anxiously run out to the truck and start looking around... airfield is closed for a little bit, no aircraft turned up, and its light outside. run truck till its warmed up, confirmed the same problem is still there. still no CEL. hook up the superchips again, no DTCs present. hmmm, grab my little $50 autozone code scanner, hook it up... code P0308 present. as im thinking to myself: really superchips? wtf? i noticed a very audible clicking noise coming from the engine compartment. immediately i think to myself, "oh crap, hope i didnt break a valve spring or something". open up the hood, the noise immediately leads me to cylinder #8 (who would of thought after the P0308 code huh?) and i instantly notice a 4" spark going between the coil and the plug wire. wow! a plug wire came loose from the coil pack, and slipped off. as i admire it for a moment, impressed by the fact that my coil pack has enough juice to create a 4"+ spark, i realize i need to turn off the truck and reconnect it. did that, truck runs beautifully again. no CEL, no DTCs, no rough idle. all is well again.
also, last few trips with the truck, i noticed my tranny temp was a little higher than normal. running at 150 instead of 125. still WELL within max allowable heat. but sparked a mild concern none the less. checked tranny fluid this morning, it was a little low, barely reaching the dip stick while cold. check around for leaks, found none. oh well, i'll top it back off, all will be well again.
hope this helps out anyone who might have a similar problem in the future. also, keep in mind, when problems do come up, dont get stressed out, check the simple stuff first, and take it step at a time.
Back story:
a week or two ago i was driving home from fishing. CEL came on, truck was running just fine though. got home, hooked up the code scanner.. forget the exact code, but it was low ionization on cylinder 3 coil. cleared the CEL with the scanner, ran the truck for a while, and all was good. no problems.
flash forward to this weekend. on my way into my 48 hour shift at work, truck is idling really rough, almost to the point of stalling. there is a significant hesitation at takeoff, and what felt like multiple misfires, and a noticeable loss of power while driving. no CEL though. got to work, noticed that mpgs had dropped by over 3 in just the 20 mile trip to work on the trip computer. i hooked up the superchips to it, no CEL or DTCs. tried listening around for any noticeable sounds or anything. thats a little hard with multiple aircraft turned up and flying all around me. problem is happening when the truck is both warm and cold. so i close the hood and go into work. ive got 2 days to figure out my plan of attack.
during my 48 hours at work i am running all kinds of scenarios through my head, and deciding what i am going to do. things that initially come to mind are: clean throttle body, clean/check pcv valve, its not an egr problem as they arent on HD trucks, plugs are only couple thousand miles old, and were gapped/installed properly, check plug wires, check coil packs, check plugs regardless of age, clean/check air filter, check fuel injectors/rail and clean if needed, and lastly listen around the valve covers for any signs of valve/valve spring damage. sweet, got my plan of attack down, now just count down the hours till i get off work. need to get this solved ASAP as im towing a couple horses over 400 miles in a week or so.
this morning rolls around, i anxiously run out to the truck and start looking around... airfield is closed for a little bit, no aircraft turned up, and its light outside. run truck till its warmed up, confirmed the same problem is still there. still no CEL. hook up the superchips again, no DTCs present. hmmm, grab my little $50 autozone code scanner, hook it up... code P0308 present. as im thinking to myself: really superchips? wtf? i noticed a very audible clicking noise coming from the engine compartment. immediately i think to myself, "oh crap, hope i didnt break a valve spring or something". open up the hood, the noise immediately leads me to cylinder #8 (who would of thought after the P0308 code huh?) and i instantly notice a 4" spark going between the coil and the plug wire. wow! a plug wire came loose from the coil pack, and slipped off. as i admire it for a moment, impressed by the fact that my coil pack has enough juice to create a 4"+ spark, i realize i need to turn off the truck and reconnect it. did that, truck runs beautifully again. no CEL, no DTCs, no rough idle. all is well again.
also, last few trips with the truck, i noticed my tranny temp was a little higher than normal. running at 150 instead of 125. still WELL within max allowable heat. but sparked a mild concern none the less. checked tranny fluid this morning, it was a little low, barely reaching the dip stick while cold. check around for leaks, found none. oh well, i'll top it back off, all will be well again.
hope this helps out anyone who might have a similar problem in the future. also, keep in mind, when problems do come up, dont get stressed out, check the simple stuff first, and take it step at a time.
