1500 Ram no power

[Ronald McMullen]

Hi there new to this forum. I have a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 2wd pick up with 8 ft bed. Recently my gas tank fell out on the road yup not kidding fell out in Virgil ny on route 292 and just put in 80 dollars gas. So had towed. Found a plastic tank replacement on line and ordered new straps on amazon installed. Truck ran fine for a few days then on way to go shopping total loss of power limped home at 5 miles an hour with gas pedal to floor. If I sat car for 10 minutes it would drive fine again for about a mile then loose all power took 1.25 hrs to get home which was a 15 min drive. Hooked up reader. Showed cylinder 1,2,3,4, misfire. A fuel malfunction and lastly an evap code which I looked up and said it’s a possible pinched evap line a clogged charcoal canister or a leak. When I open up gas cap u heard a swoosh of air get sucked in tank and truck would run fine. So dropped tank I swapped evap lines on tank thinking I hooked up wrong. I drove truck 10 miles to Ithaca on rd 13 going 60 miles an hour. And came back home. I even came to a complete stop on my road floored gas spun tires no problem. Parked car great. To day I get call from wife she’s at end of street truck doing same thing no power so can someone help me as to what this could be.

 

[Marley]

Did you replace fuel pump while tank was out ?
And yes, pinched vent lines will cause erratic behavior also.....next time it does it, loosen gas cap and try running it.

What code was it throwing by the way ?

 

[BigBlue05]

I would also add if your gas tank actually fell out then there is likely something broke on your fuel system. Either one of the lines or maybe the connectors that actually hook up to the fuel pump. I remeber when I dropped my tank I could only lower it about a foot without having to undo all of the connections.

 

[Ronald McMullen]

Did you replace fuel pump while tank was out ?
And yes, pinched vent lines will cause erratic behavior also.....next time it does it, loosen gas cap and try running it.

What code was it throwing by the way ?

It was p1486 p0300 0301 0302 0303 and 0304 As for gas cap if I opened cap it would let me start up and drive about a mile or so then go back to limping at 3-5 mph foot to floor if I didn’t do cap then I would have to wait ten 15 mins it would start and about a mile or so same thing

 

[Ronald McMullen]

No I didn’t replace fuel pump

 

[LoneWolf3574]

Are there any new codes since you performed your repairs? So you recovered your old tank and salvaged the fuel pump? I'm not sure how your fuel and EVAP lines looked after dropping a nearly full tank, but, besides the obvious EVAP line you replaced, I'm assuming you replaced your fuel line as well? It kinda sounds to me like you're starving the engine because of a kink somewhere in the fuel line. Just a guess though.

I'd recommend giving your EVAP system a good look over with a fine tooth comb. I had an EVAP issue with another vehicle where it was hard to start after fueling, turned out to be one of the EVAP solenoids.

 

[Ronald McMullen]

Well back tank strap broke and rear of tank made contact with ground which put a softball sized hole in it all lines were intact But I understand if something was pinched obstructed but wouldn’t it be constant?

 

[LoneWolf3574]

Not necessarily, a kink could create a restriction in the line but not stopping flow entirely, kinda like an orifice. The loss of power after going a short distance, to me, sounds like your fuel pump is pressurizing like it is supposed to but your engine is using fuel faster than the restricted fuel line can provide to the engine. That may explain the misfires on cylinders 1 through 4 as well since they are the furthest from the pump.

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[Ronald McMullen]

So why would I be using fuel faster then fuel is pumping. Pump bad?

 

[Marley]

Everything is pointing to a restricted fuel line......bent, kinked or twisted.
Fuel pump is pushing fuel to the injectors but not fast enough.

 

[LoneWolf3574]

So why would I be using fuel faster then fuel is pumping. Pump bad?

Think of your fuel rail as small tanks or reservoirs, because of a possible kink upstream, that fuel is being used faster than it can be refilled by the pump. It's also possible your pump was damaged when your tank dropped, just not in a way we can see. However, at this point, inspect your lines for damage first, it's significantly easier on the pocket book than dropping money on a new pump and/or lines.

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[Ronald McMullen]

Are there any new codes since you performed your repairs? So you recovered your old tank and salvaged the fuel pump? I'm not sure how your fuel and EVAP lines looked after dropping a nearly full tank, but, besides the obvious EVAP line you replaced, I'm assuming you replaced your fuel line as well? It kinda sounds to me like you're starving the engine because of a kink somewhere in the fuel line. Just a guess though.

I'd recommend giving your EVAP system a good look over with a fine tooth comb. I had an EVAP issue with another vehicle where it was hard to start after fueling, turned out to be one of the EVAP solenoids.

Ok so I dropped tank looked and noticed both evap lines off tank and charcoal canister clamps were broken. I used a 1/4 in hose clamp to replace on one line and a 1/2 in clamp on another. I watched like 30 you tube videos on line last night saw on about a sensor on the converter for tranny. I checked fluid had to put in several qts. Cleared codes started truck drove 12 miles to Ithaca and back. No check engine lights. Then drove 18 miles to used car king got 2000 for trade bringing home a 2012 Chevy captive for the wife. So idk if it was hoses or low fluid. Which would put tranny in limp mode. Even though there was no codes showing for that. But all I know is I got it running and got to dealer. And I would like to thank everyone for the helpful comment suggestion.