2018 PW first road trip...and check engine light comes on

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sandawilliams

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IMG_8296.JPG THE SCHOOL BUSES IN WESTERN COLORADO USE THESE FOR RODENT CONTROL. AFTER A MAJOR INFESTATION OF PACK RATS AND MICE I HAVENT HAD ANY OTHER PROBLEMS SINCE PUTTING THESE A FEW PLACES UNDER THE HOODS OF OUR VEHICLES AND FARM EQUIPMENT. IMG_8296.JPG
 
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Mazer

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BlueRide scanner showed up and it worked perfectly! It still shows the codes even though the check engine light is off, so I guess I'll go down and have the dealership give it a once over.
 

Grand Mesa

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View attachment 143810 THE SCHOOL BUSES IN WESTERN COLORADO USE THESE FOR RODENT CONTROL. AFTER A MAJOR INFESTATION OF PACK RATS AND MICE I HAVENT HAD ANY OTHER PROBLEMS SINCE PUTTING THESE A FEW PLACES UNDER THE HOODS OF OUR VEHICLES AND FARM EQUIPMENT. View attachment 143810
Sandawilliams, thank you. We are going to use those air fresheners on our Power Wagon, on our other vehicles, and on my new 54" mower. My wife's friend had recently purchased a new car and hadn't even made her first monthly payment. Her new car was eaten away at the school parking lot where she works. Total rodent wiring damage in excess of $1,000. A check engine light doesn't work with everything dead.
 
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MJockey

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BlueRide scanner showed up and it worked perfectly! It still shows the codes even though the check engine light is off, so I guess I'll go down and have the dealership give it a once over.

Did it give you any information about what probably caused the code like they claim in the ad?
 

MJockey

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Sandawilliams, thank you. We are going to use those air fresheners on our Power Wagon, on our other vehicles, and on my new 54" mower. My wife's friend had recently purchased a new car and hadn't even made her first monthly payment. Her new car was eaten away at the school parking lot where she works. Total rodent wiring damage in excess of $1,000. A check engine light doesn't work with everything dead.

Geesh where do you live, the UnderWorld? :hidesbehindsofa:
 
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Mazer

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Did it give you any information about what probably caused the code like they claim in the ad?
No, it told me what the code was and the miles the check engine light went on, how many miles the light was on, and then the miles when it went off. But i don't know if the light needs to be active for a "fix" to be recommended. There is a TON of information available. It accurately read all the information about my truck...I will get more into the owners manual tomorrow and see if I can get more info.
 

sandawilliams

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Sandawilliams, thank you. We are going to use those air fresheners on our Power Wagon, on our other vehicles, and on my new 54" mower. My wife's friend had recently purchased a new car and hadn't even made her first monthly payment. Her new car was eaten away at the school parking lot where she works. Total rodent wiring damage in excess of $1,000. A check engine light doesn't work with everything dead.

Seems to work well in Parachute.
 

Grand Mesa

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Some squirrel in a nice section in the Big City of southeast Aurora (Denver Metro Area), Colorado was the probable cause per the owner. I live far from a Big City.

In regards to intermittent trouble codes, that's why there's other Ram dealerships. Not all are the same.
 
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MJockey

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Just poking fun. I know all to well about rodent problems. They seem to be more problematic in colder climates. Mothballs also work if you can stand the smell.
 
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Mazer

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Well, took the PW to the dealer "just in case" they ended up giving me a loaner and saying they need to take the manifold apart so they can get to the intake. So...stay tuned.
 

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Also have an appointment at the dealership for three recalls on my 2016 PW. Never had any issues though with any of them. Last time I brought it into the dealership was nearly one year ago. They replaced the recalled transmission solenoid pack. Unfortunately, the pan was leaking badly afterwards and had to be towed back.

I just took a scissors and cut off the top of my mouse eaten and shredded battery shield. It looks good.
 
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MJockey

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BlueRide scanner showed up and it worked perfectly! It still shows the codes even though the check engine light is off, so I guess I'll go down and have the dealership give it a once over.

Just want to make sure before I order one.

-You have a 2018 PW and you did NOT need a ODB bypsss module for the scanner to work- Correct?

You got me wanting to see what my code was.
 
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Mazer

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Correct. I purchased mine from Amazon, but I did check the Blue Rider Website first, and they stated that it would work on the 2018 RAMs, so took a chance and ordered it. All the functions seemed to work fine. Now, I didn't get to ALL of the functions because the next day I took the truck in to the dealership and I MAY have it back tomorrow. This Chrysler 200 is a good little car I guess....gets over 30mpg....but not used to being this low to the ground and the pickup is anemic!
 

MJockey

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OP any update on your truck?

I checked mine and there was a P3442 code stored. It said: Cylinder 6 Deactivation Control Performance. No information on possible reasons or fixes were listed in the app.

A quick search on the web came up with:
Possible causes; Low oil pressure, Restricted oil passage, Engine mechanical condition, Faulty Multiple Displacement System (MDS) Solenoid, Multiple Displacement System (MDS) Solenoid harness is open or shorted, Multiple Displacement System (MDS) Solenoid circuit poor electrical connection

With the most likely being a defective solenoid.

Doubtful the dealer would do anything without a active light, so i guess I'll wait and see if it comes back.
 
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Mazer

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Hi! Well, the dealership kept my truck 2 days and did not find anything, they actually disassembled the engine down to the intake (I'm not a mechanic so not sure how far into the engine that is) and looked around and said they didn't see anything wrong. I needed my truck for the weekend, so they put it back together and asked me to bring it back next week when I had some hail damage repair scheduled, and since I drove it all weekend and it ran great, I told them to not bother with it and if the light returns, I'll bring it back. Service manager figured maybe something was loose and them taking it apart and putting it back together fixed the issue. But who knows.
Even with the light not active, they could still see the code....but I'm hoping it was just "new truck teething issues" and I'm good to go!
 

Grand Mesa

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"not sure how far into the engine that is". Actually, the removal of the intake is still not into an engine, but it is one of the larger components attached to it. Factory assembled and ready to install new crate engines will come with an intake manifold attached, but a rebuilt long block engine purchased from an auto parts store won't include it.
 
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Mazer

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Well, took two trips down to Columbia SC from Rock Hill SC and....the check engine light is back on! Same codes as last time :( so will be calling the dealership in the morning to get a time scheduled to get this thing fixed. Oh well...hopefully they find the issue this time!
 

MJockey

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If it effected something besides the MDS not working I be more concerned. I usually turn off MDS when driving on local roads anyway.
 
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I notice also that now the "key less" start shuts off almost immediately as well. So, it's going to the shop on Wednesday. Hope they can sort it out. Honestly, I don't notice any performance issues, no unusual sounds. But also notice that the headlight sensor now is also not acting right, so manually turning the lights on and off now! So maybe it is just a computer glitch.
 
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