Engine spitting and sputtering, dying.

[JohnnyMac]

Call me crazy but that doesnt sound like a battery problem. Trucks electrical system should be running off the alternator once its started the way I have always understood it.

My bet is on lack of fuel/fuel pump issue or you still have a coil issue. Many a brand new coil have been bad from the factory.

If the battery has a bad cell it will draw the voltage coming off the alternator down. A cheap $10 volt meter could eliminate that as the problem though. That being said, it does make sense that a bad cell in the battery would also make the engine turn over sluggish while starting. I know that a new battery fixed my 2000 which showed similar symptoms. The techs at the Dodge dealer said that the PCM for at least the 2000 model was super sensitive to battery voltages.

Okay, I got ahold of a code reader and checked. No codes popping up.
Too much back pressure caused by a clogged cat? I pray that I aint got something physically wrong with the engine itself...

Now that you mention it, a clogged cat does sound plausible too. How many miles on the cat? Beat that ******* with a hammer while it's running and see how much crap blows out the back of the tail pipe.... Although if it's a good cat, it probably won't be after you're done beating on it. Last cheap trick I can think is the possibility you got some bad gas with some water in it. Maybe dump a couple bottles of "ISO-Heat" into it and see if that helps. That'll only cost you a couple bucks.

 

[BikerDash]

Gonna get some ISO-Heat, as well as some injector cleaner and add that to the tank. I'm also picking up an inexpensive multimeter so I can check how much juice the alternator is putting out.
How much juice should I expect from the alternator at idle?
Battery is good. Has a full charge cause I put the battery on a good charger last night. (old charger screwed the pooch and the truck battery didn't want to jump my bike after I left the stereo powered up overnight) (With the fully charged battery, it still does it)

 

[JohnnyMac]

I'd expect to see somewhere around 13.6 to 14.2 volts - ish while the engine is running.... much less than that and it might not keep up with the draw, much more and you'll cook the battery.

 

[BikerDash]

13.8V at idle. Gonna guess the charging system is good.
Once again, it did not trigger any error codes.
To recap: started after running a good portion of the day. A lot of idling in 90+ heat and very high humidity.
Tried a new coil, plug wires, and neither one changed anything. Battery is fully charged, and alternator is putting out plenty of voltage. Engine is getting in plenty of air through a clean air filter.
Idles smooth as glass. Give it gas not under load, and she revs just fine. Place her under load, and she'll spit, sputter and threaten to stall when given the gas.

 

[JohnnyMac]

Did you get a chance to dump some ISO-Heat into the tank? Does that year truck have a distributor?

 

[BikerDash]

Yes on both, as well as injector cleaner.

 

[JohnnyMac]

I don't recall but have you popped your distributor cap off and looked inside? See if the spring is good on the center conductor and scrape away any arcing deposits on the contacts. Or if it looks bad enough, replace it.

 

[BikerDash]

... the last thing in the world I wanted to do...
You know just where the distributor is on my truck? Way in the back under the frame. This is one of the few reasons I miss my 86 Ram...

 

[JohnnyMac]

... the last thing in the world I wanted to do...
You know just where the distributor is on my truck? Way in the back under the frame. This is one of the few reasons I miss my 86 Ram...

It should be where you plugged your ignition wires into.

This video is kinda shaky, but gives you the idea.

 

[JohnnyMac]

Another better one.

 

[BikerDash]

It was not a case of not knowing how to do the job... it is a case of playing Mr. Contortionist trying to get my arms in there. (too short to just stand on the bumper and reach back... gotta sit on the radiator support frame to reach back there, and then bending down... makes my arms try to bend in weird directions)

Anyways, pulled the old distrinutor cap and rotor out... was not certain if they were the cause, but they looked worn enough I thought it best to get new ones.



Welp... that didn't fix the issue. Had the windows down when I was taking it for the test drive, and I could hear the very distinct popping coming from the exhaust...
Would that be a very lean issue causing that?
I know that when my bike used to pop under deceleration, going up a jet size in the carbs helped eliminate that. Got me wondering if it is the fuel pump going bad

 

[BoDuke]

Check the IAC valve on the back of the throttle body, they are known to cause issues when they get dirty. I had one go bad and it was similiar to your symptons but not exact. I wouldnt replace it right away but just clean it and its hole on the throttle body very well.

 

[BikerDash]

How would the IAC valve cause the truck to sputter and threaten to stall (or actually stall) when you give it gas under load?
Almost time for me to head to pool tonight, but I will be looking at that in the morning

 

[BoDuke]

How would the IAC valve cause the truck to sputter and threaten to stall (or actually stall) when you give it gas under load?
Almost time for me to head to pool tonight, but I will be looking at that in the morning

To what i understand it controls the idle that is about it maybe someone who understands it more can help you with an explanation on how it works just sharing my .02 cents

 

[JohnnyMac]

Damn bro, once you figure it out, she's gonna run like a champ with all the new parts! I didn't mean to insult your knowledge, I read your post wrong. Thought you were asking where the distributor is so I attached the vids...... So, I'm not sure about everything you've done, but just to make sure, have you checked the couple issues that the 5.9 is notorious for? TPMS, Plenum Gasket, MAP sensor.... As far as the fuel pump, it certainly could be, you can get a cheap fuel pressure gauge to check that out. Definitely worth looking at.

 

[BikerDash]

Right now... with how many headaches this vehicle is becoming, I started looking at this Focus Hatchback that has a proper H-pattern shifter...

I miss driving stickshift