Intermittent engine dies

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Wrnchbndr

Junior Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2018
Posts
5
Reaction score
0
Location
NJ
Ram Year
1997
Engine
5.2
97 Ram 1500 5.2 Auto 2wd. The truck normally runs as new with no issues at all. I’ve only had it for 2 months. In a totally random fashion the engine dies. It sometimes won’t immediately start up and sometimes it will. In my 25 mile drive home tonight, I felt it momentarily glitch about ten times - like the ignition switch got turned off momentarily for less than a second and it also had an instance of turning off for about five full seconds. A few times earlier today driving through town it died completely and didn’t want to start (cranks fine) for a few minutes. Sometimes I can drive it a full day without an issue but it’s dangerous no knowing when the truck might die. There are no fault codes (I have a OBD app and a WiFi gizmo plugged into the port. The problem is that the glitch is rare. I’ve tightened down every ground terminal I could find under the hood. I’ve pulled apart every electrical connector, sprayed with contact cleaner and checked for recessed pins. If I have an intermittent fuel pump will it throw a code? I really don’t want to shotgun with swaptronics of the camshaft and crank sensors. It could even be the pcm itself. Ideas?
 
OP
OP
W

Wrnchbndr

Junior Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2018
Posts
5
Reaction score
0
Location
NJ
Ram Year
1997
Engine
5.2
Ive purchased a cheap remote starter so I can check for spark when and if the glitch manifests in a way that it won’t start. I’m going to see if I can hard wire it in place so I can quickly check it before the problem goes away. A hand held o scope would really be handy.
 

dapepper9

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2013
Posts
5,908
Reaction score
2,224
Location
Iowa/Nebraska Border
Ram Year
2001
Engine
5.9L V8
This is a relatively common issue with the crankshaft position sensor. Unfortunately since you can't really do voltage testing on intermittent issues like this, it can be hard to avoid parts shotgunning.
 
OP
OP
W

Wrnchbndr

Junior Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2018
Posts
5
Reaction score
0
Location
NJ
Ram Year
1997
Engine
5.2
Got a little bit of a clue. Set my radio to AM and tuned it to hear the pulses of the spark plugs — that motorboat noise. You can clearly hear that the ignition stops sparking completely when the engine has its glitch. Sometimes if you keep your foot in it you’ll get an exhaust backfire from unburied fuel in the exhaust when the spark comes back so I guess the injectors are still operating. I think this might actually rule out the camshaft position sensor. Right now I’m on the side of the road from a glitch that is taking a while to go away
 

Mop

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2017
Posts
110
Reaction score
42
Ram Year
1999
Engine
360
Sounds like it could be your ECM on the firewall. I'll bet the truck dies when you've driven a while. The ECM gets hot, and the engine turns off with no lights or warnings. It's a bit common on 2nd Gen Rams. I've had it on my '99, and replaced it with good results.

Research it to see if you have similar problems. All Computer Resources is a good company to order it from. Follow their directions, and you should be good to go.
 

dapepper9

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2013
Posts
5,908
Reaction score
2,224
Location
Iowa/Nebraska Border
Ram Year
2001
Engine
5.9L V8
That's not at all common. PCM failures aren't very common and are due to burnt up drivers and broken solder connections on those boards. These failures also cut function to the dashboard and wind up with NO BUS being displayed 99% of the time
 
Top