Buccaneer Bob
Junior Member
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2017
- Posts
- 9
- Reaction score
- 0
- Ram Year
- 1998
- Engine
- 5.2
Hi Guys,
Pardon the long story, but I'm not sure what all is relevant, so here goes.
I've got a 98 Dodge Ram 1500 5.2/318 2WD with 241,*** miles on it.
About six weeks ago, my truck started running really sluggish, and at first I suspected the transmission. (It was taking a dump whenever I tried to go into overdrive, so "transmission" was what I was thinking at the time.)
I took it to a transmission guy who "serviced" it, replaced a seal, etc., and one of the things he told me when I went to pick it back up was that he disconnected the muffler to drop the transmission so he could replace that seal.
After that, he did a test drive with the muffler disconnected, and my truck ran about a thousand times better with the muffler off, so he thought part of my trouble was a clogged catalytic converter.
I then took my truck to a muffler guy, and he replaced the catalytic converter with a Walker universal model.
I drove away and made it about 10 minutes before the "Check Engine" light came on.
I headed back to the muffler guy, he checked things out and said that my problem was something else, not the new catalytic converter.
I will say that the truck does run a thousand times better with the new catalytic converter, so at least my transmission guy saved me a lot of trouble with that deal.
Well anyway, then I took my truck to a regular mechanic, he checked the trouble codes, told me that I had a "lean mix" situation, and he gave me a long list of possible problems.
So far, he has replaced the spark plugs, distributor cap and rotor, and the MAP sensor. He also cleaned the IAC solenoid, checked the spark plug cables with a timing light, did a fuel pressure test, and did a "smoke test" on the intake system to check for vacuum leaks.
And still no joy. He clears the codes and 10 minutes after I start her up, my "Check Engine" light comes back on.
Worth noting is the fact that I never had the "Check Engine" light come on until AFTER I replaced the catalytic converter. It's weird that it didn't come on, actually, considering how poorly my truck was running at the time.
But maybe the clogged catalytic converter was masking the problem? And what if the problem actually caused the catalytic converter to clog up? Those are two questions I would love answers to.
But anyway, onward. I decided to take my truck over to Autozone, and their equipment says:
So as near as I can tell, the only possibilities left are 1) a bad ignition coil; 2) a bad fuel injector; 3) a bad sensor (O2 sensor? Crank sensor? etc.) or 4) something that we already tested but we need to test again.
Or what am I missing here?
Any advice y'all can give me would be greatly appreciated. I like to keep 'em running as long as I can, but this Dodge Ram of mine is really starting to eat my bacon.
Pardon the long story, but I'm not sure what all is relevant, so here goes.
I've got a 98 Dodge Ram 1500 5.2/318 2WD with 241,*** miles on it.
About six weeks ago, my truck started running really sluggish, and at first I suspected the transmission. (It was taking a dump whenever I tried to go into overdrive, so "transmission" was what I was thinking at the time.)
I took it to a transmission guy who "serviced" it, replaced a seal, etc., and one of the things he told me when I went to pick it back up was that he disconnected the muffler to drop the transmission so he could replace that seal.
After that, he did a test drive with the muffler disconnected, and my truck ran about a thousand times better with the muffler off, so he thought part of my trouble was a clogged catalytic converter.
I then took my truck to a muffler guy, and he replaced the catalytic converter with a Walker universal model.
I drove away and made it about 10 minutes before the "Check Engine" light came on.
I headed back to the muffler guy, he checked things out and said that my problem was something else, not the new catalytic converter.
I will say that the truck does run a thousand times better with the new catalytic converter, so at least my transmission guy saved me a lot of trouble with that deal.
Well anyway, then I took my truck to a regular mechanic, he checked the trouble codes, told me that I had a "lean mix" situation, and he gave me a long list of possible problems.
So far, he has replaced the spark plugs, distributor cap and rotor, and the MAP sensor. He also cleaned the IAC solenoid, checked the spark plug cables with a timing light, did a fuel pressure test, and did a "smoke test" on the intake system to check for vacuum leaks.
And still no joy. He clears the codes and 10 minutes after I start her up, my "Check Engine" light comes back on.
Worth noting is the fact that I never had the "Check Engine" light come on until AFTER I replaced the catalytic converter. It's weird that it didn't come on, actually, considering how poorly my truck was running at the time.
But maybe the clogged catalytic converter was masking the problem? And what if the problem actually caused the catalytic converter to clog up? Those are two questions I would love answers to.
But anyway, onward. I decided to take my truck over to Autozone, and their equipment says:
Troubleshooting P0300
OEM Brand: Domestic
Definition
* Cylinder misfire detected - random cylinders
Explanation
* The powertrain control module monitors the crankshaft speed and has detected a misfire condition
Probable cause
* Ignition system fault - spark plug(s), ignition wires, coil
* Vacuum leak
* Injector fault
* high or low fuel pressure
So as near as I can tell, the only possibilities left are 1) a bad ignition coil; 2) a bad fuel injector; 3) a bad sensor (O2 sensor? Crank sensor? etc.) or 4) something that we already tested but we need to test again.
Or what am I missing here?
Any advice y'all can give me would be greatly appreciated. I like to keep 'em running as long as I can, but this Dodge Ram of mine is really starting to eat my bacon.