no body knows!!

[ramrod2013]

Ok so i just joined this site in hopes i could find a able bodied mind out there who can give me some insight onto what the hell is going on with my truck.
A few weeks ago we had a lot of rain in kansas. roads didnt drain and flooded a lot. well i have a 03 ram 1500 4x4 5 speed, so it didnt stop me. went through the water (which was probably tire tall, maybe) no problems. well now my truck is acting up. it will randomly backfire two or three times in a row then shut itself off. its having trouble starting also. the truck is throwing 2 codes, the cam and crank shaft timing sensors. i had the timing tested and the truck never ran outside the parameters of the timing. i took it in to run diagnostics on it and the mechanic told me he couldnt get a reading from my computer. everyone is telling me the timing chain is bad, but when the truck dies it kills all power, not just the motor it kills all auxilary power to everything on the truck. ive searched all the ground wires i can find, but im no good with vehicle wiring. all i found was a metal mesh ground wire on the bottom back of the block that ran from the fender to the block then over the top of the bell housing. it had been stuck on the exhaust pipe and almost burned through. im really hoping somone on here can offer some advice, i hate to just start throwing money at the damn thing.

 

[Arctic-Rodz]

Unfortunately fixing issues is trial and error, your gonna have to throw some money in it until you fix the issue.

First, id replace the sensors that are giving you those trouble codes.

 

[ramrod2013]

i cant find the crank shaft sensor. two different mechanics gave me two locations and both were wrong.

 

[BlkRamRt]

like said above i would check the sensors that are giving you problems....make sure you disconnect them and check to see if the pins are rusted.

 

[WhiteExpress]

Crank sensor is on the back passenger side of the engine, right at the transmission.
(I'm assuming you're a 5.9 Gas)

I highly doubt there is anything wrong with this sensor.

You're 'cam' sensor is in the bottom of the distributor. Both sensors run in a loop with the computer, so if one is wonky it throws all the codes.

I've NEVER had a crank sensor fix this issue.

Pull your distributor, and clean it out really well.
You might have gotten some water down in where you shouldn't have.

Worse case, buy a reman distributor and poke er in.

 

[MegaMouseGW]

White Express is on the right track. You may have gotten water where it does not belong. You need to start by getting some good contact cleaner like this: http://www.amazon.com/CRC-Electrical-Contact-Cleaner-Aerosol/dp/B003NTQCA2

Some automotive parts shops have it in stock and even some hardware stores. Next get some electrical contact grease (Wal-Mart has small tubes called bulb grease which is the same thing). Start at the first connector you see and disconnect it. Spray the CnC contact cleaner into both pieces of the connector. Then let it dry (des not take long). Next using the tube of electrical grease, put a small dab into the female side connectors. Reconnect the plug and move to the next one. Finding them all might take a bit of work, but if any are corroding you will immediately see it as a green dust/paste inside the connector.
The contact cleaner will clean out all the corrosion and the grease will prevent water and corrosion from setting into the connectors. Even a little water in one connector can cause havoc with everything. When you went through the water it most likely sprayed all over the inside of your engine compartment. Rule of thumb for water: Always go slow through any depth above the hubs of your truck.

 

[Casper]

Here is pure speculation because I'm jsut an opinionated guy at the other end of the interweb: you got your starter and starter solenoid wet and there are corrosion, or at least electrical contact issues. Same possibly for your crank and cam sensors. I like the suggestion to check you distributor drive end.


Strikes me that intermitent grounds from water / corrosion in the starter circuit could be killing your engine--big load, direct to battery--just a thought.

 

[ramrod2013]

thank you guys, i appreciate the input and will look into the sensors more. ive also been reading that the throttle position sensor is a common problem in the 03 4.7L like mine. being a 4.7L would the sensors still be located in the same spot? would those sensors cause the truck to lose all auxilary power when i stalls out?

 

[Sybil]

Logic says it has something to do with the water you drove across. I think I would listen to the good advice above and replace the sensors. It has to be electrical.

 

[hemihustlin]

No logic says do what white express and megamouse said before you start throwing parts at it...

 

[HolyRamBatman]

The loss of ALL power is the problem. If a sensor goes bad you don't lose all of the power.
Do your lights work/anything electrical when it dies?
They figured out water is the primary suspect and dielectric grease is your friend.
I'm gonna throw in the fuse box in the engine compartment or the PCM .
Check the battery connection at the fuse box and the battery.
Check you battery cable for internal corrosion.

 

[ramrod2013]

would those bad sensors cause the electrical system to shut off when it kills the engine? like the radio and lights? ive also been told that the throttle position sensor is a common problem in the 03 4.7L.

 

[ramrod2013]

the radio and lights dont go off everytime the engine dies. everything that is happening is so random that its impossible for me to pin point a problem with it

 

[HolyRamBatman]

With your truck running fine disconnect the battery and see what happens.
I believe it should stay running but I am unsure if it has changed on the newer vehicles with the computers. Someone please clarify.

If your power is jacked up it will blow your mind.

I am gonna bet you have multiple issues but from the same cause.
Since free is always best start with the trucks power. Start at the battery disconnect it and clean and check every connection on the positive cable. Corrosion, rust or loose connections are what you are looking for. Then go to the negative side and do the same thing. If you have any dielectric grease use it on the connections to keep them nice. Make sure you pay attention to the inside of the battery cables for internal deterioration.

Some of this you may have already done. No those sensors will not kill power to the whole truck.

After that there are a few directions to go and they start costing money.

 

[WhiteExpress]

thank you guys, i appreciate the input and will look into the sensors more. ive also been reading that the throttle position sensor is a common problem in the 03 4.7L like mine. being a 4.7L would the sensors still be located in the same spot? would those sensors cause the truck to lose all auxilary power when i stalls out?

I haven't a clue about the 4.7. Sorry!
Never touched one.

 

[Redtruck-VA]

If the Crank sensor loose signal it will shut off the ASD relay killing power to the injectors, ignition and fuel pump. As for accessory power being lost I can't say. Water is no doubt the source of the problem and the IPM (Integrated Power Module) is vulnerable as it is just front of the driver front tire and is open on the bottom. This can be flipped over to inspect by removing a plastic screw looking retainer and then pull the module away from the fender toward the radiator. From what I see our trucks do not do well in deep water/mud.

 

[BigSloth]

With your truck running fine disconnect the battery and see what happens.
I believe it should stay running but I am unsure if it has changed on the newer vehicles with the computers. Someone please clarify.

If your power is jacked up it will blow your mind.

I am gonna bet you have multiple issues but from the same cause.
Since free is always best start with the trucks power. Start at the battery disconnect it and clean and check every connection on the positive cable. Corrosion, rust or loose connections are what you are looking for. Then go to the negative side and do the same thing. If you have any dielectric grease use it on the connections to keep them nice. Make sure you pay attention to the inside of the battery cables for internal deterioration.

Some of this you may have already done. No those sensors will not kill power to the whole truck.

After that there are a few directions to go and they start costing money.

Do not run the engine with the battery disconnected. These vehicles use a voltage regulator internal to the ECM to control alternator output, and the battery acts as a reference for what it needs to charge at, as well as a capacitor to absorb surges that occur normally in alternator operation. Running with no battery can cause serious damage to the ECM and other modules.

If the Crank sensor loose signal it will shut off the ASD relay killing power to the injectors, ignition and fuel pump. As for accessory power being lost I can't say. Water is no doubt the source of the problem and the IPM (Integrated Power Module) is vulnerable as it is just front of the driver front tire and is open on the bottom. This can be flipped over to inspect by removing a plastic screw looking retainer and then pull the module away from the fender toward the radiator. From what I see our trucks do not do well in deep water/mud.

This is where I would start. Enough water in the already corrosion /failure prone IPDM can cause the main power feed to short to ground, causing a complete loss of power.

A failure of a crank sensor, Cam sensor, TPS, or any other sensor on the truck will under no circumstances cause all accessory power to be lost. More than likely the reason the codes are there at all is because when the power shorts, the signal to the cam /crank sensors is lost and the ECM (which can remain active for up to 20 minutes with no battery) records the event as a circuit failure, throwing the codes.

 

[HolyRamBatman]

Do not run the engine with the battery disconnected. These vehicles use a voltage regulator internal to the ECM to control alternator output, and the battery acts as a reference for what it needs to charge at, as well as a capacitor to absorb surges that occur normally in alternator operation. Running with no battery can cause serious damage to the ECM and other modules.

Thanks for clarifying BigSloth. I was unsure what year this became a problem.

 

[BigSloth]

No problem. Generally speaking, any vehicle made in the past 15-18 years will run a similar setup and it is ill advised to disconnect the battery while the engine is running. ECM's run 400-1000 dollars, a lot of money to gamble on a test that can also be performed safely with a 20 dollar multimeter.