Stall

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scrounge

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Location
Deep in the heart of Texas
Ram Year
1999
Engine
318
1999 Dodge 1500 318 automatic, 382K+ miles. I live in Texas, but am clearing out an estate in metro Detroit. On the way from Texas to Michigan, the truck stalled while doing about 60 mph on an interstate. When I pulled over, I didn't see anything wrong under the hood, so I put on the spark tester to see if it had spark. When I turned the ignition key, it actually started. It gave me no such problems the rest of the way. A day after I arrived, it stalled in the driveway, and after not stalling for a week, it stalled 3 times since. It's always restarted after I put it in park, but never in neutral; it previously only stalled when the engine was warmed up, but this morning, it stalled just after I left the driveway.

Something is going wrong, but I don't know what. I looked at the various relays under the hood; they're all clean. I cleaned the battery terminals over the winter, and they also look good; the connections are tight, and I don't see corrosion. Last year, after a breakdown, the cap, rotor, and coil were replaced. The only maintenance I did before this trip was change the oil & filter. Local suggestions include a frayed wire, a bad ground, the fuel pump, dirt or water in the gas tank, the alternator, and the MAP sensor.

The problem is intermittent, and so far, there's no pattern. The Check Engine light isn't on, and a parts store OBD II tester returned no codes. What seems likely wrong with the truck, and what should I do to diagnose it?
 
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scrounge

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My brother posted, "Water would be a problem if the fuel tank is real low. Filling up twice and driving immediately would mix it for a while and get rid of some water." I filled up several times during the trip after it first stalled. It stalled here just before I filled up, and twice after. So, if water is the problem, it should have gone away on the way north.
 

turkeybird56

Military Vet 1976-1996 Retired US Army
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U could dump some water absorber in there, does STP still make it? See if that helps. U said not start in neutral, but in park. Bad ignition switch? bad neutral safety switch? Just throwing ideas out there and see wat sticks, LOL.
 
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scrounge

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Water absorber might be a good idea, though at this point, I don't think it's the problem. I had to fill up during the rain twice earlier this month, and while I'm normally pretty careful while doing so, it's possible that moisture entered. But, unless water was in the gas station tanks, it would have been very little, and should have exited the exhaust by now.

I'm wondering if not starting in neutral is accurate. I tried that while the truck was still rolling, and it more likely won't start for about a minute after I stop. I'll try starting in neutral in a few minutes.

Neutral safety and ignition switches are possibilities; would either make it stall while driving? It always starts cold, and also starts more than a minute after a stall, though if it's getting worse, either could change.
 
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scrounge

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Back in Texas, where it stalled twice yesterday, and took about 5 minutes to restart. This morning, a
mechanic here said his first guess would be a crank sensor, so I bought one today and installed it. Though it should be an easy replacement, with only two bolts and a wire connector, its location made it an hours-long job. The corp. should make the engineers repair all of the vehicles they design. It starts quicker, but I've yet to drive it any distance. I'll try to do so this week.
 

donna3313

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1997
If that works, please let me know. I have a 97 Dodge Ram short bed, if I take my foot off the gas too quick or hit the gas too quick it stalls, slow down to turn, it stalls, will NOT start on a hill after it stalls, I have to reverse to a level area. Runs great in reverse, doesn't stall at all. If on a hill, as soon as I touch the brake to put into park, it stalls .. Its so frustrating, other than that - the truck runs great...
 

dapepper9

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crank sensor and coil are the 2 common things that usually fix these issues. Number one being the crank sensor
 
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