2001 Dodge Ram 1500 wont statrt- Could there be a computer/sensor problem?

570

Asked by mcqmga Apr 01, 2013 at 02:57 PM about the Dodge RAM 1500

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

A Rodent chewed wire to injector- I replaced/spliced a new connection purchased at dealership - 5 liter 8cyl- still missing - replaced all plugs - still missing - sat for 1 week- now won't start at all - turns over =- Could there be any computer/sesor problem?

69 Answers

do we have fuel pressure? listen to whether or not these creatures got the power to the fuel pump as well~

7 people found this helpful.

the four essentials, air/fuel/spark/timing>>>>we know we've got air, fuel?,spark?, timing? lets see about testing all of these factors-

9 people found this helpful.
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I will tonight - at work now- Thanks for your imput - I keep you advised as to what I find.

3 people found this helpful.
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Judge, No fire. traced back to ignition coil -no fire - replaced coil- no fire. Haynes cited Powertrain control mod as regulating device - I have no clue - advise . bob

9 people found this helpful.
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Judge , Do you think the rodent damage and then skipping/missing # 7 cylinder - and then no fire are all related ? Also, When I replaced /spliced the injector wiring connection to the # 7 cyl , .I paid no attention to pos/neg as both wires were ( with new part) blue . Diagnostic code at the time of skipping suggested # 7 cyl as being the reason .

1 people found this helpful.
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I can release fuel at injector rail - so I assume I have fuel , but no fire.

5 people found this helpful.

yes. had to get some bird food for my wild birds around here....so power to the fuel pump? there is a fuel pump relay, could start by seeing if it is getting power...gonna have to research... may take a few- ....okay it WAS firing? this was recently?

3 people found this helpful.
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yes - car started after repair of replacing injector connection - 2 weeks ago- sat for a week - now just turns over - no fire.

1 people found this helpful.

you cannot mend high-voltage wires, they must be replaced. high voltage likes to arc and spark, any mend would leak high voltage...yes~

4 people found this helpful.
570

part replaced as provided by Dodge Dealer .... shrink wrapped etc ...I don't understand your last post in lieu of what was provided by dealer .

1 people found this helpful.

okay, will dig into your ignition relay, this would be a simple yet elegant mend~ lemme look...gotta make some more fresh coffee, then will track it's location down...okay?

4 people found this helpful.

there is an ignition relay...rockauto.com has them: http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1366589,parttype,3480,a,ww w.google.com%2BSearch%2Bfor%2B2001%2BDODGE%2BRAM%2B15 00%2BPICKUP%2B5.2L%2BV8%2BOHV

1 people found this helpful.

pull this relay and see if it smells burnt, probably a cute little diagram on the top of it if you'd like to test it as well~

2 people found this helpful.

powertrain mod regulating device sounds like a transmission deal, if you got no problems with the tranny, would not bother with this~

1 people found this helpful.

all the yummy rodent vinyl had been tended to? good, let's sweep up the crumbs and move on please----honestly if you could sniff the ignition relay and it smells burnt, I can stand back and say "job well done" and pat myself on the back...this has been a toughie~

1 people found this helpful.
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Jury has been at lunch , sorry - I will look tonight at ignition relay and let you know - thanks for your tenacity !

1 people found this helpful.

quite welcome, I'm disabled with MS and asked not to work anymore, was a Mechanical Designer for a number of companies, then pushed a broom at Urban Ore general store, in Berkeley..now I'm just lonely, and the cargurus (bless their souls) help me to get through the three days my wife is away, I oil paint (will attach one) and you help me with your challenging puzzles, was only a Sunday mechanic 93-96 the job chewed me up and spat me out but still learned a thing or two~

2 people found this helpful.
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How so? " chewed you up and spat you out " ?

2 people found this helpful.
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You shold be very proud of your paintings! I can't "draw flys !"

2 people found this helpful.

alright will go thru the entire career beginning to end...do we have time for this, well these guys would take adavantage of customers by having us replace things that probably did not need replacing, and charged every one of them full price, mind you this was a Berkeley garage parker+telegraph and have seen all flavors of humanity and all flavors of car problems most time stood above you waiting while you fixed their car problem as the waiting area was ten inches from the mechanic, worked with two other guys who'd always grab the Hydraulic lifts and I got stuck with the floorjack, the smog inspector would take a pizza with several hundred dollars in an envelope, our smog machine always passed...learned about the four levels of smog check 1,cap 2, equip 3 function 4 performance and to identify and service these cruddy things,.started buying a full complement of mechanics tools from MAC on account there, the "headlight" was very useful, as I also ran a manufacturing business "Oakland Quality Amps" and carried a big analog/digital Cell1 around with me constantly. Turned NO job away, just like the cargurus are expected to be an expert on all makes and models foriegn and domestic, three years drove my favorite car ever Datsun 610 Wagon aqua with white interior, phony wood dash-...till my drunken Neighbor on Athens (downtown Oakland) decides to ram it up the pole it went at about 25 degrees, made him buy it. We moved back to Milwaukee in 2002, and started working at 'the Downer Ave Garage" which was on E. North forced off of downer avenue by greedy grabby land takers- spent time as a mechanic there too, it really is physically active and laden with hazards...don't get me started-

ended up back in the San Francisco Bay Area again, only we couldn't afford another house with the Wisconsin Death Trip, the wife was married to the tile business and they had to have her back, so we moved 2 1/2 hours north of Berkeley through the most beautiful Calistoga spring help yourself at the napa/lake county border the Lewis Stevenson Woods tall pines....aaah the smell~...Clearlake is like the surface of the moon as there is hardly no paved roads, no streetlights and architecture is strictly Indian reservation trailers...well almost they are being replaced with actual buildings slowly over the last ten years economically $250,000 real estate dollars there equals $25,000 here in Clearlake, there are beautiful stars at night, deer and rabbits run around, plenty of bird species including the Western Ground Quail (cute little guy with a paintbrush on his head)~

570

Judge, -----Ok- back to the problem - Spent time pulling relays and sniffing per advise - No blwn fuses or relays that I could tell- I am curious about a relay labeld ASD or ADS - It was buzzing at broken intervels when ignition tuned on - Is this normal ? Still no fire. Question: Would the bad missing of damaged # 7 cylinder from rodent - Cause a re- program of Powertrain control Module and thus be the reason no fire ? The PCM is responsible for timing and spark etc ??

2 people found this helpful.

Automatic Shut Down. now why? this is what we've got to find out. Already sent an email to NUMBER ONE, DavidH25 perhaps will emerge fightin'....let's hope.

1 people found this helpful.

OK You beat me to the punch: Automatic Shutdown Relay The power supplied to the fuel pump, ignition coil, fuel injectors, and parts of the power module is controlled by the logic module through the Automatic Shutdown Relay (ASD); the idea is to shut off fuel pressure and the ignition systems when the key is turned off to prevent fires, dieseling, and other problems. The relay is located in different places on different years. Now, that we have established that, let's go to the cause of your ASD deploying. Gimme a minute, I'm on it

3 people found this helpful.
570

Dead short ??? Would you not consider where repaired as first place to look ?

2 people found this helpful.

Ok..have you bumped in to anything, not enough to deploy air bags but even a tap on your front end?

2 people found this helpful.

Get a multimeter. Pull the ASD relay. If you have questions on what terminal is which, it should be printed on the bottom of the relay itself. With the ignition off, you should have voltage at terminal 30 (of the power distribution center for the ASD relay). This is your "hot" wire. Wiggle the wiring harness and make sure it keeps getting voltage. With the ignition switch ON, battery voltage should be present at terminal 86. Again, wiggle the wiring harness and make sure it keeps getting voltage. Now, you will need a helper. Have your helper hold the key in "START" and check for a good around on terminal 85. Again, wiggle the wiring harness and make sure it keeps getting a ground. (Note: I've never personally checked for this, but it *should* work) If that checks out, theres really only one thing left. Check continuity between terminal 87 and either the distributor coil electrical connector or one of the fuel injector electrical connectors (try both of the wires on each connector just to be sure). Again, wiggle the wiring harness and make sure it keeps continuity.

4 people found this helpful.

I am getting many answers to this as not so much hitting anything, but a pot~hole, which will trigger the ASD as if in a front end collision. My best shot is up, you are going to need a multi meter

2 people found this helpful.

And you post from 3 hours ago, about the rodents, no. apples and oranges.

2 people found this helpful.

should say disables, not enables, fuel pump relay. either a typo or ignorance. Fellas, I am running dry, the only other reason for the misfire on #7 correlated with ASD is camshaft and/or crankshaft position sensor. And that would do it.

1 people found this helpful.

Redundant. But the muli meter is going to show volumes of information

1 people found this helpful.
570

Fuel rail " access valve" ( Like the air valve on tires) squirted fuel 2 feet in the air .

2 people found this helpful.

the #7 must be in the chew zone...bet silicone is yummier than butyl rubber....oooo bitter sulpher~

2 people found this helpful.

OK, Now we are going in to uncharted star space. However even if you had fuel squirt 2 feet in to the air, did it continue? The rail is a very high pressure line, it may have no feed and residual pressure could squirt for minutes...but still not feeding injectors

1 people found this helpful.

air fuel spark...no spark now- rhe thing just ran, like you were suggesting, the cam sensor and others would suddenly start giving us trouble? inactivity league baseball-

2 people found this helpful.

A shot in the dark but ab so lu te ly possible. Especially when sitting, ...like I say, I am fishing now. Don't know if I was even any help at all

2 people found this helpful.
570

Constant fuel pressure ? - I'll have to test tonight.

2 people found this helpful.

Tell ya what gentlemen, the wife is hailing, gotta go but this will be on my synapses, guaranteed...

2 people found this helpful.

ASD shuts the fuel pressure off not enables it, so if there is pressure everything is hunky-doorie then with the fuel, right? there's the fuel pump relay too, which presumably works okay...

2 people found this helpful.

We do. But when you get in to ASD it throws a monkey wrench in to the entire scenario. Now I found this, a bit amateurish video, apparently taken with a cell phone but worth looking at....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bDmSOgNY2E

3 people found this helpful.
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OK - Cant view at employment - You tube is screened. Will try tonight at res.

1 people found this helpful.

it's okay, the guy was monkeyin' seeing if pullin' relay would make his fuel gauge come alive, it was a Jeep, your is a gigantic 5.somthin- that Jeep sounded winded when he turned the key, this represents difficulties, not solutions if anything taught us that we are not alone in this misfortune~

2 people found this helpful.
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So , where are we now ? Are we certain ASD is in play ?

1 people found this helpful.

..it does show the relay "buzzing" and the guy replugged it a few times to make it stop, but his fuel ga. did not come on~

1 people found this helpful.
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Dodge forum has Bloggers indicating fuse box corrosion under the box or ASD ground problems or PCM is culprit. I'll check fuse box if I can get it off ASAP-

2 people found this helpful.
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Judge, Switched polarity(?) wires - and 2 things happened : 1) the ASD relay stopped buzzing and the Odometer reflected mileage vs a "noBU5" reading. So I assume we put the part on incorrectly tio begin with ? I disconneceted battery to initiate " cycle" should there be one .... Still no fire . Bob

4 people found this helpful.

the coil packs should be checked comparing one against the other, ohms to ground and power to high voltage and replace any defective leakers~

1 people found this helpful.
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Judge, Between my wife, the weather and employment - unable to work on truck. As you recall , I started this journey by repalcing damaged injector wire connection on # 7 cyl as a result of rodent damage - I purchased part at Dodge Dealership - The part required splicing to the harness - Both wires of the part were blue. Could there be a pos/neg reason for the problem described ? Since both were blue , I assumed no difference .

4 people found this helpful.

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