So, my pickup developed some really weird issues this past week. The CEL came on as I was leaving the job, and it surprised me, but, even more surprising, it went off again immediately. I noticed the tachometer fluctuating erratically, too, and during the hour ride home, this set of symptoms repeated itself. It got dark on the way, and when I attempted to turn on the lights, the running lights came on but not the headlamps. But when I fiddled with the switch a bit, I was successful in getting the headlamps to come on. However, they went blank, in the dark, at speed on the highway in the face of oncoming traffic. When I fiddled with the switch, they came back on. All this time, the CEL would come on intermittently, and the tachometer would fluctuate intermittently as well. A few miles later, when I pushed in the clutch pedal, the engine died and the lights went out. I fiddled with the light switch, put it in fourth gear, popped the clutch, and the engine started again, but when I came to a stop sign, pushed in the clutch, the engine died once more.


Since that day, my wife has driven it all over the island, and she didn't have any problems with it except to complain it was hard to shift it. Meantime, the engine has not died unexpectedly again, but the CEL is still coming on and then going off again, and the tachometer is still fluctuating occasionally.


Is this perhaps a glitch in the tumbler/key ignition switch? Or maybe it's the cam position sensor? The danger exists the lights could go out and cause an accident, and it's currently our only vehicle, and I am working 7 days a week so I can't take it to a mechanic (and I would rather not, anyhow). Any ideas?

 

There isn't a cam position sensor, matter of fact, no sensor that can shut down your engine.

If the ESS goes out, vehicle will still run, just not charge, have cruise or AC.

Since you indicate it died, that means something is killing the hold circuit on the fuel solenoid, BUT, if it did, the simple act of popping the clutch should not have resulted in a restart.

I would do a keyon test ( key on-off-on-off-on ) and count the check engine flashes to see if any codes. I seems to remember code 12 ( one long flash, two shorts ) is the start of sequence, and 55 being the end. Any in between are the codes stored.

It is possible your ignition switch is the issue though.

 

okay, I suspected the switch, but it doesn't make sense, because the lights aren't connected to it. The lights will stay on even if the ignition is off. However, I seem to recall that the key will come out when engine is running. I will check for trouble codes.

 

Any add-ons you know of on the truck, like a remote start or exhaust brake, alarm, etc? That's a bunch of weird things happening all at once on a mechanical truck.

 

Dont skip your basics either. check clean and tighten all your battery connections, frame and block grounds, starter connections and alternator connections. ive walked in circles more than once because i skipped the fundamentals