xp8103

I just got home (thankfully) from an almost 3 week vacation including about 10 days on the Outer Banks in NC. While on the beach, we're in 4-low. I've made it a practice to come out of 4-low and into 4-high and 2-high and back into 4-low while on the beach (not really while moving) to make sure that it doesn't get stuck there. On the last day, as I backed out of my camping spot near the dunes and put it into drive, I found that I could not accelerate, much, really. I was able to make headway but barely. No matter if I floored the accelerator. I got only a couple pounds of boost. After about a 30 or so seconds, it sounded like the transmission shifted into a lower gear and the truck took off. I was able to drive up on the dump station ramp and back onto the ferry without a problem. In the 10 days on the beach I'd probably made the 1.5 mile run to the dump station 3 times without issue.
The next time I noticed something odd was while driving. My load included my truck camper and an ATV trailer with 3 quads on it. It seemed to make no difference if I was in O/D or not. But somewhere between 30 and 55-60 or so, while I was feathering the accelerator, making probably just under 10 pounds of boost, just enough pressure to more or less maintain speed, I could feel the truck "hitch" and my boost would drop off to under 5 and I'd start to lose power. Nothing abrupt like I'd let off the pedal completely but just not making enough go to accelerate or keep speed. I could push on the pedal and let off it, never making power. Normally, even in high gear if I give it the gas i'll start to build boost and egt before the downshift happens. I could let off the pedal and lose what boost I had and push it again but would never make more than 4 pounds or so. Now, I know that the boost is not the problem but it was how I could gauge what was happening visually, with my gauge at eye level. I could push on the pedal, I could pump it or floor it with no result. What I found was that, if I was in O/D, I could push the button, coming out of O/D, the trans would shift and all of a sudden everything was going again. If I was already out of O/D, I could let off the accelerator allowing the truck to quickly come to idle then I could push the pedal and likewise everything would take off again. This situation would not happen while under load or while cruising along just once I began to let off the pedal. Felt almost like the trans was finding another O/D gear or that some sort of de-fueling instance?? I checked and their were no codes flashing except the 1693 which has been there forever. We overnighted twice on the way home and the first morning we had no issues. The second morning I had the same experience as I did the morning coming off the beach where the truck would not accelerate. Then, as sudden as the first time, it came out of it. Now that I'm home and have unloaded the truck, I can't get it to do it where on the trip I could pretty much count on it happening.

Ideas? I haven't called my dealer tech yet as I can relay this story but they wont be able to reproduce it so it will be a non-problem until it leaves me stranded somewhere.....

1qckdodge

It almost sounds maybe like a dead pedal issue, did you try disconnecting the Van Aaken?

xp8103

Dead Pedal?

Didn't try to disconnect the V5. Wasn't really in a position to do so on the trip. And now that it's not happening, I'm not sure what next step to take.

rustyshakelford

do you have any codes? p0216 would not be a good one. anyway to check your fp to see if your lift pump took a dive on you which couldve damaged your vp44

brett

xp8103

No codes, just - 1693 and thats been there for ever. FP was normal.

rustyshakelford

does it sound anything like the apps thing i read about that needs to be reset sometimes?

brett

xp8103

Not sure what you mean by that?

Rockrawler

Mine would through the1693 code it would come and go, replaced crank postion censor all has been fine for 12000 miles and no codes

rustyshakelford

dont some people have to reset the accelerator pedal position sensor or something like that...or is it the throttle position sensor (TPS). does any of that sound familar? im not to up on the 2nd gen terms, but i thought i have read something similar in the past

brett

phox_mulder

You'll need to get it scanned by the Dealership to find out what other code is stored in there.
The 1693 doesn't get set by itself but by another code.
Quite often, the key on/off method only sees the one code.

Hope the code scan doesn't find the death code, P0216.


phox

xp8103

Phox,
I was planning on that sometime next week. Hate bringing it in only to have them come back saying "Gee... Everything seems fine now....."

Red3quarter

My truck had a problem similar to that a few months ago. I had a P0237 code, which is for the MAP sensor. Took the sensor out, cleaned it off with some carb cleaner, put it back in the truck and it has ran just fine ever since.