Bad Ramer Jamer

After 3 day's they finally got my truck in. They put a fuel pressure regulator, regulator sensor, and 2 differant cam position sensor's in. The 0341 code goes away for awhile, then comes back. After the second senor, I thought I was safe to hit the road. Now it spark knocking really bad again, and I'm shutting the truck down. I made it 40 miles from the last dealer then the light came on. I'm going to have to forfit my car's going to California and spend the week end in Amarillo. This is costing me a fortune. Does anyone know if Chrysler will help with any expences. I doubt it. The last place wouldn't even provide me with a loaner.

Also, anyone had a simular problem. Is the cam sensor the one more on the bottom of the engine or top. I hope the top because that's what they changed. Could the crank sensor be the problem. I'm about to loose my mind.

RCW

The code you are getting is the camshaft sensor code associated with ECM exceeding the rationality of the cam timing aspect ratio to the crank angle. In other words, the cam sensor is providing signals that are outside the range that would be normal timing relative to the crankshaft position being reported by the crankshaft sensor.

It is highly unlikely the crank sensor has failed. The most likely source of the trouble is either the ECM or the fuel system sensor/regulator assembly located on the top of the engine. I would suspect that someone used a pressure washer on the engine or gone swamping with the truck, and that you have water infiltration on either the main processor, the sensor/regulator, or in one or more of the various sensor or computer connectors. Either way it is a long drawn out process of elimination to fix. I would start by disconnecting the batteries, then working my way through all the underhood connectors and using an electronic cleaner to spray each one clean. Then apply a bit of dielectric grease and reconnect each one.

If the engine has never been wet, and there are no other companion codes being read by the dealer's scanner that would indicate sensor/regulator or ECM failure, you can try changing the crankshaft sensor. The probability is less than 15% that it will have failed and not generated its own code.

Bad Ramer Jamer

You may have something there. Before I left St.Louis, I did wash the engine. How ever, I drove around home for a day, spent the night, and then drove five or six hundred mile's, then shut down for a day before I got back on the road before I had any trouble. Dou you think it could that long.

I'm going to clean all the connection's now. If this did get wet, would a clean up neccesarily fix it, or could the ecm be fried. If so, will it be covered because I got it wet. Thank's for the help.

Edit: I forgot to mention. The dealer said they originally got 18 code's, cleared them then got 12. Then they changed all those part's and thought it was good to go. When they brought my truck around to me, it threw the code again. So does it still sound like water.

Just out of curiosity, are you a proffesonal mechanic, cause you sure sound like you know what you're talking about.

RCW

Way worse than a mechanic, I used to own a chain of diesel performance shops before the Feds got way to nosey for everyone's good and started prosecuting truckers for economy modifications. Now I have an independent engineering lab and do development work for a number of the diesel manufacturers, including the infamous Chinese that now build just about every Cat and Cummins engine sold in the US.

On the electronic Cummins (and Ford and GM), keep water hoses and pressure washers as far away from them as you can. Wipe them down with kerosene to get the crud off once a year, and call it good - or do nothing at all. When I purchase a project truck, if I find a clean engine without any cat poop built up behind the front damper, I pass on the deal no matter what the price. I figure it for a time bomb that is about to eat my wallet!

Also, never get cool water on a warm injector pump while it is running or you will do about 400,000 miles worth of wear in less than a second.

Regarding the ECM. It may be fried, but I would doubt it or it would be coughing out three codes that are companion codes to pump failure, cam sensor failure, and to crank sensor failure. If that were the case, the dealer would have had the $7,500 service bill smile when they talked to you, and since they did not, I would guess it is still good to go. The usual case is that the connections are grounding through one or more of the 5 volt circuits and changing the impedance reading which confuses the electronics and will flag a timing error. I would not be overly surprised if you had to have the thing reflashed once you got everything clean and sealed, but as long as all the batteries are disconnected, you should be OK.

truckjunkie

I agree - I've heard way too many horror stories about how water screws up these engines. I just try to use a cloth dampened with water or (sometimes) Simple Green and wipe stuff down were I can reach it. If I use Simple Green I'll follow up the wipe down with a wipe down with a damp cloth. Other than that, I'll try to wash out the radiator from the back side once in a while, but I'm pretty careful about getting any water on the engine.

Bad Ramer Jamer

Sorry I havn't replied sooner, just got a connection. Just wanted to let you guy's know it was a shorted wire. I'll explain more later when I get time. Thank's for the help.

Geico266

I must live right. I pressure wash the whole engine everytime I change oil. The only problem I've had is a ground wire to the PCM got a little corrosion on it.

Marco

No, you must be one lucky guy!

It's exactly like RCW sez.
Do not wash the engine!

You can't believe how often people PM me asking to help in weird scenarios like Bad Ramer Jamer had. Turns out they've washed the engine, every single time.

Repeat after me, a dirty engine is a happy engine. A dirty engine....

Marco

Geico266

Well, I must admit I do not wash the stuff with wires. I avoid the PCM, and plugs, ect. But if I spill oil, or am getting ready to change an FP or work on the starter, I blast away full force then take it for a drive to dry it off!

I may need to rethink that?