Topic: anyone good with late model dodge trucks?

[evinrude7]

My 2002 Ford F250 was bucking in overdrive and throwing no codes etc.. I was getting pretty convinced that I might have a bad coil pack or two but bought some spark plugs and my neighbor who is a professional mechanic at a dealership put them in which is no easy chore on these. Fixed the problem and runs/rides great. We both chuckled at was was left of the original plugs firing points and the lesson for me was 120,000 miles is about it for stock plugs ! 

i've changed the plugs twice since i've had the truck and put 70K on the clock.  last change was this summer.  that service fixed the last time it was doing this.  i might pull them out again and get a look.  thanks eric.  yep the back two cylinders are a #$%*.  plus my truck has two plugs per cylinder. 

Double your pleasure-Double your fun !!

one would think so.   

[evinrude7]

ok so i think i'm making some headway.  borrowed my father in-law's scanner and my wife and i plugged it into the truck, took it for a ride.  after about 20 minutes of driving the truck i was able to get it to hiccup.  seems the issue is localized within bank 2.  my understanding is that bank 2 is passenger side.  it is also my understanding that the values for SHRTFT2 and SHRTFTB2S1 should remain in single digits, positive or negative value.  so 0 to -9 or 0 to 9.  however.  i found a reading for SHRTFT2 at -13.3 and i found a reading for SHRTFTB2S1 at -15.6.

SHRTFT2 is short term fuel trim.  2 standing for bank 2.  a negative value such as -13.3 means very lean.
SHRTFTB2S1 is short term fuel trim bank 2 sensor 1. a negative value such as -15.6 means very lean.

with this in mind i figure i need to replace oxygen sensor 1 on bank 2.  or my fuel rail on the passenger side has a funky injector. 

can anyone verify?  thanks fellers.

[dave500]

so,i guess you've checked the alternator ac voltage output already?

[jgger]

The O2 sensor reports to the computer, probably not the issue.

Start with the easy cheap stuff like:
     How is the fuel pressure
     When was the last time you changed the fuel filter
     Look for vac leaks (spraying starter fluid won't do it, the computer is too fast) but you may see an rpm change or short term fuel trim change on the scanner.
     Do you have any exhaust leaks, that too can make it read lean.
     Did you check for pending codes
     Check the entire PCV system for soft or cracked hoses
     Did you check the misfire monitor with the scanner

The hunt is on!

[evinrude7]

so,i guess you've checked the alternator ac voltage output already?

dave i'm showing 0.01 to 0.02 at the battery terminals with DMM set to AC 20 with truck idling.  is this a concern?  should i replace the alternator?  i touched the leads together to zero out the meter before touching to posts. 

[evinrude7]

Look at this SOB. Bank 2 sensor 1. Up stream o2 sensor. Looks pretty beat up to me. I barely had to put any pressure on the ratchet to break it loose. I thought I'd have to get the torch out and heat it up.

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[dave500]

so,i guess you've checked the alternator ac voltage output already?

dave i'm showing 0.01 to 0.02 at the battery terminals with DMM set to AC 20 with truck idling.  is this a concern?  should i replace the alternator?  i touched the leads together to zero out the meter before touching to posts.

load the alternator with the headlights and aircon switched on and take the rpm to say 2500,if its less than 0.4 its ok.

[jgger]

If the O2 was loose, that would equal an exhaust leak although very small. But this does affect the reading that the O2 will put out. Generally speaking it will show a lean condition. Of course the O2 may very well be bad, they are around $50 to $70 each, if you don't mind spending the money then go for it and see what it does for you. Check the others for tight while you are under there too.

Did you check for pending codes. If you unhooked the battery then they will be gone and you will get a P1000. That just means the codes have been recently cleared and the proper drive cycles have not been completed yet. Also if you change out parts like the O2 or make other changes the computer needs time to see how to deal with them, so you may not get immediate results.

Good luck!

[evinrude7]

If the O2 was loose, that would equal an exhaust leak although very small. But this does affect the reading that the O2 will put out. Generally speaking it will show a lean condition. Of course the O2 may very well be bad, they are around $50 to $70 each, if you don't mind spending the money then go for it and see what it does for you. Check the others for tight while you are under there too.

Did you check for pending codes. If you unhooked the battery then they will be gone and you will get a P1000. That just means the codes have been recently cleared and the proper drive cycles have not been completed yet. Also if you change out parts like the O2 or make other changes the computer needs time to see how to deal with them, so you may not get immediate results.

Good luck!

oh yeah new one is in.  $33 and change with tax.  i probably won't know until tomorrow when i drive the truck a good distance to the job i'm on.  side streets and highway driving.

[evinrude7]

happy to report that the truck ran flawlessly yesterday.  knocking on wood that this fix was THE FIX.  if it is, all in i repaired the truck for well under $200.  the complete atf fluid flush didn't do it at $140.  o2 sensor was around $33.  thanks for the suggestions.  glad i did the live scan.  that seemed to pinpoint the problem.  even if it's not the sole issue the live scanner alerted me to the fact that i had a definitely loose and probably poor performing sensor. 

side note - the scanner i borrowed from my father in-law was a harbor freight special.  he paid $60 for it.     

[jgger]

Good job. With out the scanner you could have changed the headlight fluid, re-greased the muffler bearings, and rotated the air in the tires and still not have fixed anything. The scanner really helps pinpoint the issue. Again, congratulations

[Duke McDukiedook]

Look at this SOB. Bank 2 sensor 1. Up stream o2 sensor. Looks pretty beat up to me. I barely had to put any pressure on the ratchet to break it loose. I thought I'd have to get the torch out and heat it up.

Sent from my LG-H871 using Tapatalk

Consider yourself lucky. Mine snapped off inside the exhaust manifold. Luckily a cheapy Dorman exhaust manifold for my car with the wrong gaskets cost me only about $135US.

[evinrude7]

Look at this SOB. Bank 2 sensor 1. Up stream o2 sensor. Looks pretty beat up to me. I barely had to put any pressure on the ratchet to break it loose. I thought I'd have to get the torch out and heat it up.

Sent from my LG-H871 using Tapatalk

Consider yourself lucky. Mine snapped off inside the exhaust manifold. Luckily a cheapy Dorman exhaust manifold for my car with the wrong gaskets cost me only about $135US.

doh that sucks.