Truck crapped on me this afternoon.

ttammunek06 · #1 (**permalink**) 05-27-2009, 06:17 PM

Well I went to the barbershop for my annual buzzcut for summer, and went to pull out on the main highway and the truck shifted really hard out of 1st gear, then shifted hard out of 2nd. Didn't notice it at the time, but accleration was really sluggish. Traffic came up on me real quick. Looked down at the instrument panel and noticed that my speedometer wasn't working and I had lights flashing all over the place. the lighting behind my fuel gauge was blinking and all the needles were fluctuating. Then all of a sudden, my BRAKE light came on as well as my ABS light. Pulled over and shut the truck down as I thought it was going into "limp" mode. Shut it down and waited for a minute or two and tried to crank back up. No dice. Shut it off again and tried once more. Same result. Tried the third time and luckily it cranked. I then pulled out on the highway and still no speedo, and the BRAKE and ABS light was still illuminated, then my windshield washer fluid light came on and was flashing. Limped home and got in the carport, and shut it down. Tried cranking again, but seemed to have a longer delay before it crank. BRAKE and ABS light still illuminated.

I checked some other forums and found some folks with similar problems, and they stated to check the brake fluid level as this would cause similar problems that I experienced. Brake fluid level is fine. WTF??? Can anybody shed some light on this issue? I've racked up 107,xxx miles so warranty is out of question. Something always seems to happen with this truck as soon as I start talking good about it.

With the recent addition to the family, the wife and I have been tossing around the idea of getting me a larger truck and keeping the Titan for me to drive back and forth to work in. I was boosting it up the other day talking about what a stellar vehicle it has been, and look where that got me.

Squid · #2 (**permalink**) 05-27-2009, 07:26 PM

What you read about the Brake and ABS lights coming because of low Brake fluid is true because I had that happen once. What I didn't have happen is all the other gauge fluctuations which sounds like what happened to me when my battery went out. I'd check my battery cables if you know the battery is good.

ttammunek06 · #3 (**permalink**) 05-27-2009, 07:36 PM

I know that the battery is good, crap I replaced it about a month ago. Checked all my cables and connections and they are o.k. too as well as my brake fluid level. I dunno. This one has me puzzled. Wonder if my ABS harness has a short in it? What would have caused the sluggish acceleration? I don't see that being related to the ABS system. Well guess it's time for that Crew Cab 4WD 2010 Dodge Ram. :lol:

ttammunek06 · #4 (**permalink**) 05-27-2009, 08:44 PM

Now I totally confused. Went out and done an ECU reset, Throttle Positioning Reset, and Idle Reset. Went and took it down the road, and would floor it and overdrive would never kick in. Shut it down and started it back up and it drove fine, then the tach stopped working and the speedo started working. Turned around in a driveway, and shut it down and restarted it. Tach and speedo worked this time and the truck ran like a scalded dog. Could stop in the road and floor it and spin the tires for a good 15 to 20 yards. Plus the BRAKE and ABS light went off and have stayed off. Guess I've got some Gremlins in the dash or something. This just makes me iffy on driving it for a long distance now.

honeykeeper · #5 (**permalink**) 05-27-2009, 08:50 PM

Sorry to hear about the problem. Sounds like the IPDM (Intelligent Power Distribution Module) is going out.....about $210 for a new one I think.......unfortunately when the ECU relay goes bad on the module the entire module of fuses and relays/board needs a replacement.....bad design. Good luck.

Red Alert · #6 (**permalink**) 05-27-2009, 09:46 PM

Wow. I haven't any experience with such a broad spectrum of problems. The fact that after the resets and starts and stops that it runs ratty once and great the next sounds like one of the major electronic brains is on the way out.

Could you pull any codes? Of course now that you've done the resets, the codes have been wiped.

Good luck and it sounds like you need to spend some time with a skilled mechanic who has the diagnostic equipment to suss out the problem/s.

Red

Squid · #7 (**permalink**) 05-28-2009, 07:37 AM

HK is right, unfortunately the IPDM controls everything and is why when the battery goes bad the dash freaks out....................it looks possessed.

honeykeeper · #8 (**permalink**) 05-28-2009, 08:02 AM

Matt you can switch the ECM relay & the foglamp relay for a couple of days. The relay only comes with the IPDM.

I did a test removal/installation on mine and took pics. and made directions if you want me to add it here.

When the ECM relay fails apparently it can cause stalling of the engine but allow restarting after some time and much confusion/frustration.
ECM relays are starting to fail on Titans and the diagnosis isn't simple for most owners.
The ECM relay and Fog Relay may be temporarily swapped if the engine won't run.
The control board has a 36 month warranty and must be replaced when just the ECM relay may be failing which is expensive.
The ECM relay itself may be inexpensive if we can find a source.

ECM (Engine Control Module)

The Engine Control Unit or ECU is a designated computer that was developed to manage the engine control system. The ECM consists of electronics which are mounted on multi-layer circuit board. The ECM monitors and adjusts the air/fuel mixture and utilizes a catalytic converter to minimize amount of pollution produced from the engine. There are two modes of operation, closed loop, which means the computer has completely taking over the operation system. And open loop which is used when the engine is cold and operates on a preset program. The engine must be at operating temperature before it can go into closed loop.

ECM Engine Control Computer

The ECM monitors the input and output signals produced by various sensors in the system. The ECM then adjusts the system as necessary. Sensors can include: oxygen sensor, coolant sensor, mass air flow sensor, air intake sensor, crankshaft angle sensor, throttle position sensor, camshaft angle sensor and knock sensor. The ECM operating program consists of information cells. These cells hold the code for proper engine operation, if information is out side the cell parameters a MIL (malfunction inductor lamp) or "check engine light".

Once a "check engine" or a "service engine soon" light in your instrument cluster has illuminated the ECM has stored a diagnostic trouble code. This means the computer system on your vehicle has detected a problem with the various systems it controls. Your car or truck has many different sensors that monitor the various vehicle systems. If the trouble code light has been illuminated your vehicle enters into "limp mode" this means it is running on a predetermined program that causes poor mileage and increased emissions. An engine trouble code reader is an easy to use tool. All 1996 and newer vehicles utilize a "D" style plug-in connector that connects to the code reader. On most vehicles the connector is located at the driver's compartment. Once the code reader is plugged in you can retrieve trouble codes the engine computer has stored in its memory. These codes are the same codes the dealer and repair shops use to replace sensors and clear codes.

The ECM outputs a 5 volt reference to most sensors to drive the monitoring circuits. The ECM also controls the radiator cooling fan, air pump controls, fuel pump, EVAP system and more depending on the vehicle. Communication standards have being established in the OBD2 operating system. Among the communication standards controller area networking or CAN has become very popular and can achieve communication speeds of more than 500 Kbps, which is faster than most communication standards.

Advantages of using buses for communication is that if a fault occurs with any of the process modules, it can be reported separately to a diagnostic tool. Manufacturers have different trouble code faults although some are generic. Wiring is simplified by a technique known as multiplexing. In this kind of wiring system is assigned for each module, which consolidates the output and input for that module.

ttammunek06 · #9 (**permalink**) 05-28-2009, 08:24 AM

Drove it into work this morning and had no issues, No flickering needles, no excess lights, BRAKE and ABS lights were off and stayed off. No sluggish acceleration, no hard shifts. Weird.

honeykeeper · #10 (**permalink**) 05-28-2009, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ttammunek06

Drove it into work this morning and had no issues, No flickering needles, no excess lights, BRAKE and ABS lights were off and stayed off. No sluggish acceleration, no hard shifts. Weird.

It's Intermittent (I-IPDM) and will be back....get ready now.

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