oops... think i did something stupid...

im so pissed off right now its not even funny... dealer called... said they could manually do something with the FCA and the truck would run... said i needed a FCA... well just so happened i had a old one in the toolbox of the truck... but i couldnt remember if it was good or not because i THOUGHT it was the new one i got a week before my CP3 went out... well it wasnt... it was the bad one (mechanically bad) that was in my CP3 before i got the new one... the new one filled with metal when the CP3 went out... well anyway he swapped it in and the truck started... so they called me and said it was running and fixed... of course at the time i was like ok the FCA must be good and nothing else came to mind... i paid my $300 for the ECM install and re-flashing and troubleshooting got in the truck... started up and sounded like ... tried to go across the parking lot and had no power... well there was no check engine light... so at this point im cool with it... no big deal... FCA must have been the bad one... just alittle pissed because i drove to the other side of town to get it and there no way they even test drove it... and no way they thought the engine was suppose to sound like crap... so i went back in and told him it wasnt right its not street worthy and i doubt i can even make it out the parking lot! he said "let me get this straight ,you said to get it running, and theres no guarentee on any used parts" (they knew i was going to ATL this weekend to pull a truck back on a trailer, there no way this could have happened)... and mind you this is in a smart tone... boy i went off... i was going in there to leave them the key so they could keep working on it... i knew it was going to cost more... but he started talking about whats done is done and yatta yatta... i went way off because he came at me this way... i said i dont have a problem with paying more for more work... theres progress... but i said you call and tell me that it fixed it and its ready... and i cant even drive it off the Fin lot!!! basically cause he attacked me like this i went off... told them i should have came and got my truck when they called and said i needed a lift pump (my truck doesnt even have a lift pump, in tank conversion, posted on the dang radiator support AND got a gauge on it and it wouldnt even start on starting fluid)... i said i should got my junk right then but i gave you another chance and yet got a attitude and a bill... took my keys back up and said ill drive this junk to somebody else then.... they had my truck what? since monday i think and this is as far as they got!!

well not it does start... runs rough probly due to the FCA... im going to cummins south to pick one up moday... BUT whats weird is not only do i have these issues but my parking brake light is on, my ABS light is on, AND if i unplug my FCA while the trucks running... the check engine light doesnt come on... it should be on anyways cause this is what happened when this FCA went out months ago!!! did they not load the dang ECM right? can i stick my original ECM back in since it didnt fix the problem or did something change to it that wont allow this? i would think it would still be set to my truck...

IM SO TIRED OF THIS... $600 later and STILL NO IDEA WHATS GOING ON!!!
 
This is how I understand the fundamentals of today's vehicle electronic controls.
1) If ya feed it power or ground without first reading and understanding a wiring diagram, it's gonna poop no ifs ands or buts...refer to Murphy's law
2) If ya can't read or understand a wiring diagram ya better get someone to help ya who can
3) If ya don't have a wiring diagram make the connections to obtain one before proceeding
4) 12v is not synonymous to 5v
5) 12v and 5v are not the number of valves in the cylinder head
6) Some wires care signal, signals can be positive or negative
7) If the wrong polarity is fed to a signal circuit the circuit will instantly die
8) Ground may or may not be what yer standing on
9) Wires connect circuits nothing more nothing less
10) Circuits are fragile and are easily damaged
11) Circuits are located inside a computer/modules ,IE ecm pcm bcm and abs modules where you can't fix them easily once damaged
12) Modules may or may not control more than one component
13) Modules most times have their own individual power source thus eliminating the possibility of a power surge from one ruining the other, unless the vehicle gets struck by lightening
14) Check each individual fuse before assuming anything more or less is wrong with a system
15) To check function of a today's computer modules requires more than a box of jumper wires unless the box of jumper wires come with a large bank account
16) Swapping computer modules to check for proper operation can get rather costly due to the fact that most need programed to the individual vehicle
17) Electronic failure symptoms can not be diagnosed without having first hand visualization of what's happening or not happening or without prior experience of a 100% identical failure
18) Dealers are as lost as you are when it comes to them.

Feel free to add your own experiences or understandings of vehicle electrical systems if you so wish. I do not have any certification or degree in electronics and neither do I claim to know it all. My '04 dodge pulling truck is an electronically dysfunctional nightmare. LOL
 
im thinking about "jumpstarting" my truck with my box van full of tools that i no longer need since i took a job back in aviation... and a mystery fuel leak and spark appear while im doing it... what yall think?

yes im to that point... lol
 
Don't torch it!
I know it's tempting... :banghead:

Newer electronics in the '06+ trucks have these issues, but the 555 motors aren't nearly as bad.

PCM is likely fried from your DIY electronic tinkering.

Ether will temporarily run it if there's no mechanical issues.
 
yeah ether wasnt running mine though... would only make it spin faster... but never start... itll start with the other FCA though... i drove it home with no power going up hills... like NO power... from 60 to 30 on any kind of incline... but its a known electricaly good FCA but bad mechanicaly FCA... so im thinking somehow the FCA got electricaly fried... now i need a new one to get it back right... BUT still doesnt explain why the parking brake light is on and ABS light is on... could it be the ECM not being loaded right or bad? or it also fried this within the PCM?
 
Your ABS and Brake light are on B/C the (PCI) programmable communications interface has been interrupted,ALL of this Is related to YOUR PCM. You are NOT listening to an expert on this. YOU are more then welcome to call Me.763-228-7121 Your problem is a 30 minute fix.So stop allowing emotions to over shadow the logic in this matter and let's get this truck up and running!
My name is Todd call ASAP.
 
For the same money that was thrown at the dealer the truck could have been hauled the truck to a shop that knew what the were talking about in the first place...I just do not follow some peoples logic!

There is an '05 dodge, local here, that is on it's 3rd engine in less than 100k all because of a dealer that didn't know their head from a hole in the ground and now the truck vin is red flagged because the dealer blamed the engine failures (which was all injector related) on the K&N air filter. This kind of service is typical of 99% of the dealers out there when it comes to diesel repair, the oem training teaches the mechanics to follow a flow of diagnostics chart not to think with their own head or understand the system they are working on.
 
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thanks for all the help todd... my wife told me that im paying the phone bill this month... lol... didnt think about that one... anyways called that list and either sold or not open... BUT i did run into the same company i got the ECM from... and the same truck... so probly call them monday since there closer and see if i can work something out... maybe send them back the ECM and they send me the PCM plus $100 back or something... this would be the easiest bet IF they take the ECM back... if not ill sell it on ebay and maybe make a profit since i got it cheaper then any others anyways... ill keep you and everyone up to date... for now im going to go swap the ECM's back out...
 
LReiff said:
For the same money that was thrown at the dealer the truck could have been hauled the truck to a shop that knew what the were talking about in the first place...I just do not follow some peoples logic!

There is an '05 dodge, local here, that is on it's 3rd engine in less than 100k all because of a dealer that didn't know their head from a hole in the ground and now the truck vin is red flagged because the dealer blamed the engine failures (which was all injector related) on the K&N air filter. This kind of service is typical of 99% of the dealers out there when it comes to diesel repair, the oem training teaches the mechanics to follow a flow of diagnostics chart not to think with their own head or understand the system they are working on.
Click to expand...

True... one problem though... i had it at jeffs shop... he told me it was the ECM and take it to dodge there was nothing he could do... so i had it towed there... so its just my luck... hopefully Todd's got me in the right direction... if not then ill start another civil war with them darn yanks... lol
 
LReiff said:
the oem training teaches the mechanics to follow a flow of diagnostics chart not to think with their own head or understand the system they are working on.
Click to expand...

Amen brother! :banghead:
 
The funny thing about that '05 dodge...I walked into the dealer a week after they replaced the first blown engine (which was after the guy brought it to me to get my opinion of why the new engine still had a ruff idle and low power). I told the service manger that the truck would be back in 3-4 months for another new engine...he laughed and asked what certified me to tell him that, I said it's only an opinion and that all the schooling in the world was no good unless you understood the system you were working on. He said that they had Chrysler techs on the phone while they were diagnosing the original failure and they decided there was one failed injector because of fuel contamination...the engine blew in 3&1/2 months and only then did they replaced all the injectors. I'll bet there was over $100k wrapped up in the Chrysler warranty department just on that one vehicle all because of stupidity...this is why their sorry asses needed bailout money!
 
LReiff said:
The funny thing about that '05 dodge...I walked into the dealer a week after they replaced the first blown engine (which was after the guy brought it to me to get my opinion of why the new engine still had a ruff idle and low power). I told the service manger that the truck would be back in 3-4 months for another new engine...he laughed and asked what certified me to tell him that, I said it's only an opinion and that all the schooling in the world was no good unless you understood the system you were working on. He said that they had Chrysler techs on the phone while they were diagnosing the original failure and they decided there was one failed injector because of fuel contamination...the engine blew in 3&1/2 months and only then did they replaced all the injectors. I'll bet there was over $100k wrapped up in the Chrysler warranty department just on that one vehicle all because of stupidity...this is why their sorry asses needed bailout money!
Click to expand...

Chrysler Dealers don't even care about the Cummins,all parts come from 2nd or 3rd party.so they outsource to the lowest bidder.The guide lines the tech/Authority put even the most skilled tech through the most hideous steps to the point they just hate working on the cummins,couple that with all the other dealer bureaucracy=:umno:
 
hey... im gonna call you monday and order that FCA from ya k? make ya alittle money from me for the help...
 
i start working over an hour away next monday so i gotta have my truck running by then... otherwise im gonna go buy a new gas getter... i just wanted to fix and sell my truck first but i may have no choice...
 
I'll give you $5,000, no questions asked. :)
 
get this... my trucks so screwed up... if i unplug my FCA the truck will start and run but like crap... if i plug it up it wont run much less start... lol... dealers told me bad FCA... because they could do something with the computer and make my truck start by messing with e FCA... what they were doing was manualy cutting off the FCA... and my truck would start... now how is that "fixed come get it"? lol... brand new FCA in it now cause they said it was bad... nope... wasted $120 today... anybody need a spart FCA with about 30 seconds on it?? lol
 
nope... PCM didnt fix it either... i dunno wtf to do anymore... nobody wants to work on it... or knows how to... and im at a loss...
 
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