Archived Help-my Truck Is Down

[edgeman]

I posted about this on the 2nd generation engine forum,but now my trucks owner is getting a little edggie after two weeks down. My mechanic says I need a PCM. He has performed lots of tests on my truck so that he is sure its the PCM. I havent checked with the local dealer, I figured to check with my fellow TDR members first. Does any one have a good place to get one of these? My mechanic said 300 for a remaned and 450 for a new one. Thanks for any help!

 

[rashwor]

Prices sound about right...

I had the PCM on my '99 replaced with a reman last week. Cost me about $300 installed. My mechanic said it was better to go with the reman, because if something happened or it was bad, the company he was dealing with would make it good, where as DC would say SOL... you just bought a $500 trot line weight.

 

[edgeman]

rashwor,thanks for the reply, at least I now know that Im not getting ripped. Can you tell me what your truck was doing? Im just afraid Ill have a PCM put on and it wont fix the problem. Also do you know where your mechanic got your PCM? My mechanic said a reman was not available yet because they didnt have any cores to rebuild,nice eah!!! Thanks for the help.

 

[rashwor]

My story.

My mechanic ordered the reman PCM from Lone Star Auto Salvage in Lufkin Texas 936-632-1981. Lone Star in turn ordered it from some other company, but this should get you started.



What happened to me is totaly different to what you are experiencing. The only idication of a problem what that my A/C quit working; the compressor would not come on at all. The refrigerant level was fine and the system had no leaks. It was traced to a short in the wire that comes from the PCM and activates a relay that in turn turns the compressor on. The short fried my PCM so we had to replace the shorted wire and PCM.



HTH.

 

[bighammer]

What's it doing? No start? Not sure the PCM does that much on a 96.

 

[dpuckett]

Originally posted by bighammer

What's it doing? No start? Not sure the PCM does that much on a 96.

DITTO.



I'd be a little leery of a mechanic wanting to do a $300 electronic replacement on a 99. 9% MECHANICAL engine. Sounds like another problem, but if something in the PCM isnt allowing the shutdown solenoid to get its signal, who knows? Have you tried jumping a wire from the positive battery terminal to the shutoff solenoid? I had a 93 that blew a fusible link and had to run it that way for a week or so before I got it to a shop.

 

[Joe G.]

Tie the fuel solenoid up with a piece of wire. If it doesn't start and run then there is something wrong that is NOT the PCM. With the fuel solenoid pulled up it should run even if you threw the batteries away.

 

[edgeman]

Thanks to all for the replies. My mechanic spent 5 hours checking this thing out. He found 2 wires with bare spots that was rubbing on metal,fixed that and then started checking all the sensors. I am not the most mecanical,so im not sure of all the things he did,but he did check the voltage and found it right,he jumpered the PCM ground? He told me all the things he did but that electrical stuff dosnt work for me. The truck starts and runs great but the trans dosnt shift out of first for about 5 miles. Spedo and tach do not work. Had a lot of lights flashing on the dash but the bare wires took care of that. My mechanic is working with a service-repair manual, I dont think he is just guessing. I sure hope he is not.

 

[illflem]

A bad crank speed sensor or bad connections to it can cause the same symptoms. If it's not working correctly it will basically tell the PCM that the engine isn't running.

Napa sells reman PCM for around $300 but you also get back a core charge of over $100 when you turn the old one in.

 

[CrewCabDiesel]

Don't know if this is related, but on my 2001, I pressured washed the underside and got the same errors. No speedo, tach, gauges and overhead console said CCD, ABS, Check engine and brake lights on. Engine ran fine, drove it home and after checking out the underside(and sweating bullets ) I found a connector behind the front left wheel(hidden in the wheel well down by the rocker panel and is easy to get at) which I pulled apart and washed out with WD40, put it back together and everything was fine.

Kyle

 

[edgeman]

Well we can put this one to bed. It was the PCM. after waiting for the PCM to get back to me( long wait ) my truck runs out great. I also had my mechanic do a fluid and filter change on the trans and adjust the valves. So Im happy,and I found a mechanic in my area that I can trust,and thats a big help! Thanks to all fellow TDR members that read and repleted.