Will truck run with bad camshaft position sensor?

[KyleHart]

2006 Ram 2500 megacab has 400,000 miles been well maintained. Dont drive on regualr basis due to increased reliability issues. Drove it to and from work approx 30 miles each way during recent heavy snows in Arkansas >12in. Next day helping son move would start running very rough but would straighten out after a minute or so with some pumping of the throttle. I believe the FASS system pump was not pumping fuel. I replaced the relay now pump is pumping but would not start. I purged the lines and got it to start but runs horribly bad, no throttle response. I reset all codes and now that it will start and idle horribly it is throwing a P0341 code and no others. Does this seem feasible? Would it even run with a bad camshaft sensor? Thank you!

 

[Ozymandias]

To start it needs CKP and CPS, as soon as it runs it can run on either of them just fine. This is because it needs to determine cyl. 1 TDC to fire the injectors.

Means you can drive on just fine but never restart the engine after the sensor failed.

 

[Grumpy8811]

To start it needs CKP and CPS, as soon as it runs it can run on either of them just fine. This is because it needs to determine cyl. 1 TDC to fire the injectors.

Means you can drive on just fine but never restart the engine after the sensor failed.

bingo.. When I worked on Detroits,( the SRS signal as they called it) if they lost the Cam position they would stay running but wouldn't restart once you shut them down.. whereas if they lost crank position that was it, they wouldn't run, they would just quit...
We had alot of Cummins, and since we so rarely had issues with either of those sensors I really have no answer, but I would say your response sounds about right.

 

[KyleHart]

Thank you Ozymandias and Grumpy8811 at 400k miles I was afraid it could be internal to engine. I have replaced the sensor same issue. SO today we start testing harness and on down that path. Electrical problems with this truck is never ending!

 

[Ozymandias]

Thank you Ozymandias and Grumpy8811 at 400k miles I was afraid it could be internal to engine. I have replaced the sensor same issue. SO today we start testing harness and on down that path. Electrical problems with this truck is never ending!

Did you replace with a factory one? We had reports here where Aftermarket CKP/CPS sensors were bad right out of the box.

 

[Darkbloodmon]

We had reports here where Aftermarket CKP/CPS sensors were bad right out of the box.

NTK and Hitachi branded sensors are reputable aftermarket replacements. I used NTK when I replaced my balancer and CP3.

The cam and crank sensor are identical.

 

[KyleHart]

Did you replace with a factory one? We had reports here where Aftermarket CKP/CPS sensors were bad right out of the box.

I bought a napa CPS sensor no change tested same as old one. So I pulled CKP and put it where the CPS was and placed new sensor in CKP no change in running and still only threw the P0341. So confident all three sensors are good.

 

[KyleHart]

I ran through all of the diagnostics did find some chafed wires just out of the Cps plug and coated them. I believe the ECM must be bad.

 

[Ozymandias]

Before you start throwing expensive parts at it.
How old are your battery's, are they fully charged, do they hold the charge. You said you drive it very rarely so it sits a lot.
Bad battery's make all kinds of trouble, throwing random codes and so on.

Because ECMs fail at an unbelievable low rate, almost non compared to all the units out there. It's almost always something else that causes the trouble.

 

[Grumpy8811]

Because ECMs fail at an unbelievable low rate, almost non compared to all the units out there. It's almost always something else that causes the trouble.

exactly, like I used to tell some of the mechanics working for me, " if you think it's the computer, it probably isn't"

 

[KyleHart]

The batteries are good. I have inspected and tested the wiring from CPS to ECM all tested good. What is the likelihood the gear train is bad? seems unlikely but not sure next step. Batteries were replaced about 2 years ago. P0341 has been thrown consistently through out trouble shooting. And DTCs have been cleared multiple times

 

[BarryG]

While this wont solve your problem my old 01 only had a cam sensor no crank sensor I forget which year that changed perhaps 2000. No idea if they brought the crank sensor back for the 3rd gen trucks. However mine would start, then run somewhat rough at idle, had very erratic rpm readings, it normally did ok while driving it aside from the erratic rpm gauge if it showed any at all but did stumble sometimes for sure. I replaced the cam sensor but in the end it turned out to be the wiring in the plug that plugs into the sensor. Cant remember if it was a pin in the plug or a broken wire right at that plug. I do remember it was quite a pita to get to just wasn't any room around it and couldn't hardly contort my arms and fingers in there or get tools to it. Though after I put the CPS in and it still didn't solve my problem I took it to a guy I knew at the time who was a diesel mech and he got it figured out. Again this was on an 01 so probably a different animal completely than a 3rd gen.