Can anyone diagnose this?
I drove a newly acquired 1995 Ram Van 3500 (52K mi.) 5.9 L engine from Seattle to Los Angeles about a month ago. I got it from a friend and there were no obvious problems until just before I left. From that point until now, there have been lots of things going wrong. And the most consistent thing is their inconsistency. None of the problems are constant, nor are there obvious causes. I think there may be two separate issues at work here but maybe not.Before I left, there was a point when the engine wouldn't start for a few minutes. It fired up a short time later. Up till that time it always fired right up. Leaving for L.A., the cruise control worked for a while, then quit. The overdrive light came on. This continues to go on and off. On the way down, the cruise control would work for a while when first starting out, then quit. It now doesn't work at all. Upon reaching California, when I pulled into rest stops, the engine would quit at low idle. It would start right up again and would be OK as long as I applied the gas pedal. This continued occasionally driving around L.A., but not lately. The Check Engine light will come on every once in a while but if you turn the engine off and start it up again, it goes off. Now the engine is VERY difficult to start in the morning, but after it does start, it is fine. Except that the idle seems rough. The last few days when I started it, it would emit clicking sounds and the Check Engine light would flash in unison. I should mention, the check engine light doesn't seem to be constant, but flickers even while driving. I haven't been able to isolate a pattern to all of these symptoms. They seem random. I took the van into two Dodge dealerships. The first had it two days, said there was no trouble code and then told me the crankshaft position sensor showed low voltage and needed to be replaced and then we'd go from there ($360 + tax). The second dealership had it a day and told me the computer needed to be replaced and then we'd go from there ($860 + tax). I have done a lot of reading and I'm not convinced either of these solutions is correct. Anyone have an opinion? Thanks for reading.
