Truck stalls when warm on hill

Tiny
DENNIS P
  • MEMBER
  • 1996 DODGE RAM
  • 24,000 MILES
I have a 96 Dodge Rm 1500 pick up, 318 cu in fuel injected. 24000 original miles.
A problem has just popped up. Vehicle runs very well and as it warms up it will shudder, check engine light comes on, and vehicle will lose power. You can hear a faint popping sound coming from the tail pipe area. The vehicle does not stall it crawls and sputters and then stops. I let it sit start it up, runs lousy and then goes back to crawling and not moving at all. This usually starts after 10 miles.
The loss of power occurs on flat areas and coming down a hill. It always happens after the vehicle is warm.
Any help will be appreciated because I live in a rural area and had the truck towed three times. I never had any problem before with engine performance. Only thing replaced prior to this was the electric window opener, which causes the window to hang inside the door. After playing with the switches it will go up. I do not think this is related to the engine performance.
Thank you for your help. Dennis
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Friday, November 25th, 2011 AT 7:01 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,699 POSTS
Sounds like the pickup screen in the gas tank is collapsing and becoming blocked. The problem will be worse when the largest volume of fuel is pumped, which is during coasting. The larger volume can't get through the screen so the pressure drops too low to make it through the injectors.

If I'm right, you might be able to prove it by disconnecting the vacuum hose from the fuel pressure regulator, (not the intake manifold end), and plugging it. You might see black smoke from the tail pipe but if the engine runs better, remove the fuel pump and clean the screen on the bottom of the housing.
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Saturday, June 1st, 2019 AT 3:08 PM
Tiny
DENNIS P
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  • 2 POSTS
We will check that out. Thank you! Any thoughts are GREATLY appreciated!
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Saturday, June 1st, 2019 AT 3:08 PM
Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,699 POSTS
I know it doesn't make sense that more fuel is pumped during coasting, and it took me a while to figure out why after this happened to me on my '88 Grand Caravan. Acted up 30 miles west of Minneapolis when I slowed down to turn off the highway. Ran fine later back to the city, then took me four hours to nurse it through the road construction on all three interstate bypasses! Ran fine another two hours to home until I slowed to turn off the highway again, then didn't act up for the next six months. Students found the pickup sock filled with very fine rust-colored mud. Cleaned it out and I've been buzzing off into the sunset ever since.

Besides the mud, the screens can collapse too and block the pickup tube. You can cut a slit in the top of the screen and let the fuel filter catch any dirt that gets through.
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Saturday, June 1st, 2019 AT 3:08 PM

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