Need Help, Dealer is clueless

[cvcsmkr]

Ive got a 03 3500 w/ 150k miles.

Oil, oil filter and fuel filter changed 5k miles ago.

The truck is randomly stalling. I drive for about 20-30 min, come to a stop light, hit the gas and it's stalls. It will crank but will not turn over. I let it sit for 1/2 an hour and it will fire back up. Drive for another 30 min and same thing.

Dealer has had it for 3 days, they cant find what's wrong. I now these random problems can be difficult to diagnosis, but I use this truck for work and need to get it back on the road.

I need some ideas, what could it be?

[jmoller99]

Is it throwing any errors? These need to be checked with a Sprinter specific ODBII reader (I have no idea what kind of dealer you have - some don't have the gear they need).

You could have an intermittant connection in the wiring harness (or short). You could have air in fuel lines/fuel filter problems/fuel problems. If its not throwing errors, that implies that the Computer is not shutting things down - where else to look? Maybe bad electrical connections near the fuses (under the steering column and under the drivers seat), you might have a bad relay (same places).

[NelsonSprinter]

Some have had this issue when engine is warm only. It's been a bad Cam Position Sensor under the top cover.
If it was when starting in the morning, I would have said an air leak into the fuel filter.
What kind of dealer is it at? Where are you located?

[cvcsmkr]

South florida
Large dodge dealer
No codes
Engine runs at normal temp
Cools for about half an hour, (so doesn't really cool down)
Then will fire back up.
3/4 tank of gas

[autostaretx]

Standard forum answer:
Call The Doktor A Sprinter Hotline at 412-366-6165. Andy (Dr. A) Bittenbinder
(east coast time zone)

--dick

[surlyoldbill]

I had the same thing on my 03. No codes, dealer said everything was "ok", and then couldn't start it; but it was still "ok".
Long thread titled "hard to start when hot" has many solutions and dead ends and input by others. Mine turned out to be a bad injector that was allowing too much thin (hot) fuel to go back to the return line, resulting in too low of rail pressure for the ECU to tell the motor it was ok to start. When cooled, it started up just fine, and always ran fine once started. Other sources of low rail pressure can be bad o-rings in the fuel rail solenoid (back of engine). Have someone who has the equipment do a pressure test of the rail when you try to start it and see if it's lower than the ECU wants.

You can also do an injector leak-down test with $2 investment in 3/8" id clear tubing.
Other heat issues can include cam sensor, rail pressure sensor, crankshaft sensor (least likely).

[Type2Teach]

x2 on the injector leak down test. Search for it. I did a write up with photos. It's SUPER easy.
I had a similar problem. Van would just die on me and would start after I let her sit for half hour or so and then would die again. Keep us updated.

[owner]

+1 for injector leak-off test.

If it was cam/crank sensors you would have codes.

[surlyoldbill]

I should add that some people have had issues with the ambient air sensor vs. the intake air sensor, but a code would show up. Quick check would be to look at the ambient air temp on your dash gauge, and if it reads -50 and it's 60 degrees outside, you may have a problem there.

[sprintguy]

Remove the crank sensor , measure ohms through sensor , then heat sensor while measuring ohms reading . most likely the crank sensor, is thermo-sensitive. If its not the sensor then check the wire harness down by the fuel filter for chaffing.


Carl