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super99 03-15-2013 18:35:00 74.32.250.96 Report to Moderator	A while back, I posted about replacing the brake lines on my pickup. A young guy at work said he would replace the lines for me. I took the truck to him and he finally got the lines all replaced. He said when they went to start it for a test drive, it cranked over, but no fire. His brother brought over a scanner and they checked it out and he said the PCM ( power control module) is bad, no power coming out of it to anything. He has been looking for a used one for a week or so and hasn't been able to find one yet. Any thoughts on putting in a used one versus a new one? If a used one is OK to use, any ideas where to find one? It's a 97 Dodge Ram 1/2 ton with a 5.2 v-8. Thanks, Chris [Reply]   [No Email]
mite-help 03-16-2013 10:47:37 70.196.0.10 Report to Moderator	Re: OT 97 Dodge Ram in reply to super99, 03-15-2013 18:35:00   i haven't had much luck with used--except for maybe a test to see if it runs. tried used on g.m 6.5 diesel once, it ran but glo plugs, etc, some of the dash tell-tale lights, trans, did't work right. no refunds, but at least we had use of truck while original was sent for repairs-[o'reilly can do] as i recall, repaired was just a few bucks more than used, & everything was vin correct--- [Reply]  [No Email]
marloweg 03-16-2013 10:14:03 207.118.179.152 Report to Moderator	Re: OT 97 Dodge Ram in reply to super99, 03-15-2013 18:35:00   first thing i would check is wiring MAKE SURE YOU HAVE POWER TO IT and seeing he did the brake lines {{{{{{{{MAKE SURE YOU HEAR THE FUEL PUMP RUN WHEN KEY IS TURNED ON}}}}}}}{{{{{no fuel pressure it will not start}}}}}}replaced brake lines on my 96 and busted a wire going to the fuel pump also make sure the fuse for fuel pump is not blown. with out fuel pressure on some Dodges it will not have any fire with out fuel pressure [Reply]  [No Email]
scotc 03-16-2013 19:01:57 75.235.52.191 Report to Moderator	Re: OT 97 Dodge Ram in reply to marloweg, 03-16-2013 10:14:03   No SMPI engine will run without fuel pressure. MOPAR s need at least 45 PSI to run right. [Reply]  [No Email]
MSD 03-16-2013 07:45:18 71.209.114.142 Report to Moderator	Re: OT 97 Dodge Ram in reply to super99, 03-15-2013 18:35:00   Had a 94 Dakota that I drove into the yard one night but would not start the next morning. Threw a bunch of parts at it and still wouldn't fire. Finally learned by an internet search that that year of Dakotas had an electrical wiring problem. They apparently soldiered a splice in the wiring harness under the battery box and they were prone to corroding. Opened the harness and sure enough it was corroded off. New splice and it has ran since. [Reply]  [No Email]
ASEguy 03-16-2013 07:08:31 68.186.162.134 Report to Moderator	Re: OT 97 Dodge Ram in reply to super99, 03-15-2013 18:35:00   PCM is bad? Before you check into a PCM more diagnostics need to be done from what you have posted. You need to know if they checked power and ground to the PCM and check affected circuits. No fire could be crank sensor, Hall effect in dist."etc". Don't put a used one on it until all no start checks have been done or you may be out the money. A scan tool WILL NOT tell you if it needs a PCM unless it has a watchdog circuit code in the controller. Hope this helps. Gerard [Reply]  [No Email]
ASEguy 03-16-2013 07:10:00 68.186.162.134 Report to Moderator	Re: OT 97 Dodge Ram in reply to ASEguy, 03-16-2013 07:08:31   Should have said do not put a used one in. Reman or new only and only after diagnostics are done. Sorry. [Reply]  [No Email]
hd6gtom 03-16-2013 06:16:10 63.153.198.116 Report to Moderator	Re: OT 97 Dodge Ram in reply to super99, 03-15-2013 18:35:00   GordoSD Electrical parts can and do fail while sitting in the shop having other work done. Its not uncommon. [Reply]  [No Email]
Sprint 6 03-16-2013 05:14:05 50.102.2.44 Report to Moderator	Re: OT 97 Dodge Ram in reply to super99, 03-15-2013 18:35:00   You can not swap PCMs in a 97 like older stuff. They are VIN specific. Likely does not need a PCM. What other diag did they do? Did they check powers and grounds? Does his buddies "scanner" work? Just some questions I would be asking. It may be better to chalk it up to experience and take to someone who knows what they are doing. I fix "someone else worked on it first" stuff all the time. Usually friends, brothers, uncles, etc, cause more damage than they fix. [Reply]  [No Email]
bill mart 03-15-2013 21:26:58 69.204.65.189 Report to Moderator	Re: OT 97 Dodge Ram in reply to super99, 03-15-2013 18:35:00   do they use salt on the roads where you live? had the same issue,after days of trouble shooting found one wire deap inside a harness was corroded about 6" in.only way we could tell was the wire diameter was slightly larger in the corroded spot. Bill [Reply]  [No Email]
Ron-MO 03-15-2013 19:06:08 174.131.235.83 Report to Moderator	Re: OT 97 Dodge Ram in reply to super99, 03-15-2013 18:35:00   I would be suspicious. Years ago I pulled a tranny out of a pickup I had, and when I got it all back together - no fire. Long story short, I had pinched a wire, blew a fuse feeding the ecm. Took a bit to track it down. A few years later I had a pickup in a body shop, and mgr calls and tells me the fuel pump is bad, and they had to push it out of the body shop. I found that hard to believe as it ran when it went in, and was still under warranty. A week later when I picked up the truck I asked what they found wrong. Guess what - cut wire down by the frame (they removed and replaced the bed due to a rear end collision). I would be testing voltage to the PCM, fuses, etc. before jumping to conclusions and buying a new PCM. Too much coincidence for me. [Reply]  [No Email]
Ron-MO 03-15-2013 19:09:47 174.131.235.83 Report to Moderator	Re: OT 97 Dodge Ram in reply to Ron-MO, 03-15-2013 19:06:08   By the way.....the truck in the body shop had another issue.....when wife drove it out, I noticed one brake light was not working. They had also damaged a plug in the wire harness feeding the bed (tail lights). Easy to do, but those guys seemed to be quite careless for a new car dealership, on a near new truck, but I see it more and more. [Reply]  [No Email]
GordoSD 03-15-2013 19:01:54 216.106.250.92 Report to Moderator	Re: OT 97 Dodge Ram in reply to super99, 03-15-2013 18:35:00   I am going to assume it ran , started, drove perfect for a number of years before thei "young man" worked on it? If that is the case stand your ground and make him have it run like it did when it went into the shop. Components don't fail while thsy are idle in a shop! [Reply]  [No Email]
Royse 03-15-2013 18:45:34 69.36.49.151 Report to Moderator	Re: OT 97 Dodge Ram in reply to super99, 03-15-2013 18:35:00   You could likely get a used one at a local salvage yard. No power coming out, is there power going in? The ones I have worked on had a PCM fuse. Just a thought. Sometimes we overlook the obvious. [Reply]  [No Email]
Glenn F. 03-15-2013 18:43:10 166.181.3.79 Report to Moderator	Re: OT 97 Dodge Ram in reply to super99, 03-15-2013 18:35:00   You can never say never, but PCM's seldom fail. Glenn F. [Reply]  [No Email]