Got towed home 120 miles

goochos · #1 (**permalink**) 08-15-2008, 09:43 PM

Well, after driving 330 miles straight I was going up a hill at 60 mph and hit the overdrive button. The van completely died. It would crank but not restart.The wait to start light was not coming on. I plugged in my edge programmer but it could not access my pcm. After a half hour or so and several key turns I finally saw the "wait to start light" come on,so I pulled the codes out of the edge and it was just a 603 if i remember correctly, which was keep alive memory. I assumed it was because the pcm lost power,cranked it over and she started,only for a second, then died again.I turned the key and again no wait to start light. I checked fuses and the only thing i found was corossion on most of them. I gave up, being 120 miles from home and in the dark now, I called AAA. Got towed home. After the flatbed dumped my van in the driveway at 1:30 a.m. I decided to give it another shot. Turned the key, wait to start light comes on, and she starts,and keeps running. I didnt want to wake the neighborhood so i shut her off. I wake up the next morning and she fires up again and keeps running. I'm scared to drive it now though because I dont want to be stranded again. I really need some help to figure this one out. Right before this I changed the oil and fuel filter. I use rotella 15 40. Would oil have anything to do with disabling the "wait to start" light? The only thing I can think is to clean the fuse terminals in the engine compartment. ANy more ideas?

2005F250 · #2 (**permalink**) 08-15-2008, 09:46 PM

Maybe your PCM or FICM (fuel injector control module) just got to hot and couldn't function properly with all that heat.

rankroddin250 · #3 (**permalink**) 08-15-2008, 09:46 PM

if no wait to start light you are not getting power to your computer. check for shorts and you might try cleaning the contacts in the fuse box and replacing all of the fuses if they are coroded and see if that helps. also check your battery voltage in both batteries. you may have one dead one and one marginal one.

goochos · #4 (**permalink**) 08-15-2008, 09:48 PM

Do you think the pcm or idm could be on its way out?

rankroddin250 · #5 (**permalink**) 08-15-2008, 10:10 PM

pcm's usualy just go. idm's are usualy the same way. you have a power issue.

check the batteries first. you need 10.5 volts for the idm to fire the injectors and only about 7 volts to crank the engine. so you could have enough juice to turn the engine but not to power up the idm.

but if your fuses are asll coroded my first guess would be that you have a connection issue and i would start at the coroded fuses.

Diesel Monkey · #6 (**permalink**) 08-15-2008, 11:54 PM

Electrical fault in engine harness?

goochos · #7 (**permalink**) 08-17-2008, 10:52 AM

Thanks for the replys. Do you think its o.k to disconnect the batteries and spray the fuse panel with wd 40, stick the fuses in and out to clean the terminals then blow off the rest of the wd with air gun before i connect the batteries again. I was also going to wiggle the wiring harness with it running to see if i can kill it again. One thing i forgot to mention,when i was looking for the wait to start light the night I got towed, I noticed the parking brake light was on sometimes. Is this a clue to my problem?