ugernt-98 still dyin'-not fsd or ign switch

[matt-max]

help!

snow's coming and the 98 keeps dying on us.

its not the fsd. does not seem to be ignition switch

heres what it does

starts just fine sounds great. put it in gear and it dies. not just the engine but the whole thing, lights, hvac, gauges, etc.

put it back in park and sometimes it will come back on immediately, sometimes it takes a while. soometimes it starts right back up, some times it doesn't. never seems to leave us down for long but definitely is not ready for action.

important note? it sounds like a relay switching on and off when it shuts off and comes back on. sometimes it also dies in park, i think. don't know for sure as it has never done it on me.....

thanks
matt

[gmctd]

Sounds like a loose ground connection on the engine\chassis\body as engine shifts position under load.
Also try unplug\replug operation on all harness connectors, watching for oxidation\corrosion, etc.

[matt-max]

great advice

will try and track it down

thanks much
matt

[triggerman]

Matt,
Just for the H*** of it ,check the fuel line going into the IP. for a loose fit. This combined with a weak lift pump will make the IP draw in air at a poor hose conection. Particularly the feed line on the top of the pump can get hard from pump heat and become loose under the clip clamp. Do you use the tilt wheel alot?

[dhherrmann]

Hey Matt,
Exact thing happened to me, ended up being loose battery cable. Good Luck!

[More Power]

Have you gone through the list of possibilities at this member tech page?

http://www.thedieselpage.com/members/tt99-9.htm

MP

[matt-max]

thank you all for input

still have not found it, but it is not ip as all electric dies too.

checked the grounds and battery connections and connectors

found, unfortuneatley, where the wiring harness has been spliced in multiple spots, obviously crash damage repair from previous owner.

that's where we are looking now

thanks again
matt

[HowieE]

You did not mention what year truck your were having trouble with.
In either case, carry a head lamp and 2 jumper wires, when the truck dyes place a headlight from the battery stud at the fuse block under the hood to ground. If the lamp does not light I would check the battery wire to that post.
If you have an 80s vintage truck that wire comes from the battery to the starter and then to the fuse block and the post on the starter often goes bad.
If you have a newer truck the wire comes directly from the battery to the fuse block.
What you are checking with the headlamp is if the cable will pass current not just voltage. If you can supply the fuse block with current than I would look at the grounds again.

[matt-max]

we're pretty sure we found the problem.

replaced the multi-wire harness that connects to the switch. we couldn't get the switch to act up but by twisting the connector around we got the starter to crank without the key in the ignition and smoke to fill the cabin.

turns out to be some sloppy wiring splices in there and melted insulation. bad bad bad glad the truck didn't burn up!

thanks again for all who helped!!

matt