shooter5635

So one of the assistant principals brought his '99 dodge ram 1500 4x4 with the 5.9 in for a tune-up (plugs, cap, rotor) at our school shop

While removing the old cap, one of the bolts became stripped. After trying numerous options, we came to the conclusion we were gonna have to brake the cap to get the screw out. Someone grabbed a ball-peen hammer and a big 'ole flat tip screw driver and started hacking away at an angle until we realized the distributed was rotating...

Long story short we get it all back together and it idles like complete crap and dies. We can keep it running while playing with the throttle, but if you let off it dies sooner than later.

We realized that it had rotated, so we went back and realigned EVERYTHING. Still same issue. We even rotated the distributer back to where it was. We had also disconnected the battery.


Any ideas? Wer'e all stumped and he wants his truck back.

1tonxj

Are you positive you really have all plugs connected in correect firing order ?

shooter5635

According to alldata they are

accidentprone

Sounds like you are going to have to go through process of installing a new dis, from scratch. When it turned no mater how much you try you just can' t get it back to the same place it was before. Try removing it set the motor to TDC on cylinder #1 and line everything up and see if that helps.

shooter5635

Tried. Problem still exists

ol"blue

If you didn't take the distributor out while "working on it" don't remove it now. You run the risk of really messing it up. It couldn't have moved any more than the adjustment slot will let it. Read the manual and put a timing light on it, and set it correctly.

lookin2wheel

Are any of the internal electronics in the dizzy damaged from hammering away with a ball peen and a screwdriver? If the screwdriver punctured the cap, it could of very well damaged something in there.

shooter5635

Everything seems to be intact. No codes. The camshaft position sensor seems to be intact. I'll test it on Monday

2Evil4U

Did the hamfisted moron with hammer happen to knock a hole in anything else? It sounds like a vacuum leak to me.

1ABrian

Is it possible the pick up coil at the base of the dist, under the cap was cracked when the cap was chiseled off? Was that replaced?

shooter5635

Ended up taking the entire distributed out. Realigning everything EVERYTHING and she's good as gold!

1ABrian

Great, good to hear!!