2000 Ram, No Spark, PCM ??

I have a 2000 Dodge Ram 1500 5.9.....no spark.....replaced coil and Crank position sensor with ones from another running truck....still no spark....

Can I swap the PCM from another truck to try ? Or will it have to be "re-flashed" by a dealer before it will work ??

Doesn't need to be reflashed just unbolt it and unplug the 3 plugs n go.

Is distrib turning? And how about the distrib itself, they can fail. (Plate-pickup coil)

I am getting conflicting answers.....a local mechanic says it might run for a few minutes at best with another pcm.........cant understand why a pcm would have to have the vin programmed into it, and what does it match up to, the BCM ??

I took a junkyard pcm and put it in my 97 when I did my engine swap. It doesn't need the vin programmed into it. That's hogwash.

The biggest factor on the PCM is if either one has factory alarm,gray key.
The other issue is they use a bus communication system. (link between all modules)if the modules can't talk to each other, (EG) mismatched vin numbers,systems can /will be disabled. older years wasn't a problem, all you can do is try. Don't remember the exact application for work and no work


I am willing to bet you have a broken/corroded wire. does the engine light come on when the key is rotated on?
a test light and wire schematic will go along way. Do you know if the asd relay is being energized? There is a splice inside the harness between the battery and firewall that gets corroded and results in NO engine light,NO spark, asd relay not powering up, also lose voltage to a certain wire to the PCM. fixed dozens of these trucks for this problem
ignition switch can be problem.

It died about 30 miles from home at a friends place......ran down there today....

with the key on....there is a check engine light and the ASD Relay clicks if I remove/replace it with the key on.....

I assume this indicates the PCM is working ??

If I remove the fuses labeled engine control, I get a "No Bus" instead of an odometer reading, when I install them I get an odometer reading.

I have switched the Crankshaft position sensor and the coil from my other Dodge truck.....

I peeled back the plastic wire covering and could not find anything that looked problematic.....there are 2 bundles of wires coming out of the distribution/fuse block....one bundle t's off and goes inside the cab and to the headlight area....the other bundle runs across the firewall to the PCM.....

Any ideas ?

Thanks in advance

The corroded wire thing was on the Dakotas, haven't heard of that issue on the full size Rams though. The issue was the pink power wire would corrode at the junction of where 4 or 5 pink wires were spliced together. The pink wires were the power supply to the crank sensor, the cam sensor, to the coil, and to a couple other things I can't remember.

One would want to be sure both the cam and the crank sensor have power coming to them with the key on. I tested with a test light, but a volt meter would probably be a better choice. In the corroded wire deal, one or more of the sensors would not have any voltage coming in. Both of those sensors ground through the computer. Gene

Talked to a friend today that thinks its the fuel pump....he says if there is no fuel pressure that the PCM will cut off ignition...does that sound right ?

I will bring a fuel pressure gauge and check it next time, just wondering if thats possible

Friend is blowing smoke.Check the cap and rotor and coil lead.No spark is ignition.Only thing other that that is crank sensor or puter.Fuel pump only runs for like 30 seconds when key is turned on.Then it stops till motor stops.Check engine lite on with key on is normal.Coomputer could be bad but Mopars I Only relaced a few in 30 years.Rocky

A test light will prove helpful here and a second pair of hands.

Unplug the 2 wire connector from the coil, Clamp the lead of your test light to battery ground, make sure the light works.

Have helper turn ignition on while you probe the coil connector for power, one wire should be power.

Note, you need the helper to cycle the ignition on and off since the ASD relay turns off after about 2 seconds if the engine isn't cranked.

After you verify which wire is power, rearrange the test light so its clamped to battery positive. Probe the other wire at the coil connection. The test light should flicker as the engine is cranked.

OK so the possible bad outcomes:
No power found at coil= broken wire between ASD relay and coil, possible bad fuse or other bad connection.

No flicker of test light, 2 possible directions.
Light never turns on= broken wire between coil and PCM, possible failed PCM. Likely bad or no signal from crank sensor.
Light stays on constantly= short to ground between coil and vpcm or dead PCM. This can be found by unplugging the PCM, if the light goes out the PCM is shorted.

If the testing at the coil connection is as described above (power steady and flicker on the other wire). Your problem is between the coil and plugs, including plug wires cap and rotor.

What happened right before it quit running?

If truck has a tach and you see some rpm's while cranking the crank sensor is good. IMO Don't forget the basic's i.e. cap/rotor or coil wire?

It's the other way, if no spark(cam or crank signal) the fuel shuts off.

It Runs !! I had bought a new coil at first, but the screws were too rusty to bolt it in place, so I left it dangling and ran a jumper wire to ground. Well before spending more time and money, thinking that it had to be something simple, I swapped out the whole coil and bracket from another truck....and it fired right up. I guess there is a reason there is a thick multi-layered steel band on that coil...it needs a GOOD ground.

Thanks for all the responses

A coil doesn't ground through the case or bracket. You probably got a bad coil the first time.