HEMI Stalling Sporadically- Puzzling, No Warning or Check Engine Light Tripped

heim_sound

Ended up being 3 items that were cause of the puzzling HEMI stalling"
1.) Cam sensor- improved issue but it remained
2.) EGR valve- improved issue more, but remained
3.) Crank sensor- resolved issue, even across summer to winter temps

Dealer had no clue since check engine light didn't trip and tell them what was wrong. Had it at dealer for 2.5 weeks across 5 independent drop-offs, claimed they checked all the sensors, plugs, throttle body, fuel sys, computer, air temp, altern, electrical, etc, etc, etc. But they never were able to fix why the 2008 HEMI [Aspen] was stalling at whim on high speed highways, middle of intersections, stop lights, anywhere; it would stall and not throw a check engine light. Radio never skipped a beat, headlights [if on ] didn't even flicker, not even a beep or a chime; just stalled with no warning leaving us with no propulsion or power steering or brakes. Stalled over 200 times in 6 months, wife refused to drive it since we were all almost killed in middle of I-75 and M5 [Michigan] multiple times- imagine being stuck in middle of 50 -70 mph highway and truck won't restart until about 3-5 minutes pass by. Truck was under warranty and they gave up and wouldn't honor the warranty [SHAME on you CHRYSLER]. Dealer claimed they couldn't duplicate the stalling issue and even was charging me for gas, rental and other fees which were normally covered by warranty, but since they couldn't duplicate at dealer Chrysler wouldn't honor the extended full coverage warranty we paid for, that should be illegal. Keep this mind, when the dealer claims they are driving it to look for a problem, look how little they actually drive it. Such a small sample size will all too often result in not finding out the problem in such a sporadic stalling problem. Reason they should be more competent.
In any case I hope this helps others who I know who are experiencing this. I had to fix on my own doing much research and failure mode analysis and its been completely fixed for quite awhile now with not so much as a hick-up. These sensors above were checked multiple times by dealer, all within 'acceptable range', but these sensors were the cause and apparently you need to exercise caution in what the dealer tells you, isn't that right Szott?

Mr_Shiftright

Well intermittents can be difficult to catch if they don't happen when your diagnostic equipment is in place. A sensor can be good one minute and bad the next. It's possible. Your method, while it was rational and did work, wouldn't work for a dealer, as he is running against the clock--so they aren't going to spend multiple hours driving the car around and chasing a ghost. Another issue is that the dealer usually won't try parts-swapping because the factory will not re-imburse him for parts that aren't bad. In a way you were squeezed by two bookends---the dealer on one side and the factory on the other, and they are not friends with each other.

Anyway, congrats on the fix and hope it runs well for years to come! Thanks for sharing that interesting story.