5.7 Codes/Errors

LarryE · January 25, 2006

So my company truck wouldn't start yesterday morning (nice and rainy and cold outside to)

The battery was fully charged, it would crank and crank like it wasn't getting any fuel

Wouldn't start on Ether...

Replaced the sensor down in the distributor cap because it did that once before, and replaced the censor on the passender side of the intake.

Truck still wouldn't start

Scanned the truck for codes just for the heck of it and found P0420 and P0430 ( catalyst-efficiency-below-threshold) and P1345 (this one bugs me the most) (CKP/CMP Correlation)

So I cleared the codes, and the truck still wouldn't start

So I take the fuel pump relay out of our other company truck and the truck started, and the tool truck started on the relay out of my truck.. :pissed:

So today the truck still starts alright except now the truck will sputter around 45-55mph when giving it gas.. so I checked the codes this evening and got P0420 again so I cleared it again.

I take my time and make it to night class (where I sit here right now lol) and I check the codes again and this time the P430 and P1345 pop back up.. :pissed:

I have no clue where to go from here (except new 02 sensors for the P420/30 codes)

I guess 300K has finally caught up to the motor.

Haulin' 8.1 · January 25, 2006

Larry the mileage has caught up to your distributor's phasing. Since you no longer set the timing at the distributor what you do is align the cam sensor when you turn the base. It's built to have the rotor and cap matching when the cam sensor in the base is lined up to the crankshaft correctly. Well after many miles of gear wear and timing chain strech the rotor tip no longer lines up with the cap terminals when the crank is in the right place and you get some misfireing during periods of maximum spark advance as the spark misses the proper plug terminal or doesn't have time to fully make the correct terminal in the cap as it goes by with max advance. What you need to do is find someone or a shop that has a professional grade scanner such as Snap-On or OTC Genesis that can read the CAM RETARD field and readjust the distributor until it reads 0* (+/- 3*). This often requires enlongating the bolt hole in the distributor hold down clamp into a slot so you can crank it further than what the factory provided for a fresh engine. This will eliminate the sputter (misfiring) and make the truck run good again.

The bad news is that the misfireing has likely done the convertors in and they are now either partially clogged from melting or just not cleaning enough anymore. When the fuel doesn't burn in the cylinder it gets into the exhaust and often burns in the convertor. This ruins them pretty quickly. If you're in an area that requires you to pass an emissions test to get a new inspection sticker then your SOL until you get the misfiring fixed and then have the convertors replaced. A good tune up will ensure the new convertors will last.

Turning the distributor correctly will take care of the P01345 and fresh convertors would do the P0430. The 1345 is important for engine health and the 430 is more for eviromental health, so choose how important they are to you based on that.

Good luck,

Vernon