Truck stalling after cleaning battery cables

Hi. I have a question about tire pressure.. 88 psi ok?

 

Only on P rated tires. They have more flexible sidewalls and therefore can expand to hold the pressure better....


I think. But I'm no expert.
*obvious sarcasm*

 

could it be a problem with the alternator? just happened to crap out when he played with the battery? I have disconnected my battery before and never had restart issues after hooking it back up.

 

Doubt it. The engine would keep running off the battery until the battery died... and then it wouldn't start at all.

 

true, but if the alternator isn't charging the battery its got no juice to run off of, but if that were the case i suppose he wouldn't really be able to get it running in the first place haha just spit balling some different theories to get people thinking

 

@ahspurlock (Southeast TW mechanic) any input?

 

Yeah, I've never encountered this either. Something like this would drive me f***ing crazy.

 

Guys, she (probably a 'he' to get immediate answers ) joined today just for us to solve a problem. Most likely has no intention of staying here and contributing to the TW family.

 

K? Conspiracy much?

 

Thank you, most worthless post ever!

 

Nope, just street smart. Sorry to burst your bubble. The OP will never be heard from again on here..... you'll see.

 

The ECU needs to relearn your driving habits. Just start it up. use your right foot on the go peddle if you need to, to keep it running. Then go for a short drive, then drive home. Shut it off for a minute, then restart and repeat. You may need to do this a few times. If that doesn't work, then post back. Good luck.

 

^^^ this. When power is cut the ECM's adaptively learned parameters (idle air, short and long fuel trims, etc.) will reset to default values--on older higher mileage vehicles it is not uncommon for such values to no longer be valid and new values will have to be learned. If things do not clear up after driving 25 to 50 miles ("normal" driving, not at high or steady speeds) consider replacing the spark plugs if not recently changed.

Next the IAC valve may need to be cleaned/replaced (the IAC is key to reliable and smooth idle), also check for PCV and/or EVAP system or other intake vacuum leaks. If happiness is still elusive look into sluggish injectors and/or EGR issues...

 

Clean the throttle body. this engine has a drive by wire throttle and does not have an IAC. the throttle plate (controlled electronically) is always slightly cracked open to allow a nice 750-800 rpm idle. this position is remembered in "adaptive" pcm memory. over time carbon/gunk builds up around the throttle plate making the opening for air to flow in smaller and smaller. the throttle plate position changes (opens wider) to account for the decrease in air flow as the carbon builds up. the problem begins when you come along and pull a battery cable. the pcm/throttle plate forgets its "learned" position and goes back to square 1. barely cracked open.. like when the truck was brand new and the inside of the throttle body was clean. now the throttle plate is buried in mud, no air can flow (at least not enough to sustain an idle) and it will start and die. yes you can drive it untill it "re-learns" on its own (and be that guy blocking traffic when his truck stalls out) or you can pull the air cleaner, get some carb cleaner (or maf sensor cleaner) on a rag and clean the inside of the throttle body and both sides of the throttle plate (gently hold it open w/ the handle end of a small screwdriver). a lot of times when i start the engine after doing this it will idle higher than normal for a couple minutes and then settle down.. cycle the a/c to engage the compressor, turn the steering wheel back and forth this "wakes up" the idle and forces it to adjust/settle into comfortable spot..

do not spray carb cleaner into the intake. you can light your (plastic) on fire and nobody wants that..

this is considered part of a battery replacement on most late model vehicles (everything is drive-by-wire these days) and folks don't want to hear "you may have to drive it for a while" after it stalls twice in the parking lot.

 

Yup. Clean the throttle body. Happens every time when we change battery's at the dealer. Clean the plate and area behind and in front of it with a rag. Don't spray directly into the Throttle, spray it on the rag.

If you have two people, key on engine off have someone hold the gas pedal down. It'll open the throttle.. less of a pain. Less likely to mess up the motor in the throttle

 

you need to relearn the (ecu for idle reset) if you do not have a scanner like snapon or matco then
remove the batt terms let it sit for 5 min then reinstall batt terms then trun key on but
DO NOT START IT leave key on for 1-2 min then trun key off then crank it it should be fine at that point

 

clean everything

maf
throttle body
maybe new plugs
if it has a TPS sensor, get a new one
---
what can happen is... as tps wears and maf gets dirty and even AF sensors...over time, the truck does learn
how to run with [factory parameters and offsets the inputs from dirtier and worn sensors], and it
can actually learn to run normal as stuff wears over time

and then you reset the entire ECU, it goes back to factory fresh everything and then it
runs like garbage because all the inputs are borderline and not dead-centered

either that, or you disturbed a loose ground wire

 

this engine does not have a tps. tps is only needed when the throttle is controlled by a cable (the pcm needs to know what position your foot is in). forget about plugs, AF sensors, blah, blah, blah.. that stuff was working just fine before you pulled the batt cable off.. this guy is close, the engine does go back to factory fresh. as i stated, factory fresh position for the throttle plate is now buried in carbon..

don't be the guy that throws a bunch of un-needed parts at a problem! it's funny at work because people don't want to pay for diagnostic time (they consider it a waste of money!) but they are perfectly fine w/ throwing sensors, fuel pumps, spark plugs, etc at the car with no idea if it's going to actually fix it..

 

Yup ^^