2002 silverado 2500HD 8.1 L gasser

[lone_ranger]

While driving or at a stop w/ engine running the engine quits running. I stop and shift into either park or neutral and it restarts and that won't happen for a couple days.It's been to the dealership twice and underwent all the tests and searches available to them and nothing was diagnosed. Anyone have this happen?

[lone_ranger]

Thanks for all the responses. It only has 69,000 miles on it and I bought it new.
I'm getting the oil chngd this week and I'll mention the crankshaft positioning sensor. Any idea what it costs to have the dealer do the job?

[BurbMan]

This is a classic symptom of the Crankshaft Position Sensor going bad, and is exactly what mine did when it started to fail. There was a recall on the 01-03 8.1 engines for this.

Apparently when the sensor goes intermittent, the PCM loses track of where the crankshaft is and kills the engine before it can store a code, making diagnostics difficult. The dealer hooks up the scanner and gets no active or stored codes and diagnosis stops there. Even if the dealer had the scanner connected while it was running and died, they wouldn't see any codes. Seems illogical, but apparently a quirk in the software that allows this to happen without storing a code.

When this sensor quits for good, the truck won't restart after it dies. I had mine replaced years ago by Rocky Mountain Chevrolet while on vacation with the camper.

Trust me on this one, replace that crank sensor before you get stranded. FYI, if you DIY the new sensor, you still need to do a crank re-learn with a scan tool, so my experience it's just easier to have the dealer change the sensor and do the re-learn.

[hondapro]

lone ranger wrote:
The first hour of diagnostic tests I paid $100 for. Then I complained to the service mngr and he had tests and road trips done at their cost, and nothing failed. Until it permanently quits and won't restart they won't spend time on it but if I'm on the highway and it quits I could end up in a dangerous accident.

The dealer is being honest with you,they need to have it fail so they can test and find out what the problem is.
Being a Honda dealer master tech I deal with this type of problem often intermittent problems are frustrating.Maybe you can leave it at the dealership for a few days and let them try it at times or have a tech drive it home and back to see if it fails.
Be glad they are just not throwing parts at it to try and fix the problem without first knowing the cause.

[bucky]

In the absence of any codes I would suspect an intermittent dead short in the alternator or a positive cable or wiring harness grounding out from a rub thru. I finally tracked a similar issue down to that after her car left my DD a number of times. It was a weekend so I took it to Autozone for testing and when they threw the tester on it dimmed the lights in the store.
Every time it happened by the time I got there to rescue her the car started right up and drove fine. Until the next time.

[2003silverado]

My cousins 2002 8.1 did that, and it turned out to be the cam position sensor I believe.

[IBcarguy]

Early model GM trucks are famous for in-tank fuel pump failures. Very common. Usually however, the problem is not intermittent. When it happens, they quit running and won't restart. Just a thought....

[lone_ranger]

The first hour of diagnostic tests I paid $100 for. Then I complained to the service mngr and he had tests and road trips done at their cost, and nothing failed. Until it permanently quits and won't restart they won't spend time on it but if I'm on the highway and it quits I could end up in a dangerous accident.

[BenK]

loneranger...if it does turn out to be that crush washer....would you take some pictures of it still in the plastic molding and post back here ?

Want those pic's for my files for the 'next' time this happens and have pics to show'm

Sadly, many do NOT believe that and look for something much more complicated/expensive...even selling & paying tens of thousands of bucks for another vehicle

GM does sell replacement lead, crush washers. IIRC, 3 or 5 per plastic bag and not expensive the last time checked...but I'd rather not deal with that thing ever again...

[Grit_dog]

Oh, mystery problems s uck.
So the dealers couldn't replicate it?
Couple possibilities. 1. An electrical short somewhere
2. Fuel pump going bad or filter/ screen becoming plugged up?
3. Check valve on fuel vent line from tank to intake. Usually only happens on a full tank of gas, but the wife's car has this issue. Fill the tank, it will sputter and die or run rough for the first few minutes then all is good. Doesn't sound like your issue, but??

Good luck. Intermittent issues are sometimes a tough go.

[lone_ranger]

Thanks for the info.

[BenK]

Sounds like the shifter switch is either gone out of adjustment and/or it has gone bad...but any mechanic should have been able to diag that & replace.

Remote possibility is that the computer network system has an issue and again, a good mechanic should have been able to diag that


Assume the battery has been replaced...and that lead crush washer in the connection stack was NOT replaced, right ?

If so, then consider this fix:

Suburban dilemma
GMpostiveBatterySidePost POSBatteryPost

BenK wrote:
Here is the image of the modifications to my Suburban's positive battery post. Just replaced the battery last week and think it is the 4th battery, plus the OEM, so makes five batteries. Two were unnecessary, as it took cracking two batteries to figure out what the heck was going on...

An easy and of little cost to solve a major problem that will drive mechanics nuts...until they finally cut apart the OEM molded plastic surround. NOTE...this has to be done to both OEM cable lug ends...look closely and you will see that both of mine has the molded plastic surround cutaway (can't remember which one had the lead washer in it)

Ask if anyone does this, to take pictures of that lead washer so that I can save it to my files...thanks!

All of the OP's symptoms says to me, that the problem is that lead washer in the OEM plastic surround of the positive cable lug. Mine behaved exactly that way...dying in the middle of the freeway, mystery resets of the computer, appeared to be dead...but wiggling the positive cables had it finally start, etc, etc

Cheaper than buying another vehicle and if this doesn't solve, then proof that the problem(s) are elsewhere...not much to lose in trying this fix

Can't remember the thread, bolt dia or length, but easy enough to figure out.

Finger tighten the bolt, after installing the jam nut and the stack of lugs (mine has an alarm lug in the stack). Back off a half of a turn. Then, while holding the bolt head with a wrench, tighten the jam nut down to secure the stack against the battery connection land.




mysub mysuburban GMbattery batterypost GMBattPost



Snip....

BenK wrote:
This aliment happens to any side post battery that has that lead, crush washer in the connection stack. Ok if left as is from the factory...but...once that connection is loosened and re-tightened...the crush washer will no longer have enough 'crush' to maintain a good connection

Links to threads from one of my forums...ditto solutions from another of my Boy Racer forums, but won't link them here


Note that there are some posts with sleezy stuff and part of why that forum died...freebie and out of pocket ran into better software needs...but not enough of the members pitched to help defer our costs


Andy has since stopped updating this site
Many of the links don't work, but many still do. We discussed many problems and solved most on this reference site to my old Suburban Forum. I'm "Ben" over there



BATTERIES & CHARGING SYSTEM
Sub page to the above site


Positive battery terminal modification
My first post on this GM battery side post discovery and solution. Year 2000, so my Suburban has 17 years with that modification and have NOT had a connection problem since... Hasn't died for unknown reasons (sure the fuel pump has left me stranded a few times and once with ignition module dying). No more mystery computer resets by itself, etc.


battery dies on '99 K2500 7.4L
One of many, many issues from the GM positive lead washer...a shame most didn't believe it back then and that continues to this day here...an approx $5 buck and 1 hour fix vs so many willing to toss their vehicle and spend tens of thousands on an other vehicle


POS Battery - Can someone outline the right steps to take care of it?
A good one representing this thread here


Need Help!!! Sub died!!!


Charging system troubles


how to replace the positive bat. cable


What Happens when they go bad


The INFamous Battery Problem!


How2 to jump start another vehicle without damaging your alternator
While at this...here is the best way to jump another's dead battery WITHOUT killing hour alternator. An another 'again' folks don't believe in this and then come back with a sad story of yet another dying or dead alternator...

[George_H]

It has been awhile, if memory working correctly- a 454 I had did this and problem turned out to be an intermitant failure of an electronic module in the distributer. Finally failed completely before diagnostics found problem.