Hi ASEMASTER6371. To add a few comments of great value, this problem will not be solved by replacing the fuel filter. Besides the sudden stalling not matching the symptoms of a plugged filter, other than with a diesel engine, you will never solve an engine running problem on a Chrysler product by replacing the fuel filter. They typically last the life of the vehicle unless they rust out and start to leak.
We all know your tests for fuel pressure and spark are right on the money, but too many people get stuck on the first thing they find missing, and it is easy to overlook loss of fuel pressure. On almost all brands and engines, the fuel pump will run for one to two seconds when the ignition switch is turned on. That is enough to get the fuel pressure up to specs, but it is real common for the fuel pump to not resume running during cranking the engine. Technically that's loss of fuel pressure while you just measured good pressure.
In about 95 percent of these sudden stalling or crank / no-start cases, there will be loss of spark also along with that failure of the fuel pump to resume pumping. That's when you have to look for what they have in common. Most people get hung up in the ignition system or the fuel supply system and they fail to realize both systems, plus the fuel injectors, are all dead. All of these are turned on by the automatic shutdown, (ASD) relay, and that is turned on by the Engine Computer when it sees signal pulses from the crankshaft position sensor and the camshaft position sensor. Both of those are common suspects for this symptom on all brands of vehicles. During engine rotation, (cranking or running), is when those sensors develop their signals.
To add to the misery, the Engine Computer can set a diagnostic fault code indicating which signal is not showing up during cranking, but it can take some time for that to be detected. Typically it gets detected when a stalled engine is coasting to a stop. It's important then to not disconnect the battery because doing so will erase those fault codes, then that valuable information will be lost. Later, during cranking the engine, it is common for that fault code to not set again. Then the diagnosis gets more involved and requires a scanner to view live data and to see which signal is missing.
It's also important to understand when a sensor or other part is referenced in a fault code, it never says to replace that part or that it is bad. It only indicates the circuit or system that needs further diagnosis. Perhaps 50 percent of the time the code was caused by a wiring or connector terminal problem. We read here all the time where someone read the fault code and interpreted it as "the code said to replace, ... ". In fact, they never say to replace anything. That's when we read, "I replaced the part three times and it still hasn't solved the problem".
Given that wondrous information, it is common for both of these sensors to fail by becoming heat-sensitive, then they will work again after cooling down for about an hour. While driving, natural air flow keeps them cool, but during "hot soak", such as when stopping for gas, heat from the engine migrates up to the sensors causing one to fail. An hour or two later the engine will start right up.
For my final observation, just about every failed Chrysler fuel pump fails to start up when you try to start the engine. Once it does start running, it is almost unheard of for it to stop while you're driving, unless there's a problem with the wiring to the pump. GM pumps are just the opposite. They almost always start up, then slow down or stop altogether while you're driving. Given the description of this problem, the fuel pump is not a good suspect.
Add "correct timing" to the list of requirements for the engine to run. Timing chains often jump a tooth or two when a turned-off engine coasts to a stop, then jumps backward a little. The symptom would include the engine had been running fine until stopped, then was hard to restart later. This one was running okay and suddenly stopped on its own. The timing chain isn't the best suspect, and given the high failure rate of the two sensors, I'd start by checking whether the ASD relay is turning on during cranking. If it is not, that will save you a lot of diagnostic time by looking at the individual systems.
I know you'll get to the answer. I just felt compelled to add these comments so you might get there faster.
Monday, January 28th, 2019 AT 4:10 PM
