Shutting down

[Farmboy135]

I have a 2007 Freightliner Columbia with a 60 series with a auto trans/with clutch. I’m a farmer and this is my semi I use to haul all of my gain from field to farm and farm to grain elevator. I’m not a master technician by any means but I’ve been doing a lot of my own tech work on farm equipment for 10 years after finishing an Agricultural Technology Mechanics school and I have basic to moderate diagnostic skills inelectrical work.

My problems all started on my first load of grain this September when the truck would stall out(cel/sel came on briefly, lost throttle for 1-2 seconds) and then the throttle came back and lights shut off like nothing ever happened. Then a couple of weeks later the problem started evolving or getting worse or I have another problem. Going down the road the truck loses all power(gauges all go to 7 o’clock then sweep clockwise and back and engine shuts down and no sel/cel or any lights appear on my dash) and I just coast to a stop, I wait a couple minutes and cycle the key every few seconds or minute till I see the cel/sel and I start the truck right up and take off again.

I’ve taken this truck to stoops Freightliner and spent a couple thousand in diagnostic time and on drive time and they’ve let to findanything. Here are all the things I’ve fixed or replaced or checked or tried. The worst part about any of this is that it’s not storing any codes before or after the shutdown.
Swapped ECM’s with a known working truck ecm off exact set up,
Cleaned all of the connections for the ECM’s and sensors I’ve replaced,
Changed out the Cam Sensor,
Changed out the Crank Sensor,
Changed out all the batteries for new ones,
Changed out barometric pressure sensor that runs EGR,
Cleaned grounds and replacedterminals for many of the grounds,
Replaced the ignition relays infront of passenger seat under dash, checked for power at ecm in all 4 pins tht have 12v from battery all the time.

My local shop has spent two days tracing wires and connections and we are at a stand still. Any help is good help, call or text me(Tyler) 7658943009 or reply here. If you fix my truck I’ll make it right with you no matter where you’re at.

 

[GAnthony]

I have a 2007 Freightliner Columbia with a 60 series with a auto trans/with clutch. I’m a farmer and this is my semi I use to haul all of my gain from field to farm and farm to grain elevator. I’m not a master technician by any means but I’ve been doing a lot of my own tech work on farm equipment for 10 years after finishing an Agricultural Technology Mechanics school and I have basic to moderate diagnostic skills inelectrical work.

My problems all started on my first load of grain this September when the truck would stall out(cel/sel came on briefly, lost throttle for 1-2 seconds) and then the throttle came back and lights shut off like nothing ever happened. Then a couple of weeks later the problem started evolving or getting worse or I have another problem. Going down the road the truck loses all power(gauges all go to 7 o’clock then sweep clockwise and back and engine shuts down and no sel/cel or any lights appear on my dash) and I just coast to a stop, I wait a couple minutes and cycle the key every few seconds or minute till I see the cel/sel and I start the truck right up and take off again.

I’ve taken this truck to stoops Freightliner and spent a couple thousand in diagnostic time and on drive time and they’ve let to findanything. Here are all the things I’ve fixed or replaced or checked or tried. The worst part about any of this is that it’s not storing any codes before or after the shutdown.
Swapped ECM’s with a known working truck ecm off exact set up,
Cleaned all of the connections for the ECM’s and sensors I’ve replaced,
Changed out the Cam Sensor,
Changed out the Crank Sensor,
Changed out all the batteries for new ones,
Changed out barometric pressure sensor that runs EGR,
Cleaned grounds and replacedterminals for many of the grounds,
Replaced the ignition relays infront of passenger seat under dash, checked for power at ecm in all 4 pins tht have 12v from battery all the time.

My local shop has spent two days tracing wires and connections and we are at a stand still. Any help is good help, call or text me(Tyler) 7658943009 or reply here. If you fix my truck I’ll make it right with you no matter where you’re at.

@r3gulator3

is the resident driver/mechanic, give him some time, to answer his doorbell..

 

[Farmboy135]

@r3gulator3

is the resident driver/mechanic, give him some time, to answer his doorbell..

What do you mean?

 

[GAnthony]

What do you mean?

uh....that he is a former truck mechanic, and now he is a driver, and he will be here when he gets here, as i called him......

 

[r3gulator3]

How bout the actual ignition switch? Has that been replaced? The reason you aren’t storing any codes is because the ECM is losing power. And in the manner your describing with everything you have done and replaced that I read above. It’s only one of a couple things.

1 Ignition switch.

2 Yielded power or ground wire terminal at the ecm, most likely ignition source power since it’s not logging codes.

And if you find it was the actual ignition switch. I’d be arguing with your Freightliner dealer about paying that bill since ya been on a goose chase up to that point.

 

[r3gulator3]

Footnote: with a yielded terminal you will always see 12v but what happens is the pin tension isn’t strong enough and the wire vibrates and it loses connection to the pin it’s trying to provide power to.

 

[Farmboy135]

Footnote: with a yielded terminal you will always see 12v but what happens is the pin tension isn’t strong enough and the wire vibrates and it loses connection to the pin it’s trying to provide power to.

Thank you so much, I’ve got a key switch coming, I won’t know until I drive it and haul a couple of loads.

 

[Farmboy135]

How bout the actual ignition switch? Has that been replaced? The reason you aren’t storing any codes is because the ECM is losing power. And in the manner your describing with everything you have done and replaced that I read above. It’s only one of a couple things.

1 Ignition switch.

2 Yielded power or ground wire terminal at the ecm, most likely ignition source power since it’s not logging codes.

And if you find it was the actual ignition switch. I’d be arguing with your Freightliner dealer about paying that bill since ya been on a goose chase up to that point.

Update: it wasn’t the ignition switch

 

[ironpony]

Id chase down and inspect all the grounds at this point, and inspect the wiring to the ECM data port st this point.

 

[Mike]

Id chase down and inspect all the grounds at this point, and inspect the wiring to the ECM data port st this point.

Another thing to look very closely for under the dash is for water leaks. With so many problems, there is a chance of corrosion to some wires and/or modules.

 

[r3gulator3]

Update: it wasn’t the ignition switch

Probably a yielded terminal at the ignition source power to the ecm. Since you’ve listed you have cleaned and tightened all grounds.

 

[mndriver]

I'd bet it's the ecm to firewall wiring harness.

 

[Farmboy135]

I'd bet it's the ecm to firewall wiring harness.



[/QUOTE

I’ll look into it

 

[Rigjockey]

Probably a wiring problem. being as you are on the farm
Mice for some reason like to chew on wires.
It is an interesting phenomenon.

 

[Farmboy135]

So we figured it out, I knew it had to be in the wiring sense I’ve tried all the different smaller fixes. So I took off the ECM harness that connects to the ECM, starter, fire wall, transmission and a couple other things. Took me about 2-3 hours to remove and I tested resistance the ignition wire that comes from the factory power wire splice job about 1 foot from the ECM and goes to the round plug on the firewall for the key switch. Found lots of resistance and when I pulled back the rubber seal on the factory crimp, the ignition wire was hanging on by one single strand of wire surrounded by lots of corrosion. That would explain it shutting down and not throwing a code because it thought I was shutting key off and when it would die and then eventually the CEL/SEL would flash back on were happening when the ignition relay reset from getting to hot from to much resistance.

 

[GAnthony]

So we figured it out, I knew it had to be in the wiring sense I’ve tried all the different smaller fixes. So I took off the ECM harness that connects to the ECM, starter, fire wall, transmission and a couple other things. Took me about 2-3 hours to remove and I tested resistance the ignition wire that comes from the factory power wire splice job about 1 foot from the ECM and goes to the round plug on the firewall for the key switch. Found lots of resistance and when I pulled back the rubber seal on the factory crimp, the ignition wire was hanging on by one single strand of wire surrounded by lots of corrosion. That would explain it shutting down and not throwing a code because it thought I was shutting key off and when it would die and then eventually the CEL/SEL would flash back on were happening when the ignition relay reset from getting to hot from to much resistance.

splice in a repair, (use the proper connectors) then use shrink wrap tubing around it. that can be found at most automotive supply stores.

 

[Farmboy135]

There were several repair jobs from before I owned the truck when it was a Penske truck.

 

[mndriver]

So we figured it out, I knew it had to be in the wiring sense I’ve tried all the different smaller fixes. So I took off the ECM harness that connects to the ECM, starter, fire wall, transmission and a couple other things. Took me about 2-3 hours to remove and I tested resistance the ignition wire that comes from the factory power wire splice job about 1 foot from the ECM and goes to the round plug on the firewall for the key switch. Found lots of resistance and when I pulled back the rubber seal on the factory crimp, the ignition wire was hanging on by one single strand of wire surrounded by lots of corrosion. That would explain it shutting down and not throwing a code because it thought I was shutting key off and when it would die and then eventually the CEL/SEL would flash back on were happening when the ignition relay reset from getting to hot from to much resistance.

I'd bet it's the ecm to firewall wiring harness.
View attachment 46592


View attachment 46593

Same wiring harness. You'd be better off to just replace the entire harness. Mine was looking at well over a dozen repairs and still questionable on close that many more.

That was from my '07 century back in 2013.

 

[Farmboy135]

I replaced the whole harness, I don’t have time for repairs when we are farming.