Misfire Codes/Auto Start/Stop Service Required

[profwhite10]

I have a 2019 Ram 1500 with a 3.6 V6. Just recently had it at the local Ram dealership for a check engine light. It was throwing codes for a misfire in cylinders 2,4,6. They had it for over a week and concluded after speaking with Dodge/Chrysler/Ram engineers that they needed to replace the up and downstream 02 sensors. After about 500miles the check engine light came back on at the same time the "Auto Start/Stop Service Required" message popped up. Has anyone else had these issues with their trucks? I have it scheduled to go back into the shop next week. Any insight is greatly appreciated...

 

[19jds76]

Coincidentally I just had something similar happen to me. I had my truck at the dealer for a state inspection and a week and a half later I am sitting in traffic and notice the "Auto Start/Stop Service Required" light illuminated on the cluster. As it turns out there are safety features tied to the Auto Start/Stop system, one of them being the hood switch. The switch is in a pretty bad spot if you live in a climate where roads are salted in the winter or if you drive a lot of dirt roads. The grit seems to collect around the "plunger" portion of the switch and prevents it from functioning properly. I took the bezel off that is over the rad support, squeezed the clips for the hood switch, lifted it up slightly and disconnected the plug at the bottom. Once I had the switch out I used an electrical contact cleaner that is safe to use on plastics, and sprayed it out real good. I put a very small amount of grease on the shaft of the plunger and worked the switch by hand a few times and it freed up nicely. I reassembled everything and have been driving it for over a week and the light has not come back on. I think this cleaning will probably have to be preformed every 2-3 years depending on your climate.

 

[19jds76]

UPDATE........ Just wanted to give an update on the hood switch issue. As I mentioned already I was able to clean mine and the messages about the auto start/stop system needing service went away. Fast forward to October, the message starts coming back. I notice that it only happens when it is over 70ish degrees outside. So its a failure that seems to be related to temp. This is fairly common with electronic components. Initially I thought well I just don't get that functionality (auto start/stop) I can still drive it without that. After sitting in traffic and watching my coolant temp climb to 231 degrees I came to the realization that when the hood switch goes into failure mode it does not allow the cooling fans to turn on. This must be a safety feature so that you can't get a finger loped off by the fan blades. If you find yourself in traffic with this same issue, you can force the fans to come on by running the A/C. Point of this post is, if your hood switch fails, change it asap to avoid bigger more expensive issues due to overheating. Side note..... I was watching the digital display between the speedo and tach to get the coolant temps. Even at 231 degrees the analog temp gauge read completely normal, no sign of there being an issue. That didn't exactly inspire confidence and makes me wonder how the analog gauge and digital readouts can be so vastly different.

 

[Macattack372]

Any other issues with Stop/start since the hood plunger replacement? I swapped mine and still having intermittent, but more frequently than not, issues.

 

[19jds76]

Any other issues with Stop/start since the hood plunger replacement? I swapped mine and still having intermittent, but more frequently than not, issues.

No, haven't had any issues since replacing the hood switch.