tishmael

Hey guys, I bought my first DC last year, so I'm still kind of new to them and I need some help.<br><br>I have been having a lot of trouble with the APPS on my truck. While driving, the truck goes to idle. If I pump the accelerator a few times, it will work again. I checked the plug on the APPS and it seems to be fine. I have a service manual which says the voltage at the plug with the ignition switch on should be about 5, but I'm only getting about 4 when I check it. A new APPS at the dealer here is $440.<br><br>So, my question is have many of you guys had trouble with the APPS? If so, do you know of a dealer that has better prices? Is there a salvage yard anywhere that would have this part, or should I stay away from salvage yards for this type of part.<br><br>Thanks in advance.<br>Terry

rich

i had the same problem on my 98. I took it off and cleaned the plug and it seems to be fine now. i priced one here a while back and it was less then 200 for mine i believe you might want to double check. is it not covered under the 100k warranty?

tishmael

You may have the TPS instead of the APPS on your 98. The APPS on mine is totally inclosed so it can't be taken apart and you're buying the whole thing - metal housing, throttle arm, and the APPS somewhere inside. It would have been covered under the 3/36,000 warranty, but mine has 80,000 miles. It is not covered under the Cummins warranty because it is made by Dodge and not Cummins. I checked the warranty book that came with the truck and it lists what is covered by Cummins. Cummins basically just covers the engine itself and not much attached to it.<br><br>I found an earlier thread about recalibrating the APPS, so I'm going to try that and put some electrical contact grease on the plug, but I don't expect it to help. I think there is some wear inside the APPS.

rich

mines got all the metal i just tookm the black cover off and started undoing bolts until it was all apart

tishmael

Well, I called several dealers and they all wanted the same price for the APPS, which was $440. Mine was getting worse, so I broke down and bought one. :'( The first thing I noticed about the new part was that behind all the bell crank and bracket, there was the actual sensor which wasn't very big and was held on by two screws. I asked the parts guy why I couldn't just buy the sensor since it will come off. He said the whole thing is sold because it is calibrated at the factory. The new APPS seemed to cure the problem. The old sensor had a burnt smell to it.<br><br>I'm going to try and contact Mopar. Why would an engineer in his right mind design something to make you pay $440 for a $30 sensor? If they're so worried about the calibration, then why can't they teach their dealer mechanics to install just the sensor?<br><br>I'm sorry to ramble on like this, but I'm a Registered Professional Engineer and it makes me mad to see other engineers design something like this. &gt; An engineers goal is supposed to be to design the best possible product for the least cost. They sure didn't do that on this part.

navark

Hey, I have the APPS sensor problem too, and I can't seem to locate the sensor for the life of me! [undecided] Can you tell me where it is, or send a pic through, or something please? I took apart the plastic box that houses the cables from the accelerator peddle and the cruise control cable, but found no sensor... Thanks!<br><br>2001 Ram Automatic

slayerfish

Ive had trouble with my 99 off &amp;on since december-tried cleaning all plugs,nada.Tried recal on APPS,nada.Did the flash for 50 bucks,WALLA!!Its been working for 2000mi. so far.I have a friend who can get me a APPS for 290 bucks so Im gonna get one.An engineer at Chrysler said its just a matter of time till the APPS goes- Get this- they wanted my VIN# SO THEY CAN TRACK THIS PROBLEM- Maybe a RECALL? Keep your fingers crossed....

GrandpasRam

The engineers do try to design the best, however, they must also do what they are told by marketing and management - the people who make the decisions to turn a $30 part into a $400 replacement, then years later (after driving revenues up) end up having to issue a recall (wiping out the increased revenues with increased liability). The bean counters who come up with these ideas should be the ones who pay back all the people they s*****d.

tx_redneck81

MINE DID THE SAME EXACT THING YESTERDAY I PUMPED THE PEDAL A COUPLE OF TIMES AND IT CAME BACK BUT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK IT TO DODGE AND IT WAS $592.00 INCLUDING INSTALLATION. YOU CAN TRY TO CLEAN THE CONNECTION BUT BEST TO GET IT REPLACED WITH A NEW ONE BECAUSE IT SUCKS IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC WHEN YOU HAVE NO GO OUT OF YOUR TRUCK. JUST MY 2 CENTS. JOHN

RickCJ

Guys you need to check the APPS voltage these can be adjusted and reset if they are out of adjustment. If the voltage is smooth no jumping around up and down and between .5 idle - 4.0 volts wot. You can reset them.

navark

How do you reset the voltage on these?

slayerfish

As i understand it,the prob. with the APPS isnt just the wrong voltage,its electrical noise.I put an oscilloscope on the output of the APPS and it looked like a sine wave sometimes-other times the voltage would drop for no reason-just enough to make the computer unlock the TCC-NO AMOUNT OF ADJUSTING WILL FIX THIS.My 2 cents worth.

AlpineRAM

I had the problem that on my APPS line on the PCM there was electrical noise- simple filter made of 2 capacitors and 1 coil fixed this. (Just had TC-lock unlock and sometimes OD problems, engine stayed responsive)<br>I measured the APPS itself, the change of resistance was smooth. I think that the noise comes from either induction by other cables in the loom or from the supply to the low voltage sensor circuitry. <br><br>HTH<br><br>AlpineRAM

Skipperl76

ShaaZaam...Sounds like me and Jdeereboy's prob.
I deal with Noise induction in my proffession... we have what we call EMI beads.... this is a tubular shape donut...magnet if you will, that almost totally eliminates noise from any DC voltages.... used in telephony &amp; Data transmissions. few bucks apiece.... figure I'll check to see if its noise induction per slayerfish and AlpineRam.
Just run any powerlead thru em just before any device...
noise eliminated.......if noise is the prob and not voltage.