01 Ram won't start, need help!

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MVRCorp

MVRCorp

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I have an 01 ram pickup truck with a 5.9 L engine. I bought it in May and it's always run great. Recently I've noticed that when I started up cold it idles at lower rpm than it used to. Today it was about 0° outside at all it does is crank. It spits once or twice per revolution like it's trying to fire up. I pulled a spark plug and it is wet with gasoline. The spark plugs are Bosch platinum 2 and the coil is an MSD coil. I hooked a power timing light up to the coil wire and it appears to be flashing fine. Any ideas on how to troubleshoot this? The code reader is showing no code errors.

Jim
 
i would start with fresh plugs . can u put it in a garage? or build a tent with a tarp and get space heater to it ? make sure u have spark .
 
Cranks won't start w no codes is usually an engine position sensor. Might wanna ohm that rascall out.
 
funwithfuel said:
Cranks won't start w no codes is usually an engine position sensor. Might wanna ohm that rascall out.
Click to expand...

Good stuff, more info. Where's it located and what's a good reading.
 
Had the same problem with my 97 ram with the 5.9 liter in it. Ran just fine one day would not start the next, crank positioning sensor was bad. It is located behind the passenger side head in the top of the bell housing, has a wire that plugs into the harness. It's a little tuff to get at so take your time and don't go crazy trying to get it out. Got a new one from Auto Zone was about $45.00 compared to the dealer price of $89.00 it has been 3 years now and still running fine.
 
Tried a new cap and rotor, no go. I don't want to just start replacing stuff, does anyone know how to test the crank sensor?
 
66 Cuda is correct - the CPS is kinda a bugger to get to. At that point, and with the age of the truck, you might just want to replace it so you're not digging in there again anytime soon.

If you do want to test it, I think you'll need a multimeter so you can test the input voltage from the PCM as well as the return signal. You should be getting 5v from the PCM, but you'll need the FSM to tell you what the proper return signal from the sensor should be. But others on here might know more about that than me. It's possible it's just fouled by oil, too, or has been physically damaged. I think the 5.9 PCM should throw a code for a bad CPS, though. I guess it's possible it's not yet out of acceptable 'range', but still faulty enough to keep it from starting.

I couldn't get to mine from above - I had to take off the plastic inner wheel fender to get to mine.

Edit: full disclosure, I did mine on a 00' Dakota, but I believe in this regard they are pretty similar.
 
I had a similar prob with mine last year(2000 5.9l) It turned out my idle air motor on the back of the throttle body was going bad. I placed just enough pressure to slightly open the blades and it would run. I had to keep my foot in the pedal all the way home to keep her from dying...but it got me home. It didn't throw a code for that failure...brilliant!
 
I hate just replacing parts but I guess the crank sensor doesn't throw a code when bad. Kinda hard to believe. I pulled the trigger and threw down $55.00 for a sensor so I'll try installing it tomorrow while the weather holds. After researching the process I guess I have to pull the Rt. front tire, remove the splash guard and and spend some time busting my knuckles using a 13mm wrench.
Any other advice other then buying beer?
 
You can get the job done by removing the air cleaner and working from the top. Just take your time, you will be able to feel the bolt and get a wrench or swivel socket in there to get it out and then re-install it. That's how I did mine the Ram has a little more room between the fire wall and the motor than the Dakota has.
Bob
 
Got it done and no go. It sounds like it wants to start but just doesn't "catch". Very frickin frustrating. I'm broke and another $55.00 down the drain sucks. I guess I'll give it a quick shot of ether in the morning and see if I can get a short run out of it. If so I'll take a close look at the fuel system.
 
check spark,check fuel pressure,and compression. check using ignition wire off and long screw driver for spark. remove cap off fuel rail at injectors to check if there is fuel pressure. take spark plug no 1 out and crank with finger over spark plug hole for compression. One of these items is not operating. If no spark and fuel, check to make sure vehicle is not stuck in immobil state via the alarm remote.

Ian
 
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