Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
Mike Ellis
TDR MEMBER
I had some problems starting my truck earlier this week, as always it would immediately crank up, but it would die immediately. I suspected the solenoid was sticking, and sure enough it would start and run OK if I manually actuated it. My TDR subscription saved me a lot of hassle and money once again.
Many thanks to GAmes and the others who have posted about this problem and the various fixes. I didn't bother to search the forum first, and trustingly approached the local Dodge dealer. Just about had a heart attack (in fact the guy said "Are you sitting down?") when they quoted me a price of more than $600 for the part
I suddenly found myself very motivated to search out alternatives :-laf :-laf and did a quick search on here. I decided to try the GAmes approach and see if I could save myself a couple of hundred bucks. I didn't put on an improvised boot, just left the spring and solenoid plunger in clear view.
On some trucks this is apparently an easy remove / install, but on my '97 there is a fiendishly stiff plastic wire loom that stretches right over the top of the solenoid making it a very difficult to get to the screws. Add in the maze of brake lines that block the approach for the right hand, and it made for a real cuss fest. Grrrrrr
When I finally got it off, it was clear why it had failed. The original rubber boot had rotted into a saggy mass with the consistency of tar, and chunks of it had been smeared onto the solenoid plunger so that the spring around it was sticking.
Although there are already many good write-ups on this repair, I found it more painful than previous posts had indicated. Accordingly I thought I would post a few comments for folks that have the same problem in the future, and hopefully save them a bit of time and aggravation:
1. Although the diagrams of the original factory bracket seem to indicate that there are nuts on the bottom side of the bracket, on mine they are captive. All you have to do to remove the solenoid is to take out the two bolts that are visible on the top surface of the actual solenoid flange. On my truck these were 5/16". Due to the wire loom and the nearby brake lines, a quarter inch socket with a long extension and a u-joint were the only way I could get in to remove them.
2. As with most stuff on the left side of the engine, setting a cinder block beside the front left wheel makes a handy and very stable step that allows you to reach things much easier.
3. Once you have the screws out, you need to remove a single retainer pin that holds the ball end of the solenoid shaft to the injection pump lever. It looks like a tiny version of the clips that are used on receiver hitch pins. If you have a pair of long needle nose pliers, it is very easy to remove it just reaching in from front of engine. The stud on the pump lever does not appear to rotate, at least it didn't on mine, so the pin was very easy to reinstall with the same needle nose pliers.
4. If your boot has rotted completely away, there is nothing holding the solenoid plunger / spring into the solenoid body. When the parts drop out your first instinct is that there must be something missing, but all is well.
5. After removing the big chunks of remaining boot, the plunger is easily cleaned with WD-40, which dissolves the sticky tar quite quickly. GAmes' recommendation of a shotgun bore brush was right on the money, a regular old bronze 12-gauge brush works great. Douse the cavity with WD-40, and scrub it with the bore brush. After you have the components free of sticky residue, wipe off the WD-40 and then use brake cleaner or similar degreaser to get the parts clean and dry. Spray with the dry film silicone and your are ready to reinstall.
6. Since the plunger and spring are not connected to the solenoid body, you can save some hassle by going ahead and mounting the plunger and spring to the injection pump lever. Without the solenoid body in the way, it is much easier to see the little shaft on the pump lever, and putting the pin in is a snap.
7. Now you can step back up onto the cinder block and install the bolts. Set the solenoid body on top of the spring and plunger, and push down until you feel the plunger enter the bore. Since it is under spring tension, holding it down long enough to get one of the bolts started was a real pain for me due to the tight space. Rather than fight the spring tension, I just ran a tie-wrap through one set of holes and cinched it down. This will keep the spring compressed and allow you to start the first bolt without fighting it. After you the first one in, cut off the tie wrap, put in 2nd bolt, replug connector and you are done. Once it is all back together, you can see the plunger and spring very clearly. Have someone start the truck, and it is gratifying indeed to see the plunger smack in with such force you can hear it.
Getting it off the truck the first time took me a couple of hours due to the wire loom in the way, dropping sockets, etc. Installing it was very easy though, less than a 15 minute job.
I was going to order another one, but seeing how easy the install / removal was, it seems like a waste. I plan to keep using this one until it gets sticky, then just repeat the remove-and-clean routine.
Might not even be necessary to remove it. An occasional squirt of brake cleaner followed by dry silicone lube might be enough to keep it clean for the long haul. The solenoid is very strong, so if you keep the spring and plunger free of major grunge it ought to operate fine for a long time. I'll try it this way and let you know how it goes.
Many thanks to GAmes and the others who have posted about this problem and the various fixes. I didn't bother to search the forum first, and trustingly approached the local Dodge dealer. Just about had a heart attack (in fact the guy said "Are you sitting down?") when they quoted me a price of more than $600 for the part
I suddenly found myself very motivated to search out alternatives :-laf :-laf and did a quick search on here. I decided to try the GAmes approach and see if I could save myself a couple of hundred bucks. I didn't put on an improvised boot, just left the spring and solenoid plunger in clear view.
On some trucks this is apparently an easy remove / install, but on my '97 there is a fiendishly stiff plastic wire loom that stretches right over the top of the solenoid making it a very difficult to get to the screws. Add in the maze of brake lines that block the approach for the right hand, and it made for a real cuss fest. Grrrrrr
When I finally got it off, it was clear why it had failed. The original rubber boot had rotted into a saggy mass with the consistency of tar, and chunks of it had been smeared onto the solenoid plunger so that the spring around it was sticking.
Although there are already many good write-ups on this repair, I found it more painful than previous posts had indicated. Accordingly I thought I would post a few comments for folks that have the same problem in the future, and hopefully save them a bit of time and aggravation:
1. Although the diagrams of the original factory bracket seem to indicate that there are nuts on the bottom side of the bracket, on mine they are captive. All you have to do to remove the solenoid is to take out the two bolts that are visible on the top surface of the actual solenoid flange. On my truck these were 5/16". Due to the wire loom and the nearby brake lines, a quarter inch socket with a long extension and a u-joint were the only way I could get in to remove them.
2. As with most stuff on the left side of the engine, setting a cinder block beside the front left wheel makes a handy and very stable step that allows you to reach things much easier.
3. Once you have the screws out, you need to remove a single retainer pin that holds the ball end of the solenoid shaft to the injection pump lever. It looks like a tiny version of the clips that are used on receiver hitch pins. If you have a pair of long needle nose pliers, it is very easy to remove it just reaching in from front of engine. The stud on the pump lever does not appear to rotate, at least it didn't on mine, so the pin was very easy to reinstall with the same needle nose pliers.
4. If your boot has rotted completely away, there is nothing holding the solenoid plunger / spring into the solenoid body. When the parts drop out your first instinct is that there must be something missing, but all is well.
5. After removing the big chunks of remaining boot, the plunger is easily cleaned with WD-40, which dissolves the sticky tar quite quickly. GAmes' recommendation of a shotgun bore brush was right on the money, a regular old bronze 12-gauge brush works great. Douse the cavity with WD-40, and scrub it with the bore brush. After you have the components free of sticky residue, wipe off the WD-40 and then use brake cleaner or similar degreaser to get the parts clean and dry. Spray with the dry film silicone and your are ready to reinstall.
6. Since the plunger and spring are not connected to the solenoid body, you can save some hassle by going ahead and mounting the plunger and spring to the injection pump lever. Without the solenoid body in the way, it is much easier to see the little shaft on the pump lever, and putting the pin in is a snap.
7. Now you can step back up onto the cinder block and install the bolts. Set the solenoid body on top of the spring and plunger, and push down until you feel the plunger enter the bore. Since it is under spring tension, holding it down long enough to get one of the bolts started was a real pain for me due to the tight space. Rather than fight the spring tension, I just ran a tie-wrap through one set of holes and cinched it down. This will keep the spring compressed and allow you to start the first bolt without fighting it. After you the first one in, cut off the tie wrap, put in 2nd bolt, replug connector and you are done. Once it is all back together, you can see the plunger and spring very clearly. Have someone start the truck, and it is gratifying indeed to see the plunger smack in with such force you can hear it.
Getting it off the truck the first time took me a couple of hours due to the wire loom in the way, dropping sockets, etc.
Installing it was very easy though, less than a 15 minute job. I was going to order another one, but seeing how easy the install / removal was, it seems like a waste. I plan to keep using this one until it gets sticky, then just repeat the remove-and-clean routine.
Might not even be necessary to remove it. An occasional squirt of brake cleaner followed by dry silicone lube might be enough to keep it clean for the long haul. The solenoid is very strong, so if you keep the spring and plunger free of major grunge it ought to operate fine for a long time. I'll try it this way and let you know how it goes.
