Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Cant Start 98 12v

[Rowingfish87]

I'll start off by saying I'm a newb at diesels in general. I know a little bit but this is my first non-gas vehichle.



On to the question. Had the truck for 2 weeks and havent had any major mechanical problems (that i didnt already know about). One day last week truck cranked really slowly and then a few hours later wouldnt crank. turrned out to be a loose battery terminal. 2 days ago I went to start the truck after it had sat for maybe an hour and all i got was "click". Tried jumping it with my jeep, didnt help. tried jumping it with my friends 95 12v w/ twin 1000cca batteries, nothing. pulled the starter this morning and got it tested, came back good. I'm going to get the batteries tested tomorrow. anything else i should look into?



also, on a side note, when my truck wouldnt crank my windows stopped working. (seems likely to be unrelated but convienient that it happened at the same time)



Thanks in advance for the help.



-Kyle.

 

[hsmith]

If the batteries check ok, has to be bad connections at the cables. Be sure to check the batteries individually.

 

[Dave M]

I would start by putting jumper cables to the starter on the ground or in the vehicle and verify it will indeed crank. Then I'd pop off the starter solenoid and check the solenoid contacts. They tend to go bad on these vehicles.



Once it's in the truck verify whether the starter will crank the truck when applying 12v to the solenoid wire (BRN) wire. Also verify the connections are good at the battery and starter.



Here is a good site for info on buying heavy duty starter contacts and how to install them.



LarryB's Dodge starting problems solved here.



After that let us know the results. The starter circuit uses a start relay in the PDC (Power Distribution Center) on the drivers side fender. The output of that relay is a BRN wire which goes to your starter solenoid. Verify the wire is good. Check for shorting against the engine or something.



The easyest way to troubleshoot is at the starter relay. I just posted on this in this thread with detailed schematics and ideas here:



https://www.turbodieselregister.com...-1994-1998/216755-hard-starting-no-start.html



I'll help more if you need it.



Dave

 

[Rowingfish87]

thanks for the tips.

I had the starter tested at o'rielly yesterday and it checked good, tested it 3 times. I have my batteries at a shop getting charged and will pick them up tomorrow and try again. I put a breaker bar on the crank and it spins fine. I will check the brown wire from the starter relay tomorrow. The starter has to be getting some kind of power because I can hear it click (starter gear popping out I assume) I will also try the jumper cables straight to the starter.

anything else i should try? (I hate electrical issues)

 

[Rowingfish87]

if my starter has worn contacts would it still test ok or would it have come back bad?

 

[budnate]

big diff testing it with no load on it on a goofy parts store tester, I would at least crack it open and look at the contacts and see what it looks like before reinstalling it.

 

[hsmith]

Agree, while it is off, at least pull the solenoid cover and inspect the plunger and contacts. Also pull the rear cover of starter and look at the brushes. If they are half worn, they need to be replaced.

 

[Rowingfish87]

already reinstalled the starter. I'll pull it back out tmrw and check the connections and brushes if it wont start with my batteries all charged up.



I'll report back in the morning.

 

[Rowingfish87]

well, I feel like an idiot. got my batteries back this morning, put them in and still no start. so I started snooping around the wires/fuses again and found my "ign/run" 30amp fuse in the pdc was blown. sure wish I had seen that 4 days ago. thanks for all the help and suggestions. at least I learned alot about the 5. 9s cranking system. haha.

 

[Dave M]

well, I feel like an idiot. got my batteries back this morning, put them in and still no start. so I started snooping around the wires/fuses again and found my "ign/run" 30amp fuse in the pdc was blown. sure wish I had seen that 4 days ago. thanks for all the help and suggestions. at least I learned alot about the 5. 9s cranking system. haha.

Don't feel bad. At least you did figure it out. That fuse supplies 12v to the starter relay in PDC and when the relay fires it outputs that 12v on the BRN wire to the starter solenoid. That voltage would have been absent when you checked it at the starter relay.

 

[Breed]

I had all kinds of starter problems until I finally got a starter with the new contacts from Larry B's I still had some "clicking" and bought the wiring kit from Larrys B's and HAVE NOT had any problems since, over two years now in the harsh weather conditions of northern Nevada. For any Dodge Starter problems, Larry B is the guy to see, he even over nighted the wiring kit because I was leaving on t long trip the next day, really good information and great solutions to my problem.