Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) fuel shut off solenoid issues..???

[Hootguy]

I have been having issues with the truck shutting down while driving the last 2 days,,it will start ok,,but while i'm driving along the truck dies,,,as i pull over the side of the road,,,it will restart and go for a short distance then do it again,,i checked the solenoid itself,,,put a new boot on it last year,,,it's clean inside,,,the top of it is cracked but it's been like that for years,,,i ordered a new relay from Dodge,,i should have it today and will see if it fixes the problem,,,but after some searching of forum archives i see a lot of people say the hold portion of the solenoid may be controled by something other than the relay... if anyone has some ideas i would like to hear your fixes,,,

I'm thinking of trying to find a manual conversion kit of somekind,,

Thanks for any help.

 

[KRStone]

I believe (and hopefully someone with knowledge will show up here) that once the solenoid is up, it stays up. I don't think the solenoid is your problem. If it stops working you can manually lift it into the up position, however it won't slide back down.



KRS

 

[Hootguy]

i allready unhooked it from the pump,,,and use it manually,,but what a pain it is,,,
The solenoid has 2 positions,,pull and hold,,,
I just got a new relay pack from dodge,,if it can stop raining i'll try it out,,
Hopefully i can find a manual conversion kit and get rid of this electrical stuff.

 

[hsmith]

Make sure the small blue wire at the + terminal of drivers side battery is not broken. TAKE IT COMPLETELY OFF and exmanine it closely at the crimp.

 

[MLee]

relay

Make sure the small blue wire at the + terminal of drivers side battery is not broken. TAKE IT COMPLETELY OFF and exmanine it closely at the crimp.

What he says, and make sure the contact to the terminal is clean and apply a little Dielectic grease to help the matting surfaces. I did this and its amazing how well it works now.

Clean the battery terminals every SIX months, and all connections well. We just don't do this, its like "out of sight of of mind. "

 

[Missouri Mule]

Hooter69, the hold up coill is powered by the ignition switch.



Having stated that I do not believe your fuel shut off solenoid is the problem ( the shut off solenoid is definetely not your problem. The relay is used for the "pull up" side of solenoid. )



I believe your problem is the "engine speed sensor(crank seed sensor)" connector. This connector if it becomes dirty or has loose or bent pins in it can cause the engine to stall but easily restarts. ( I have read about two members who had this problem many TDR issues/years ago and a few times on the site).



The connector is located in front of the engine near the top radiator hose. Check for loose or bent pins and spray down with electrical contact cleaner ( I would use the lubricatting one then one that will dry the connector out. )

 

[Hootguy]

I will try the relay first,,and also clean the blue wire contact as well as check the crank sensor wire connector.
Hopefully this is an easy fix,,
Could i power the hold up coil independently with a 12V toggle switch,,as a backup system??

 

[Missouri Mule]

Yes but 1 make sure you have no other power going to the solenoid and 2 that it has a fuse.



There is always the possibility there is a loose connection,broken wire in the igntion system ,the igniton switch is going bad or the solenoid is ready to bite the dust.



When you turn your ignition to "start" that turns on the starter relay which sends power to the starter solenoid and turns on the fuel shut off relay which powers the pull up coil of the fuel shut off solenoid.

Once you release the key from the start postion the relay is no longer a factor the ignition switch powers the hold up coil of the fuel shut off solenoid.



The symptoms you are having point to the engine speed sensor connector.



By the way you can get a lot of things from Geno's Garage instead of going thru Dodge,Cummins or part stores. Dodge Cummins Diesel Truck Accessories - Geno's Garage

 

[Hootguy]

well,,replaced the relay pack with a new OEM one,,cleaned the wire connections at the battery,,checked the crank sensor plug and all was perfectly clean,,,,took the truck for a few short drives,,,and it doesn't seem to stop anymore,,the relays were the original from 96 so they were probably due anyways,,hope it stay fixxed,,,
So what exactly would i have to do to put a backup 12v switch to power the hold position,,other than being carefull not to have the switch on before shutting down the truck,,,is there anything else to watch out for.

 

[Missouri Mule]

Just an alternative power source wiht a fuse inline but your lookiing at problems if you have two power sources trying to power up the hold coil on the solenoid at the same time.

Its easier just to tie the rod in the up position or do a the manual cable.



Even if the connector looks clean it could be tarnished and using the contact cleaner will take care of that. ( My back-up switch connector looked clean too. I sprayed it down and the switch started to work again which reminds me I have to find time to do it again. )

 

[Hootguy]

Well,,i got the new relay packs instaled,,took the truck for a few short rides and all was good,,then yesterday took the truck for a long 3 hour drive with no issues,,then on the way back after about an hour of highway running,,the truck died again on the offramp,,,so i opened the hood,,removed the solenoid again and wiretied the fuel lever on to make it home again without the truck stalling in a bad spot,,,anybody have any idea what else i should try???or should i just do like a lot of guys have said and replce it all with a manual cable,,,
Thanks

 

[Hootguy]

well,,after a lot of checking and rechecking,,i'm thinking i need a sshut off solenoid itself,,i think the hold coil side is bad and letting go when it gets hot,,,i know it gets really hot when i had to take it off at the side of the road to get myself home,,,
I'm thinking of getting one from Larry B,,,anyone know if his are as good as the original???,,,i dont want to put on a cheap china knockoff and have troubles down the road,,,
Thanks for the input.

 

[Missouri Mule]

Hooter69, if solenoid was hot I would agree with you it mite be going out. I haven't touched mine after it has been running for a while so I don't know how hot or cool it should be.

You can check the ignition switch connector make sure no loose wires/terminals it is on the steering column if no recalls have been done on it. ( I had one of the recalls done on mine and they moved the connector off of the column. )



You don't kneed to take the fuel shut off solenoid off just tie the rod in an up position.

 

[Hootguy]

there seems to be an awfull lot of spring tension on that plunger,,,it would need some pretty strong ties to hold it up wouldn;'t it??
The more i think about it,,the more i'd like to have added sense of security from a manual converstion if someone had a nice kit for it,,you can always count on the old manual way. .
I think i will still buy a solenoid from Larry B,,,,if it's good,,they're cheap enough,,

 

[Rich M-37]

Hooter69,

I have had good luck with Larry B,s. He was a help with my starter contacts, and soleniod boot. Could there still be some rubber trash from the old boot in the soleniod? The other obscure thing could be the steering column, broken wires if you are a person who uses the tilt steering all the time.

Rich M-37

 

[ttbird]

Here's a manual cable solution that cheap and works good. https://www.turbodieselregister.com...5671-ez-fuel-shutoff-solenoid-eliminator.html

 

[Hootguy]

my solenoid was clean inside,,had a new boot on it last year,,,it had been acting up for 2 years now,,sometimes having to lift it up manualy to start the truck,,maybe it was just time for a new one,,i have started to make a manual conversion,,but will still buy a new solenoid anyway,,

 

[Missouri Mule]

Hooter69,should be able to do search for "fuel shut off* solenoid cable" there was a thread on them not to long ago.



When I have been playing around with my fuel shut off solenoid rod (over the years) it moves upward by hand easily(I usually have the key turned to "run" so it stays in the up position.

When it is dirty the rod sometimes stays in the up positions when I turned off the engine. I just spray it down with wd-40 after I manually pull it down. ( Hasn't stuck in the up postion for many years)

 

[Drhank2]

I have a 1996. Replaced the shut off solenoid, but found that the blue fuseable link was burned and broken. Replaced link with an inline fuse, but have no power going to hold up or pull up on the solenoid. Anyone know if the circuit coming from the ignition has an inline fuse, and if so where is it located.

Thanks

 

[KRStone]

I have a 1996. Replaced the shut off solenoid, but found that the blue fuseable link was burned and broken. Replaced link with an inline fuse, but have no power going to hold up or pull up on the solenoid. Anyone know if the circuit coming from the ignition has an inline fuse, and if so where is it located.

Thanks

The circuit is triggered and the power goes through a relay, on the firewall.