sorry if this is an 'old' problem, but i am new....here. 99 5.2L D with 9 month old battery and no problems starting. shut engine, ran into 7-11, came back out, turned key & there was a 'sound', kinda like 'bad battery connection'. symptoms appeared very much like a bad connection-for the most part. no start, clicking from starter, BUT interior lights were pretty dim. playing with terminals on battery got lights to brighten, dim, etc, but still nothing or click-click-click of starter when turning key. then from time to time a click-click-click behind glove box. somebody gave me a jump, truck started as if battery was DEAD-DEAD, even required feathering of gas pedal to keep it running, after a few minutes, idle was fine, jumper left, i put truck into gear & it immediately stalled. much cursing & kicking, same scenario as before-clicking glove box, clicking or nothing from starter & light brightness changing intensity. another passerby offered a jump, same thing happened-stalled when put in gear, then another jump start, and i raced home running all stop signs, red lights, etc, pulled into driveway & truck idled fine. volt guage in truck showed normal, all accessories on dropped voltage, revved engine & voltage increased, etc, let truck idle for 30 minutes, shut it off, & POOF. SAME THING. another jump got it to run & it repeated everything previous. i hadn't yet found THIS forum last night, but others suggested 'bad battery', so this morning i took it back to where i bought it, he tested it with handheld device, it showed 12.7 volts/GOODbut 'replace' under CCA heading. they gave me a new one, i installed it, truck started irght up-with no idle. 5 or 6 times before i could feather it to stay running & it has been running for an hour now. i shut it off & it started right up, & though it seemed to want to stall when i let go of the pedal, it stayed running.
now, my question is-IS THERE STILL A PROBLEM? & if so, WHAT? other suggestions besides bad battery were so obscure, i can't even find an auto parts store that has or even has heard of some of these parts-not that i am normally a 'parts changer'. terminal ends are all good, including on starter & ground to engine. what about alternator? 120k plus miles & probably more then its share of 'charging' duties. any way to 'test' alternator on a holiday weekend before the local auto parts closes at 3PM, besides 'just changing it'? any other suggestions?

 

I would have the alternator tested.

 

Your battery situation can be the cause of alot of differant problems although usually changing the battery fixes most. What brand of battery are you using? If the first one died in 9 months it may not be the best battery to be using. My suggestion would be to go buy an Interstate Battery. Part number MTP-27. Great battery and you should have no problems. If problems still persist you might want to unhook battery and just leave it unhooked for a while then hook back up and let the PCM "reread" whats going on. Just my two cents.

 

Classic dead-battery symptoms.

With a known good battery, reset the PCM and it should be fine.

Take the Neg battery terminal OFF. Turn key on as if trying to start the D and HOLD the key in the starting position for 5-10 seconds. Release key. Repeat starting attempt sequence 5 more times. Reconnect battery terminal.

IndyD

 

I had the same problem with my 2000 Dakota. Evidently when the battery goes bad it generates error codes in the PCM. Normally the error codes are cleared when the battery is disconnected. But not on the Dakota!!! I have the Haynes Manual and it specifically says: "Do not disconnect the battery from the vehicle in an attempt to clear the codes". The manual says to use a code anyalzer / scanner to clear the codes.

HOWEVER ....

I found another internet article that stated to clear the codes you can disconnect the battery and attempt to start the vehicle 5 times in a row and to keep the key in the "Start" position for 5-10 seconds each time. This didn't make sense to me, how could you communicate with the PCM if the battery is disconnected. But I did this step anyway. After I hooked up the battery I repeated this process but I only turned the key to the "Run" Position and left in the run position for 5-10 seconds and repeated this process another 5 times. I also said 3 "Hail Mary's" and 2 "Our Father's" just to make sure.

After all of that, the Dakota started right up and ran without any more problems.

 

Sounds like a bad alternator to me, or at least a weak one. When the battery voltage drops too low the PCM stalls the engine, keeping it revved will make the alternator put out a little more voltage to keep things running. This is just how all dodge trucks are, it's not a defect. If the battery is drained enough to stall the engine, it will still crank and restart it a few times, sounds like what your new charged battery did for you. I believe autozone or advance does free eletrical and charing system testing, I'd get that checked out for sure.

 

Steve, the reason for doing the key thing is to drain off any residual power that is left in the electrical system. Any power will keep the error codes in the pcm. Draining the power effectively erases the codes. The scanner/odb ii tool does the same thing. The downside is you have to reprogram all your radio stations when you take disconnect the battery.

 

It sounds like you had a CLASSIC bad connection or bad battery issue.

If you would have opened the hood the (starter) clicking noise you heard was actually the relay in the PDC powering up and trying to engage the starter, but without proper amp's (because of a bad connection or bad battery cell) the starter would not engage. When a cell goes bad in a battery it can still register 12.7 volts on the posts, however when tested under LOAD they fail. The only proper way to test a battery is with a load tester and also a volt tester.

Next thing to tackle. The multiple clicking you heard coming from the glove box was actually the CTM as that is where it is located (behind the glove box). Because you had low voltage or amps the circuit boards inside where making the clicking sounds you were hearing. Again, further classic conditions that happen under a bad connection.

Next, the diming lights, again, further classic conditions that happen under a bad connection.

In my eyes, this issue is SCREAMING a bad connection/battery!

Computersteve<-------- Don't beleive everything you read. If you disconnect the neg battery post and drain the system of all the energy the PCM has no choice but to reset. This will not hurt the system if done correctly. The only thing to steer clear of, you don't want to arch the connections. There are many ways of clearing the PCM. I've seen sooooooo many ways but it all points back to the same process, draining the PCM. BUt you need to also let the PCM re-log information back into the PCM during a reset.

Here is one I did: https://dodgeforum.com/forum/1st-gen...ine-light.html

Quote:

To reset your engine codes:
Remove the negative terminal of your battery (10mm wrench).
Turn your ignition key to START and hold it there for about 15 seconds.
Turn your ignition key to OFF and remove it.
Connect the negative terminal of your battery.
Start but do not hit the throttle. Idle for about 10/15 seconds then turn off.
Restart the truck and drive as usual. It will take at least 12 starts and 48 miles to fully retune the computer. Hard Codes leave a shaddow for 40 full cold starts.

 

hydra, this thread is almost 3 years old . . .

and i agree, the haynes manual is wrong in this respect, if you disconnect the battery the system will drain (even w/o you doing anything, itwill just take a long time on its own) and that will always reset the pcm, the memory in the pcm is similar the ram in your computer, w/o a voltage the data is not maintained

 

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You expect me to look wayyyyyyyy ^^^^^^^^^ there?


Oh well, regardless that information will help someone in the future.