I have a 1997 Dpdge Ram 1500 4WD that has a mind of its own! I took to the mechanic and it cranked each time he tried. I then picked up the truck and drove it home. The very next day I went out to drive to store and the truck did not crank and has NOT cranked since. I NEED HELP! I used my last AAA tow to take to mechanic now I'm kinda of stuck having to fix nyself for I can NOT afford to tow it. SOMEONE HELP ME PLEASE!! Thank you, TODD

 

Pull a spark plug and wire, ground it to the engine and crank the truck; should see a good strong arc. Don't hold the plug wire while cranking!
Can you here the fuel pump prime when the key is on? Any check engine codes? Pull out the pre cat o2 sensor and try to start it.

 

Fuel pump is the problem,REPLACE!!!

 

To the OP, WTF does "CRANKED" mean ? It doesn't turn over? It turn's over but won't start?

 

I had my son turn key to on position and I listened for the fuel pump to turn on and it does every time. Could it still be faulty? Or should I move on to next part to check? Yes obviously it tries to crank but won't turn over. I will try to test plugs some time today and re-post results. Oh and I believe my "check engine" light was on and "GEN" light too. Thanks for your responses.

 

I checked other sites and saw some people said to check the fuel pump relay next to the ASD relay under hood in power distribution box. However, there isn't nor has ever been a fuse in that location that the diagram shows. Am I not looking in right spot or is this possible.

 

If the fuel pump is coming on then the relay is not your problem. Check for spark

 

If your check engine light is on check the codes!!! Those codes will give everyone a much better idea of what's wrong. If your GEN light is on I would assume that's an alternator not getting enough voltage or not working properly? Is the engine cranking slower than normal? If the starter doesn't push fast enough then it won't spin the engine enough to start...

 

Battery weak, bad electrical connection. Not enough current to turn engine......Check battery connections , clean and tighten. Also cahck the ground connection by power steering pump.

 

You also need to verify fuel pressure with a gauge. They can run but not pump any fuel.