I have a 1998 3.9 Ram 1500. Standard cab, no power win., no cruise control or 4 wheel drive, just your basic truck. It has about 150,000 miles on it. This truck has always started and ran well. After replacing break shoes (just mentioning this for background) the truck would die right after starting. I can keep engine running with giving it just a little more gas, and after a short time I can take my foot off the gas and it will keep idling. It won't do this every time I start it. Sometimes I can start it for a week with no problem, but sometimes it will die every time after I start it. On rare occasions, it will die as I take my foot off the gas when coming up to a stop sign. I have replaced air filter, added stabilizer to gas and then ran gas down to empty before putting in new gas. Nothing I have done seems to help. When on the highway there is no problem. Engine runs smoothly. Any ideas are appreciated.

Ron:

 

Pull the throttle body, and clean it REALLY well. (leave battery disconnected while doing so.) Make sure you pay careful attention to the IAC well. (the little feller that plugs in to the back side of the throttle body.) They like to accumulate crud, and stop working properly.

When you have it all back together, hook the battery back up, turn the key to "On", (not start) count to ten, THEN start the motor. Don't touch anything else. It should figure out base idle on its own in a few minutes.

 

Hey! Did that help your idle issue? I'm having the exact same prob with my 01....

 

Hey, Hey You. Sorry it took so long to get back to you, but I've had a full plate, and I also have a 2nd truck, so I was not in a bind. I followed your advice .... well, almost. Being the manly man that I am I decided I could probably just put in a new IAC and be done with it. So that's what I did. A few days later when I did the job the way you told me to, everything worked out just fine. Truck is running perfectly. Thanks for the help.

 

Sorry about the long wait, but I didn't get around to fixing my problem for a couple of weeks. Hey You's advice worked to a T. Just make sure you do it the way she says, clean the throttle body well.

 

Awesome.