Ok, so I changed my oil like always, I start up the truck and pull it forward so I can wash it. I leave the truck running while I get ready to wash it. It probably ran for 10 min. and ran fine. I turn it off and wash the truck. Then I remember i never put boot grease on the new plugs when I changed those out awhile back. So I apply boot grease to all plugs one at a time. Including the ignition coil.

Then I go to start it and the idle starts racing, so I shut it off. Waited and started it again, same thing so I shut it off. I checked to make sure all the boots were on good, and everything checked out. Then I tried starting it and it ran for a few seconds then died. Tried starting it and wouldn't start. Just turned over.

So I let it sit over night and this morning I double checked the firing order, and everything is right. I start it and it ran for maybe 5 seconds and died. Tried starting it and nothing, it just turns over.

I took the ignition coil to auto zone and it tested fine.

There is fuel on the plugs and it's getting spark.
My buddy said it shocked him good when we were looking for spark. Is that normal? Could the wire be bad or something? I didn't think you should get shocked that bad by holding onto the boot. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! Oh yeah, it's a 93 Dakota with the magnum 3.9 V-6.

And I just remembered, when it's turning over, the tach is jumping around.

 

You can get shocked from the wires and boots but that I would think normally means you have small cracks in your boots. Try getting someone to start the truck at night and watch under the hood for sparks (in complete darkness). The wife's car was like a lightening storm shooting all over the block from the boots when I checked it out at night.

As for the tack jumping around, thats a new one to me. What is your fuel pressure? You can have pressure but not enough. Did you put the distributor cap back on right and not 180 degrees off?

Is there a check engine light or codes present?

 

The thing is I never touched the dizzy, and I checked to make sure wires were in the correct order on the plugs. I'm getting a code 45, and 21 which makes no sense to me either. 45 is transmission overdrive solenoid circuit short or open condition detected, but it's a 5 speed (does that make sense?), and the code 21 is o2 sensor not detecting rich or lean conditions. I think that those don't have anything to do with my problem, and I never got a CEL, those are just codes that are showing up when I check.

Some of the boots were on the plugs pretty good, and i had to pull hard to get them off, but i pulled on the boot, not the wire. And even if one of them came loose or something the truck would still stay running (maybe not well) I would think. It wouldn't just not start. I'm running out of Ideas. I might just replace the cap, rotor, and wires. I read the jumping tach has do do with miss-fires. I hope my dizzy isn't shot too.

 

put your pedel half way down and see if it starts. it kinda sounds like maybe the iac is sticking. myne does this once in a while due to the iac but it aint broke all the way yet so i haven't done anything wit it.

 

Ok, so it actually started for me just now. The idle was pretty high, then leveled out to normal. I drove it around my driveway for a while and I could tell something wasn't quite right. Anybody else driving my truck might not even notice, but there is something wrong. The idle is way to high when I'm stopped just idling. Then seems fine when you put it in gear and drive it. I came home and checked the CEL, and I'm now getting code 51-fuel system lean. So along with the code 21-o2 sensor, I'm guessing that it could be the o2 sensor?? I'm going to search more, but if anyone has anything that could help me, I'm all ears! Thank you. I need my truck reliably drivable, like it was before lol.

update (looks like i forgot to finalize posting earlier^^^ lol):

I went out and pulled the o2 sensor, and it was DIRTY! I shook out a bunch of carbon. put it back in and the truck is running fine. So looks like i'm driving it to the parts store to get an o2 sensor... I'll be back on here if I end up with the problem again lol

edit: Well o2 sensor replaced, and it's running a lot better than it was, but something is still not right. I'm getting little stutters, and I went to the grocery store, when I came out and started it, the idle raced up to like 2500 rpms! wtf?

 

If your holding the plug wire wrong and it is easier for it to ground out through you to ground it will shock you. It is a perfectly normal mistake.