I have a 99 durango v8 5.2L, and she doesn't start all the time. It gets worse when there's a cold front. We took the starter out, took it to Autozone and checked that and the alternator. The starter is fine and kicked on with no problem. The alternator is better than fine, and the battery was bad(just bought the battery from Walmart 6 months ago), so we go to Walmart, replace it with this battery that they say is the right one, but doesn't even fit in the battery holder. So battery runs great now, and we move on to fuses. Checked all fuses under the hood and inside the dash, everything's fine. So what now? Do you think it's a connection somewhere, maybe a short?

 

When you say it doesn't start, what does actually happen? Does it crank and just not run, or do you turn the key and just get nothing?

There are several types of "won't start", and they each point to very different problems.

 

ooo! I forgot to put that! We turn the key, th efuel pump kicks on, then turn the key to start the car, and get a click.

 

Check connections on starter and the starter relay in the relay box under hood.

 

Also did you take the starter in when the truck was acting up and not starting? You said yourself it starts but not all the time so it still could be your starter.

Could just be a bad case of the problem going away and nothing wrong when it's time to get it looked at.

 

Also check the battery connections. Especially with top post batteries, I've seen many times where a loose connector would pass enough juice to run interior lights, radio, etc., but when you turn the key to "start" you get one click then nothing. (And while you're at it, you might as well check the other ends of the battery cables, too.)

 

First ensure you have REALLY clean and tight connections. Try to crank it.


Next open the PDC (main fuse box drivers side under the hood) and swap out the starter relay with one of the same number (like one for the horn). Try to crank it. If everything works out replace the relay.

If it still doesn't work then replace the starter. You can test what is going on by having someone help you. You place a multi-meter on the battery posts and test for DC voltage across the battery. Should be about 12.6 volts. Now have someone try to crank the motor and watch the voltage drop. If it only drops slightly then replace the starter or check the connections. If you see a significant load drop (like 11.4 volts) replace the starter.

Come back and tell us your results.

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/1st-gen...-and-5-2l.html
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/1st-gen...ng-relays.html
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/1st-gen...acting-up.html

 

Thanks so much everyone. Hydrashocker, I was waiting for you. I've been reading your replies for months on posts like these, and have tried everything you've suggested to other people. Thanks for responding.
WhiteWidow, we took the starter out when we took it to Autozone. They hooked it up, and it cranked right up. Tomorrow, we'll get out there and check all the connections real well, and we have a friend with a multi-meter, and will try swapping the relay out. Again, thanks, and I'll let you know how it goes.

 

ok, we swapped the relay for a new one and took it for a drive and it ran completely normal for an entire day. With the new one in, we let it sit over night. The next morning, hubby tries to start it and gets a click on a couple key turns, then he gets a couple "wir" sounds, like it's tryingto turn over, then finally does after a few tries. Now, when we turn the key and let the fuel pump come on, we are having to wait for the amps in the battery to go up before we can crank it. It's almost as if something's draining the battery at night. Turn the key, and it's at about 10 and won't turn over, so we wait unitl it gets to about 12, and then it will give us the "wir", "wir" a couple times, and then she'll start. Next, we're checking the connections.

 

Im tired so im probaly not comprahending everything 100% so bear with me haha, to me it sounds like you have a week and or old battery, I wouldnt necissarily say walmart's battery's are top of the line soo...

Take a trip down to les schwab and grab yourself one of there battery's from the back of the shelf, if you have a 4.7, get yourself their 'extreme' version, pop her in and see if it solves your problem, good luck.