i just bought my son a 2001 dodge dakota quad cab with a 4.7 w/ 125000 on it. this morning it ran great. i parked it for about 6 hours and now it will crank but will not start. the check engine light came on last night but it was running fine. any ideas?

the wife just called and said it started fine and is running good. now i am really confused!!??

 

Welcome to DodgeForum!

I'll move this to the 2nd Gen Dakota section for you...

 

start with the easy stuff. check the battery and ground connections. make sure they are tight and not corroded.

 

First always check the battery, I'd agree with that. Make sure it's putting out enough as well as recieving the proper voltage in return. A battery should always recieve more voltage than it is giving out, if it isn't? Your alternators bad.
If your engine cranks, and you don't hear a click or a buzzing sound, your starter is dead. If you do or even don't, you can check for voltage. If it's getting voltage most likely the starter solenoid is bad.
If all's good I'd move to the spark plugs. Check if the gap is correct and if they're clean, if so unplug the wires and with screw driver attempt to "jump the gap"... you're looking for a spark here, if there's no spark it could be the wires or the ignition coil. *Make sure you don't have any blow fuses as well.

-"Jumping the gap"- simply hold the screw driving about two cm away from the end of the wire and watch for a spark as someone cranks the engine.

 

Also check if your fuel pump is clicking on when you turn your key.

 

had the codes pulled and it said crankshaft position sensor and camshaft position sensor. had them replaced and it seems to be running fine. the check engine light came back on but the mechanic said it was code 1 & 2. he said that was the code for emission and that the after market exhaust was causing the problem. we'll see what happens next.