Newbie to forum...just finished replacing steering linkage, rotors, pads, front drive shaft joints(that was a picnic), both front hubs,and both joints in the front axle. The truck was running fine when I started this mess, now it turns over but wont start, i do have fuel at the schrader valve on the fuel line, i do not have a pressure gauge to check the actual poundage. 99 Ram 1500 4X4 318(5.2) Automatic, 150,000 miles. Thanks in advance for your help. Can I flip the key on and off three times to get the codes from the computer, or did they stop installing that into the CPU?

 

if it never ran after all that work - I'd very carefully check for a wire knocked or pulled loose.

 

I will check, but I wasn't under the hood, just on the front axle. I didn't open the hood until the darn thing wouldn't start. I wonder if the fuel pres is too low to let the ign fire? but without a gauge i'm kind of sunk until tomorrow AM.

 

Easiest thing to check will be spark. Pull a plug wire, insert a screw driver and lay it on some bare metal. Get someone to turn it over while you watch for arcing from the screw driver to the bare metal. Sounds to me like you knocked something electrical loose. Or you just have the bad luck of something sying when you turned off your truck to work on it.

 

You should have a fuel line pressure check at the top of the fuel rail on the driver's side. Take off the plastic cap and it'll look like a tire valve. Stick the back end (release pressure end)of a tire gauge in there and release the fuel rail pressure. then turn the key on but don't turn it over and listen for the fuel pump to repressurize the line. Go backto the the fuel line and put the tire gauge to it again.If it spurts gas both times, you should have enough pressure, you'll need to check spark next.

Not overly scientific, but it works.

 

actually the valve you are talking about is the one i checked, it does have fuel but no way for me to check pressure right now. and yes i can hear the fuel pump running for about2-3 seconds, the weird thing is if it is not getting spark shouldn't i smell raw fuel at the exhaust?what electrical on the bottom of the truck would make it not fire up but turn over, i could understand if it didn't turn over (starter wires). so I guess i could change my question to if the fuel pressure is low enough the injectors dont work will it have spark or not??

 

3 things will cause no spark... crank sensor, bad coil or bad pcm... check your fuses, reseat the ASD relay. it is weird that it does not start.

 

lol thats weird..when i did my whole whole front end i fried my starter just from sitting there..and your truck dosent want to start now when you rebuild yours...hmmm thats strange

 

OK...here is the scoop...crank sensor wire broke (probably corroded in half due to Ohio salt)…after pulling it onto race car trailer, and towing to AutoZone for the dummy behind the counter to tell me it had to be running for their scanner to work (he could have told me on the phone), took to dealer and they have better scanner ($$), truck is happily waiting at alignment shop. Thanks to all for suggestions.