OK this has been a problem since I bought my Ram this summer,

1997 5.2 4x4 auto sport pkg.

Especially in the morning, the thing cranks FOREVER before it starts, tanna tanna tannanannananana VROOOM....

I know chrysler has been know for cranking a little more before the start but darn this one cranks for a good 4 seconds before it starts when cold.

when hot its much better , but the cold cranking thing is really annoying.

any thoughts?

Thanks

 

I have to say : the tune up has been done , new plugs, wires, air filter,oil, etc...

 

if you have access to a scanner check cranking rpm when truck is cold should see 300 or higher as it cranks ! second check for fuel bleeding off asd should prime system as soon as you turn key ide start there!

 

had the same problem .. month later the battery died.. makes sense too.. batterys are advertised/sold with two raitings.. amps and cold cranking amps.. if you still have the stock mopar battery (as mind did) you may need a new one soon

you can have it tested at a autozone/advanced auto to see if its on the lower side of its CCA (should be printed on the mopar sticker.)

cant remember if you can "top off" the old batterys with fluids.. (distilled water/acid)

 

Could be that fuel pressure is bleeding down.

Could also be an issue with the coolant temp sensor. If it starts easier when warm, the CTS might not be telling the PCM that the engine is cold and therefor the PCM is not enriching the fuel mixture for a cold start. It will throw a code if the CTS does not warm up quickly enough, but I've never seen one throw DTC's for a CTS that's stuck on "hot"; the PCM just thinks the engine is warm.

 

well thats what a friend of mine said , he has a shop and he said that the pressure is probably bleeding off, when I told him about it last time we had a beer together.

Also the thing runs too rich, because my brother said its not smoking but he cant follow me with his car when its top down , he said the thing litterally gasses him , so he stays 5-7 cars lenghts behind..

maybe that has to do with a bad sensor, I never had any check engine warnings though, and battery is new...

 

I think that only works if there's enough lead left on the plates. In really dry climates, the batterymight lose a little moisture if it was incorrectly sealed, but most times the wear is due to the lead breaking off the plates inside thecellsand the surface area isn't great enoughto create the necessary amperage or voltage to crank.Adding more acid doesn'tdo much if the mixture was already correct.

That's part of the reason the Ultima batteres are a better design. Eachcell is encased in an epoxyresin tokeep the vehicle's vibrations from breakingup the lead plates,then sealing them completely prevents batteryacid from evaporating.