A few months back I picked up a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 2wd manual 6-banger for $1500. It's unusual as the previous owner put in a 4 inch lift + 31s with blocks in the rear and suspension in front. I use it for dump/storage/beer runs on the weekends. It was cheap but still fun to drive. I do miss the 4x4 but for the price it was a good buy.

Recently during a long rain storm my 9 year old son and I were out hitting mud holes in town. The last hole we tried I got high centered and had to call a tow truck to get me out.

The next day the truck was running rough and the check engine light came on. I checked the code and got a P0305 which I researched and found called out misfiring 5th cylinder. I was going to pull out the plug and check the wires but the engine compartment is real dirty from the mud and built up grime so I tried to clean it up by treating the whole compartment with a can of Black Magic Engine Degreaser and Shine. I followed the instructions by spraying it on the motor compartment but avoiding electrical components. I then used a light water spray 15 minutes later to remove it once again trying to stay way from electrical. The engine cleaned up real nice.

However, now the truck won’t start. It will turn over but not start. At first I thought something might still be wet, so I put a fan on the motor. Still no luck, so I let it dry a full day in the Sun. Still won't start. I hooked up my computer again and I'm now getting codes P0300, P0301 and P0305, all of which talk about cylinder misfires. I read up in an online manual and it recommends checking the spark plugs when the motor turns over but doesn't start.

I'm no mechanic, but I can change oil, plugs, belts etc. I've once put a lift kit in on a previous truck. However, my expertise stops there. Drop or rebuild a trany/motor is a little past my experience dial not to mention I don't have the tools. That said, I could use a little guidance with a problem if verifying the plugs and wires are good.

 

remove a couple of spark plugs and check for spark. if you still have them, watch those damn heat shield tubes. they dump dirt into your cylinder when you remove the plug. the best thing to do with the tubes is yank them out and throw them away.

also - check under you truck in the exhaust pipes before the cat. you may have torn off an 02 sensor wire.

the most likely water problem i can think of is water in the distributor cap or maybe in the pcm connections on the passenger side firewall. have you got any backfiring ? that would be water in dist cap. no spark could be pcm or coil.

 

I think its the cap getting wet....

 

In order to check if you're getting spark or not (which sounds like your problem) pull the spark plugs out, plug them back into the wires, lay them on a good clean metal surface on the motor or the frame (to ground them), and then crank the truck over.

 

or check them by pinching them in your mouth and having a good friend turn over the engine LOL You'll be shocked if they work!

I'm sure you have water in thr cap.. samething happened to me a couple years ago... minus the mud hole thing and getting stuck.. actually it was just really rainy and I drove like 8 hours in it and my truck would not start the next morning.

try taking the cap off and use wifey's hair dryer to dry it out a little bit

 

is it brake cleaner that you spray on and around the dist cap to repel the water? I know guys that have done that when their caps get wet

 

well since your taking it out to dry it...replace it IMO that would be yor best bet

 

NO NO NO - don't spray brake cleaner on plastic.

the newer brake cleaners are weakend down, but the old brake cleaners that you might still have floating around in your garage will melt the **** out of plastic.

its WD-40 that repels water. but, you'll have to remove the cap to spray it out and wipe it out.

 

Guys,

Thanks for all the great advice. I started my investigation by pulling the plugs and found that each had water trapped in the heat shield. :-P I took dhvaughans advice and pulled out the heat shields and their in the trash now. I also replaced each plug and found a few that were barely tighten or completely loose.

Everything was going great until the last plug which I couldn't get loose. I connected a few ratchet extensions so I could use a pry bar for some leverage and ended up breaking the plug. doh! The plug housing is now stuck and I'm not quite sure how I'm going to get it out.

Good new is though, once I 86'd the heat shields and put in new plugs the truck fired right up. Now I just need to figure out how to get the broken plug out.

-BRAD

 

Guys,

Thanks for all the great advice. I started my investigation by pulling the plugs and found that each had water trapped in the heat shield. :-P I took dhvaughans advice and pulled out the heat shields and their in the trash now. I also replaced each plug and found a few that were barely tighten or completely loose.

Everything was going great until the last plug which I couldn't get loose. I connected a few ratchet extensions so I could use a pry bar for some leverage and ended up breaking the plug. doh! The plug housing is now stuck and I'm not quite sure how I'm going to get it out.

Good new is though, once I 86'd the heat shields and put in new plugs the truck fired right up. Now I just need to figure out how to get the broken plug out..

-BRAD