Good morning fellow Ram owners.....I have a slight issue with my 99 2500 5.9 gas Ram. After much searching on this forum I have come to the conclusion that I might have a bad starter. Here is my issue.........

I went to start the truck and i heard just one click from the starter and nothing after that. No cranking no nothing. I have full lights inside the truck and the battery meter is within range. Everytime i try to start it just one click from the starter. I cleaned the battery terminals and tried again. Same issue. So i figured since my battery was in there since 2005 i would change it. A quick walk to autozone (daily driver) and a long walk back with a 40 lb battery and I am having the same issue. One nice loud click from the starter and no crank. I swapped out the relay under the hood with a known good relay and same issue. I have checked as many ground cables as I can find and everything seems secure and not fried. So thats why I think it is the starter but wanted to check with all of you as this seems to be the best place for good information from fellow owners.

I also downloaded the manual for this truck (the PDF from this site, thank you!) and it does not seem very difficult to change the starter from the exploded diagram. I am thinking about an hour or so? Any suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated and I thank you all for your time and efforts

 

try to lose up the wire that connects on the starter and just work it around a little tighten it back up, and then also bend the wire for the solenoid around alittle bit(its the one with the black insulation) and then last but not least take the 2 bolts out that hold the starter in, and take the stater out a bit, and try to bang some of the dirt out, sometimes they can bind up.

 

I'm guessing the contacts in the solenoid are worn...

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Starter.shtml

Cartman

 

yea u can clean the solenoid up and put some di-electric grease on it, and try it that way

 

Another vote for the solenoid.

 

Have you checked your fuses lol. Had the same issue, pulled my starter, starter turned out to be great..... Few days later still not knowing what it was...shop found a bad fuse, which looked to be brand new..but wasnt lol

 

hmm...never known a fuse to keep the starter from turnin, what fuse?

 

Fuse number 9 in the Power Distribution Box. (the one under the hood.)

 

You shore is a smart feller!

 

UPDATE: I wound up pulling the starter and going to Autozone to have it checked. The girl said it failed their test 3 times but she also said the tester had been flaking out as of lately. So a quick walk to Napa and they tested it with the same result. So I purchased a new one as I needed to get back on the road and give my Reeboks are good rest. Went home and wrestled it in and now she starts like a champ!! The worse part was the getting at the top bolt. I have the tranny cooler so the lines were running right above it. With a little patience and a 12 pack of PBR she is good to go. My special thanks to everyone who posted suggestions to help me troubleshoot this issue and get the truck back on the road!