yes.... i thought the ignition module might be failing also. and the funny thing is, is that the ignition part is obsolete. dodge discontinued the part and there are no aftermarket ones either. i called dodge and the said i would have to locate a used one...LOL LOL LOL LOL.. or change the engine wiring harness and pcm to 97 and newer where the ignition module is built in the pcm .LOL LOL LOL.. the good news is, the truck starts up and runs (of coarse when its warm outside) with the ignition module unplugged. it misses like crazy though. i researched the ignition module and it seems that it only fires half of the cylynders. that makes sense why it misses like crazy when unplugged. so i kind of ruled that part out. but i have 2 used part locators looking to find me one and i plan on purchasing it just to have for the future....

 

yes... i thought the ignition module might be failing as well.. i called dodge to purchase one and they said the part is obsolete...they dont make it anymore and said i would have to locate a used one...LOL LOL LOL.. the other option is to change out the wiring harness and pcm from a 97 or newer ram where the ignition module is built in to the pcm...LOL LOL LOL...what a joke...now the good news is that when its warm outside and the truck is starting just fine, i can unplug the ignition module and the truck stays running but it misses like crazy. i did some research on the ignition module and figured out that it only fires half the cylinders. so if i can start the truck in warm weather with the module unplugged on half the cylinders kinda leads me to rule out the ignition module..but i have 2 parts locators locating me 1 (or 2) that i plan on purchasing just to have and ofcoarse i will try it but i dont think that is the problem.

 

ahh i posted twice almost the same thing. i thought the first one didnt post. i learn now that these post work in pages.

ok got the truck started this morning in the cold----29 degrees--- it wouldnt start by just turning the key. what i did was cycle the key on off on off like 10 times and tried cranking. it fired and died right away. tryied starting normally again and wouldnt fire.. cycled the key a few times and it fired. did that a few time till i could keep it running. now it was running like crap. i was holding it at about 3000 rpm and it would just die as if it was shut off and fall to about 500 rpms. it did this for about a minute then smoothed out and runs great now and im sure it will run great all day as it always does. but tomorrow morning will be back to square one. thanks to all who are reading these post and for the input.

 

just an idea. being that i think the problem is temp related. im thinking of leaving a drop light under the hood next to the pcm to try and keep it warm overnight. ill post the results in the morning. does anyone think it might be the pcm that is failing in the cold???? hope i dont burn the truck down ...lol

 

LOLOL. Well, that would solve the problem..... not exactly what you had in mind though, I am sure. If you have a battery blanket, that would be better...... be an interesting experiment though.

 

well i had a drop light set by the pcm overnight and this morning i went outside and its 50 degrees.lol.not cold enough for the truck to act up. went over to the truck and it started right up. ill have to try again when its colder outside.

 

What? The weather is being uncooperative? LOL. Not a big surprise......

Wait for it to get colder, and try it again. Let us know.

 

I can't see the temp being the issue for the pcm or none of our trucks in northern canada would start. Batteries usually do not like cold temps, especially if they are not holding a proper charge they will actually freeze.

 

It sounds like we're having similar issues. My truck (95 2500 V10) will also not start when it's cold outside, but if I turn the ignition to the ON position and leave it there, something seems to warm up and I can eventually start the truck. The colder it is, the longer it takes.

In my case, when it's really cold I also have no spark and no fuel. Neither the ASD relay nor the fuel pump relay get activated by the PCM. I confirmed this by testing voltage across ports 85 and 86 for each relay plug in the PDC. When the truck is working properly, I get 12 volts, but when it's not working, there's no voltage, indicating that the PCM is not closing the ground like it's supposed to.

When it's cold outside and the truck won't start, I go turn the ignition to ON and wait. Eventually I hear the ASD and fuel pump relays start clicking rapidly. This goes on for a couple minutes and then they stop clicking and stay on for a couple seconds. At which point I hear the fuel pump run for a couple seconds and I know that I can crank the truck and it'll start right up. After all of this, it tends to run a little rough and I have to keep on the gas for around 30 seconds, then it it will idle fine and I can drive the truck for the rest of the day without a single problem.

At this point, I think I need to check the Crankshaft Position Sensor and wiring. According to my repair manual, the PCM reads the CKP sensor values before activating the ASD and fuel pump relays.

Let me know if the heat lamp on your PCM makes any difference.

-haZZard

 

Get a fuel pressure gauge and do a pressure test on the regulator.