I'm explaining in detail everything I've done up to this point. If you guys have a minute to read over this and help me out, you don't know how big a help that would be.

I have 2001 Dodge Ram 1500, 5.2. Last week a buddy and I were doing a tuneup on it getting ready to sell. We started by changing the spark plugs. Old ones looked god awful. After installing those, the backfiring began as expected since the old plugs probably had never been changed. I didn't mess with it for a day and when I went back to start it up, the RPM was pretty shaky, wouldn't idle well (died after 30-45 seconds), and continued backfiring. We figured maybe a fresh tank of gas could possibly help, so we attempted to drive to the station but only got about 2 blocks before it died. Took about 7-8 start ups to finally get it running to a roll back home. It wouldn't accelerate past 12-13 MPH at this point though.

We then installed new plug wires, which didn't help any. Still misfiring and idling terribly. Went back to the parts store and then replaced the distributor and rotor. I now know how inconvenient the distributor location is on 2nd gen Rams (preciate that design, Dodge). This still didn't fix anything, the whole time taking more times to get it to start, and it also dying on it's own quicker than before.

No engine light was on this whole time, so we switched around some wires to double check it wasn't burned out. We traded 6 and 8 I believe, and click check engine light comes on. Says 4-6-8 were wrong. Should've only said 6-8 but whatever. Just to make sure we weren't retarded and messed something up, I tried every configuration of 4-6-8 to ensure they were routed properly. We even tried reversing the order of the wiring on the distributor (at this point we were just making stuff up).

Now my truck won't even start, and a mechanic buddy told us the timing was off and the belt would need to be replaced. Would this solve the problem? Anyone had issues like this before? I had to rent a car while working on this, need some major help before a mechanic bends me over. Thanks!!

 

welcome to the site!!!

could be lots of stuff..

it sounds like:

vacuum leak- you could have broken a vac line and have an unregulated leak..

or

bad coil- they sometimes give up the ghost.. check your connections.. the one on the bottom is tricky because it's hidden..

or

bad Cam position sensor.. w/o it, fuel sync is hopeless

or

bad crank position sensor.. check connections first.. it's easy to dislodge if you're creeping around in there..

or

check firing order one more time, and make sure the boots are seated

or

... this could go on and on dude.. start simple first..

 

Check the firing order it should be as follows 1 8 4 3 6 5 7 2 in a clock wise rotation.

You can download the 2001 service manual in the diy area when you do that look section 8i page 549 and through 558 it has all the info you need to check this.

 

There's no timing belt! So don't ask that mechanic "buddy" for any more info! Here's a pic of the firing order. There should be a "1" on the cap so you know where to start. Get a Haynes dude, LOL..

 

Clogged cat?

 

I know the firing order is 100% correct... we checked the routing on those lines a million times. And i meant timing chain not timing belt, my bad. Also checked for vacuum leaks and there appears to be none.

 

Also, I should mention that my truck was running 100% fine before I started doing these upgrades. Really blows my mind that when simply adding in new parts, it stops running.

 

jordan, I just went through the same thing on my 94 2500 with a 5.2, it wouldn't start after it rained for a few days. after changing all of these things a mechanic friend I talked to suggested checking the timing by lining the crank pully to tdc and checking the direction of the rotor,(aimed at #1), That's when i discovered that the contact from the rotor to the coil post was gone. (believe it or not it still had spark.) After replacing the cap and rotor and reinstalling the new wires it started and ran great until it warmed up, then it wouldn't idle well and showed no oil pressure, after researching it further I cleaned the idle air control and unhooked the battery for fifteen minutes to reset the computer. it now starts rain or shine and runs like the champ that a Ram was built to be. I hope this helps! Mike.

 

are you 100% sure that the plug wires are seated firmly on the plugs? Sometimes they pop off. I blame the dodge Phantom.

I used to have this problem, but it was because I had the firing order picture backwards and mistook the odd cylinders for the even ones.

I would not mess with the TDC. Double check everything, even the plugs. YOu might have gotten the wrong plugs, because some have different thread lengths even though they are "made" for your truck.

Also check the rotor with the old one. Jegs sent me a tuneup package once with the WRONG rotor.

If it worked fine before, then the reassembly must be the culprit.

 

I agree with cptafw163... If it ran before you changed plugs, then didn't, it had to be plugs, now that you changed dist, you need to make sure # 1 on compression is up and #1 on cap line up, then double check firing order again, usually when part is changed and something is different, its about got to be wrong part, or error on installation, accidentally knocking off vacuum line or a connector somewhere, Things like timing chain can happen, but highly unlikely when it ran fine and you only change plugs, wires or something. Let us know what happens, Thanks