I am a first time poster to this forum. I have a 1995 Dodge Ram 1500 2wd with an automatic transmission and a 5.9L motor. I have been experiencing some bizarre starting issues over the last year that have me stumped. When I go to start the truck in the morning or if it has been sitting for more than a few hours, it fires right up. If I drive to the store and turn it off, however, restarting it is very difficult. The engine rotates but will not catch. It rotates at a regular speed. I have replaced the fuel pump and checked the tank for floaters that could get sucked up against the filter, but to no avail. The spark plugs have been changed also, as well as the distributor cap and wires. When the truck finally catches, it runs normally. Once or twice, it felt like it wasn't firing on all cylinders, but I gave it tons of gas and it caught. When it runs, it runs great. No missing, idle steady, etc. Fuel is reaching the test rail as I have checked the pressure. I am totally stumped. Thoughts? Sorry if this has been posted before but I didn't see it.

PS- When this happens, I have gotten a check engine light maybe twice, but being pre 1996 an odb 2 wont work. The check engine code is not stored in the computer either b/c it won't come back on when the vehicle is turned off again.

 

how long does it take for the engine to fire? will it fire up on its own or do you have to give it gas to get started?

 

Oddly enough, the longer I leave it alone after it fails to start, the better chances I have of it starting. I have tried giving it gas when it fails to start and it doesn't seem to make a difference.

 

have you checked spark in all cyls? maybe a spark problem. how about injectors?checked them lately? you may be getting fuel in the rail but it might not be injected properly. but you would think it would show symptoms with the engine running also, not just when you start it. any other symptoms besides not starting properly?

 

No other symptoms besides the starting issue. I agree with you about the injectors. Pretty sure I'd see some other issue if it was them. Guess I'll try testing volts on all my sensors and see if I can find a problem.

 

I am going to take a wild stab in the dark, and suggest you have a sensor that is either being inaccurate, or, is heat soaking, and failing.

I would 'cheat'...... Get the truck nice and warm, and drive to the parts store. Once there, shut the truck off, and see if it is a pain to restart, if it is, verify you are getting spark, and have them come out and plug in a scanner for ya, see what the PCM thinks engine temp is.

 

Did you try checking for codes in this manner, when it won't start? http://dodgeram.info/Engine-Gas/OBDI/pcm_fault_code.htm

 

Crankshaft positioning sensor faulty? Your symptoms seem similar to mine before I replaced it... Mine was cracked and was off position...wiggle it some and it would work. I replaced it for 40 bucks and never had the problem again. Heck,.you can always return the part if thats not it. Takes maybe 20 minutes, depending on how easily you can reach the dang thing...behind the engine, behind the distributor... :P

 

Mine does this same thing, and after driving for a long time the check engine light will come on. Haven't bothered trying to do anything about it yet, but I will.

 

I had this happen to my truck. Couldn't figure out why, then a friend put it on his scope and we found that it was missing on cylinders 5, 7 and 8. We thought this was rather odd so we investigated further and found that whatever yahoo had tuned the truck up before me had cracked off a screw on the back of the distributor and had simply tied it down with a bungee cord. Idiot.

I had to get the distributor replaced and things went fine after that. Until one morning I got in the truck and it wouldn't start at all. Not a click, whir, anything. I finally thought of putting it in nuetral (don't ask me why) and it started right up. This would only happen occasionally and so one day I decided to take it down to the shop and ask them what the deal might be.

The guy who had it before me had put in a electrical start, but I told them it never worked. I could push the button on the keychain starter and nothing happened. What they found was that the park switch was bad so the truck couldn't recognize what gear it was in, which is why I had to start in neutral sometimes. They fixed the switch and now everything runs fine.