Hey everyone, my name is jason i just bought a 1996 Dodge ram 1500 laramie ext. Cab. Has been real good to me until as of late, recently and its not all the time when i start up the truck it starts right up, but once the RPM gauge starts to go to a idle it just dies out on me, the only way i can get it to stay on when it does this is to give it gas and hold a little pressure of the accelerator. Now the truck doesnt always do this and i have no idea what the problem could be, also just today when this problem wasnt there my oil light came on and my oil pressure indicator was flickering between 0 and 40. If anyone has any insight as to what the problem could be please help!

 

Stalling is likely the fault of a dirty, or all together faulty, idle air control valve.
There's a DIY on this forum somewhere and you can watch some youtube vids on how to clean the Throttle Body & IAC valve.

As for the oil light...Do you have oil on your dipstick? When as last oil change?
If you have the right oil and the right amount and filter is fairly new, there's a few other problems that can happen. First off is to see what you're actually getting for oil pressure-rent/buy an oil pressure tester and see what it's at. If pressure's good, it's likely the sending unit or the wiring. If pressure actually is low, then it's time to drop the oil pan and check out the pickup screen and the oil pump itself.

And you being new member, I think it's dodgeforum policy to tell you to check out this thread: https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...um-thread.html

 

edit. i type too slow.

welcome to DF.

the search feature here sucks, refusing to search on short words like IAC and TPS.
instead use google with a string like this...
site:dodgeforum.com IAC
concentrate in this 2nd gen ram subforum. we're smarter than the dakota and durango bunch who are only interested in shiny wheels.

the most common cause of no idle is bad IAC, or dirty air port in the bottom of the IAC well on the rear of the throttle body. sometimes you can fix it by cleaning the port and pintle, otherwise by replacing. about $40-50 at any parts store. next most common problem is TPS. next is low battery voltage. anything less than 12v is trouble with the reference signal.

also search on low oil pressure. its caused by bad pressure sensor, clogged up oil pump pickup screen, worn out oil pump, worn out engine. a new melling hi-vol oil pump can overcome most of those problems.

 

Thanks everyone i hope a good cleaning is all it needs, i will post as soon as i do an hope it fixes my problem

 

ROFL.................


Also, ther eis a free download service and parts manual in the FAQ/DIY section. Great resource! Did I mention FREE?

 

I've had the same problem with my '97 1500 4x4 5.9 for a few years now. It idles very irregularly especially when it first starts up, sometimes stalls out especially when put in reverse. Weather and temperature don't seem to effect it nor higher octane gas. No codes and IAC &TPS both replaced, TB cleaned (which helped but didn't cure) and plenum checked. I've given up and just resigned to keeping my foot on the gas when I start or reverse. Never been a problem once the truck gets going. Any ideas would be appreciated! I also think there is a loss of power but everyone else disagrees with me and says it just drives like an old truck.

 

check for a vac leak.

temporarily disconnect and plug all vac ports at the manifold. all of them - evap system, cruise, brake boost, pcv, etc. see if it helps. if so, add them back one at a time to find the culprit.