I have a 1994 Dodge Ram 1500 with the 5.2L. I tried to crank my truck this morning and it wouldn't start. The starter sounded strong and when I pulled the wire from the spark plug I was getting spark. I then pressed the schrader valve and no fuel came out of it. I then checked the fuse and relay for the fuel pump and both worked. Then I removed the bed of the truck and tested the wire at the fuel pump to verify that the pump was getting power and it was. At that point I decided it must be the fuel pump and purchased one from Advance Auto Parts and installed it.

Now when I turn the key to ACC I can hear the pump kick on for a second or two and the schrader valve has fuel coming out of it when I depress it. All of which I assume is normal. However, the truck still won't start. The battery voltage is still about 12.3 and when I go to crank it it sounds strong, just no ignition. When I pulled one of the spark plugs it was kind of brown which I am guessing was due to it running lean.

I will shortly be going back outside to test the plugs for spark again, brush them all off and then try to crank it again, but since I am about two and a half hours from home and need to be at work by 6:30 tomorrow morning I figured I would make a post on here now to try and get some suggestions since I know very little about cars and diagnostics of their symptoms.

PS: I did try and search, but I couldn't find anything with the marriage of symptoms I have and I am hesitant to believe that I had failures in two different systems at once.

Edit: The new pump did not come with the Pressure Relief / Rollover Valve and grommet depicted in the diagram on page 14-4 of the technical service manual. When I tried to remove it the piece of plastic that the hose connects to broke and I am unable to purchase a new one as the parts stores do not carry them and it happened after hours of the dealerships. I reinstalled the old piece into the new pump when I installed it and did my best to put the tube back on. I assumed this was just a evap part and not essential for it to run and as such forgot to post about it.

 

probably your auto shut down relay

 

If you hear fuel pump, it won't be ASD. That is one of the things ASD shuts down.

Check to see what is missing - air, fuel, spark. Make sure the control connector on the coil is plugged in!

 

Ok, I just re-tested the ignition components. First I took my multimeter and checked to find out if there is voltage going to the connector at the bottom of the coil and there is. Next I unplugged the wire from the coil from the distributer and checked for voltage and there is. I then unplugged the spark plug wire from the spark plug and tested there and had no voltage at all. This leads me to believe the problem lies with the distributer. Although I have heard that a crank sensor could cause the distributer to not send a spark.

Anyone have any tips to find out which is bad and if it is the distributer, how to I know if it is the cap, rotor or if there are any other parts that could have failed?

 

Pull the cap, and have a look. If you are getting spark from the coil, crank sensor is going its job.

 

Well, I just checked the codes on it using the on, off method and watching the check engine light, which I should have done earlier, but I got which I assume comes out as P0012, P0037 and P0032 which are:
Would any of these cause my issue of not starting?

 

Those aren't P codes. These are your codes http://dodgeram.info/Engine-Gas/OBDI/pcm_fault_code.htm which those dont seem to relate to a no start.

 

Ok, thanks. I guess I need to figure out how to take of the cap and inspect it and the rotor. Are there any tell tale signs to look for?

 

Pulling the cap is a simple procedure, but it's placed in a not-so-DIY-friendly spot. You should be looking for a burned rotor button, carbon tracks/buildup on the cap terminals, or any cracks or damage to cap or rotor.

 

My guess is the problem will be readily apparent once you get the cap off.