Ok, so I just picked up my first Dodge - 97 Ram 1500 5.2 w/ sport package. It was a repo, so I got it for a mere $1,500. I knew it needed work, but the engine and transmission were fine, so I figured it would be worth it.

The first thing I did was replace the power steering pump, because it was shot (getting it home was fun). Whoever owned it before me had the wiring all jacked up (no lights or gauges were working), and the switch was bad. Replaced the switch (not sure if properly) and some fuses. I've got my headlights/blinkers/etc and my gauge lights are now working, but no interior lights. Well, no biggie - I'll worry about that later.

The oil pressure light comes on anytime my RPMs are under 1,000 or so (after about 5 minutes of running). I bought a new sensor, which we're installing in a day or two, and hopefully that's it with that.

THE CURRENT PROBLEM is that I had no temp gauge, which sort of made me nervous - and I had no heat at all in the cab. So, I bought a new temp gauge sensor, a new thermostat, and a new heater core. Temp gauge sensor went in with no problem. Thermostat was easy (although the guy that had the truck before me had apparently taken the thermostat out, so there was none). The heater core was weird - we had to go in through the dash to get to it, but I'm pretty sure that's all fine.

Now, after doing the stuff in the previous paragraph, when she's idling, the RPMs drop really low for a second, then back up to around 750, then down, then up, like a yo-yo. Also, when I go to start the truck, now it takes more than one turn of the key. Sometimes the starter will give one solid click and stop, sometimes it will turn a couple of times. It was not doing this at all before we replaced the sensor, heater core, and added a thermostat.

The icing on the cake is that I still have no dang heat! The temp gauge works great now, and the blower is really strong, but no hot air is coming out at all.

Can anyone tell me what I might have screwed up or missed? I'm a broke college student and I'm starting to wonder if I didn't get the deal that I thought I did.

edit: I should mention, for whatever it's worth, that the guy had the heater core bypassed, so I bought a new hose and reconnected it. There are only 2 hoses there, and I doubt I got them mixed up or anything.

 

Check and clean the battery terminals. Have the battery and starter checked if that does not help. And for the heat issue, read this thread and go from there. https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...ild-vents.html Also make sure none of the vac lines in the engine bay are broken or missing.

 

Battery is clean - new I'm guessing (but only 500 amps). I'll have it and the starter checked tmrw. Which thread should I read about heat??

 

Click on the link I provided in my first post.