98 ram 1500 laramie 5.9 2wd 4dr with all options except power seats
ok bought this truck a few months ago knowing it had bad oil pump which turned out to not be the only issue. i guess when the pump failed it ended up spinning a rod bearing destroying the crank so i replaced the block and rotating assy. with a good junkyard one. truck ran before i removed engine albeit with a lot of knocking, and all parts are the ones from the old engine except for the distributor cap which i cracked and has new plug wires. distributor is clocked/timed correctly, and plugs are in correct studs. it cranks but wont start, fuel pump is getting power and runs, not getting spark, injectors not firing, verified all fuses and relays good, odometer flashes, but does NOT have no bus, did cluster self-check and getting codes 920, 921, 999, on 2nd part of test all lights work and gauges sweep properly. at key on only gauge that moves is the temp, gas stays at below empty, voltage doesn't move, while cranking no rpms or oil press, and only drivers seatbelt locked retracted everything else in truck works, pwr windows/locks/mirrors, lights, horn, radio, overhead display, had one ground by the power steering pump break and replaced that, all grounds good and on clean metal. after trying to diagnose for a bit the security light on dash comes on after key is in on position for a min along with seatbelt, abs, parking brake light, have verified good crank and cam sensors,, good tps, map, iac, alternator works on bench test. cant find any loose connectors, 8 pin plug for trans has wire coating eaten off from ATF and before plugging it in taped each wire to prevent a short till i can get truck to shop to shop to get plug replaced. engine has all new gaskets/seals, new coolant, new oil/filter, trans has new fluid/filter/pan gasket. pcm getting good power and pulling pcm plugs with key on does cause relays/sensors to cycle properly. starting to pull my hair out on this one.

 

Did you trash the crank sensor when you swapped the motor? It hangs out between engine and trans behind the passenger side head.

 

I verified it was good yesterday because i did think of that but completely removed it and visually inspected it and tested it with a meter and its good from what i can tell, and did the same with the cam sensor. and re verified distributor installation.

 

Is the PCM trying to control the coil? (noid light should work for a test) Does the fuel pump run while cranking?

 

fuel pump stays on at key on and while cranking, id have to wait till one of my local stores get a noid lite in stock, naturally the day i run out to finally buy one they are out. i know dodge mostly used bosch for everything so a good general bosch noid set should work fine im guessing

 

I thought my crank sensor would be good after I rebuilt my transmission. I left it in and didn't mess with it. It didn't work afterwards. Like you I tried to test mine and no spark. Replaced it with a Mopar only Crank sensor, started right up. The Bosch Noid lights should work, my cheapies from AZ 20+ years ago still do. Tools are Tools. No Bosch sensors or spark plugs, only Mopar sensors from the dealership or EBay/Amazon/Web etc.

 

almost all my chasiss and engine components are bosch and have the chrystler logo next to them so i asumed that they used bosh at the factory and my 97 dakota was the same way. injectors, brake booster/master cylander, power steering pump, altenator, plug wires that were on the truck, fuel pump, airbag module under dash. i could se the crank sensor causing the no spark but what would cause the dash to not work, no fuel or batt gauge at key on

 

If the crank sensor doesn't work, the PCM doesn't know the engine is turning... so, no spark, and no injector pulse.

 

Does this mean you set the fuel sync? Have you checked if you are getting spark out of the coil?

 

didnt set fuel sync and im not getting spark out of the coil while cranking, which is where its confusing me, i got to wait at the moment for the rain to stop then ill check the harness side of the crank sensor wires to see if there is something there that could be causing the issue since i have tested the sendor and know its good.