I installed a remote starter in the 06 Dakota about 2 weeks ago and its been working great (other than the blower motor not coming on, but thats for another day). This morning I started the truck with the app, got in, turned off the remote starter and then tried cranking it normally. It started, ran a few second then cut out. It did this two more times. Then it would turn over without starting, now it does absolutely nothing. (I've disconnected the remote starter too.)The accessories and dash lights come on, but no clicking or turning over. I've checked and cleaned the battery terminals but still no go. Only thing I can figure is the starter went bad. Any thoughts?

 

I would check a few other things before jumping to the starter, due to the fact that you said it would run then cut out, then it went to turning over but not start. Those statements right there tell me the starter was still working at that point.
You said you checked/cleaned the battery terminals, but did you check the battery?
I would pull the battery and take it to AutoZone or whoever is nearby and have the battery load tested first. The lights may come on but its possible there is not enough amps to turn the starter.
It is still a possibility the starter has or is going out, but the easiest to check first is the battery, and once you know you have a good battery/ power source, then the rest of the troubleshooting can begin.
I say this because I have seen a few of my customers change all kinds of sensors and whatever else, and all they needed was a good battery.

 

Thanks dodgeman. I'm going to take the batter over and have it tested.

 

Well I went ahead and changed the battery, but still nothing. I'm down to the starter or the ignition switch. How can I tell?

 

when you turn the key to the on position does all the dash lights come on as they normally do?
You could have someone with a meter check for voltage at the starter when you turn the key. Make sure the truck is in park and the parking brake is set before doing this. If you get 12 volts at the starter then your starter is bad, if you are not getting 12v at the starter then you have possibly a start relay gone bad, I don't usually hear of too many ignition switches going out.
Also, you could take a look at all your cables, make sure you have a good ground, which sounds like that is o.k. if your lights come on, but a quick look and a wiggle test will verify.

 

Yes, all the dash lights come on normally.

I checked the starter wire at the ignition switch with a light probe and volt meter. It is sending 12v out on crank as it should.

I'll have to try this on the weekend.

I was fearing that the remote starter may have damaged the ignition switch, but it doesn't look like it since things turn on and get power.

I think the ground is ok, but it never hurts to recheck.

 

It looks like its in auto shut down. I am not getting a ground at the starter relay. How do I reset it?

 

This may be a long shot here and I may be way off track in saying this, but I will say it anyway.
If you have a second key have you tried that, its not likely the transponder is bad, but it could rule it out.
One of your earlier statements where you said it would start and run for a few seconds then die made me think of this.

 

You actually may not be that far off. The only problem is that I only have one functioning remote key. I think the other one needs the battery clip re-soldered. I'll do that when I get home this afternoon.

If this doesn't work, will the PCM automatically reset itself after 24 hours? I called a dealership service tech and he told me it should reset after 24 hours.

 

Update: I rented an OBDII scanner and got several codes, but cleared them out. I was left with the following 2 codes:

P0633 SKIM secret key not stored in PCM
P0513 Invalid SKIM key

I assume that my conversion to power window/locks and keyless entry are what have caused these errors. My PCM wasn't programmed for it so I guess that's why its not allowing it to start. its been fine for the past 2 months since I switched it over so its weird that it would show up now. Oh well, I guess a tow trip to the stealership is next.