2005 dodge ram w/ hemi

the problem i have started last winter and continues this winter only when temps get below 15. i turn the key over and the motor rolls fine but has a very hard time firing. when the motor is rolling i can hear a loud pop every once in a while like its trying to start but rarely does. if i do get it to start, it runs fine like there has never been a problem. over the weekend i burned up a starter trying to start my heap. i put a new starter on and went from there. truck still didnt start. i pulled it into a friends heated shop and let it sit overnight. next day i changed all the plugs and wires, still no help (wouldnt start this morning after sitting out all night) i did notice when i pulled the plugs they were wet and black so i assume its getting the fuel. another thing i noticed when i have trouble starting and i do get it started the oil pressure gauge is stuck on zero and check guages light comes on. i shut the truck off and restart it the guage goes back to normal and the light dissappears, very odd to me. i have a superchips programmer that i have checked for codes but cannot find any, the truck is programmed on stock btw. the only mods i have right now is a cai, thats it. i run the best gas i can get. no one can help me!! ive been to dealerships, asked people who are knowledgable still no help, i will pay for someone to help me. the only other option i have is to total out the truck or wait till it warms up and try selling it. PLEASE HELP!!

 

I would have to say, Insurance fraud is one of the worst things these days to be convicted of. With that said, it sounds like you have rather a minor issue with your truck. Have you checked for spark and resistance on all of the plug wires(coil packs). Sounds like your getting a backfire. Also, There's a possibility your not getting steady power to your ignition module. I would start at your plug wires and rule out the possibilities

 

that sounds really weird to me.. have you checked your fuel pressure and spark?

 

finally, something interesting.


have you checked the oil at all to see if it's alright?
the sparkplug being wet means fuel got there, doesn't mean it got there correctly. seafoam the top end of the engine, and put some in the gas tank.
do a compression test on each cylinder.

 

I think he needs to change the fuel filter.......lol


I'd rule everyhing else out before a tank drop!

 

i was joking about commiting fraud, im a bit frustrated. i changed, with new, the plugs and wires 2 days ago. why would this only be happening on cold mornings? i have not checked for fuel pressure since the old plugs were flooded when i pulled them out i figured it was getting the fuel. does anyone know what the pressure is suppose to be? and why would the oil pressure gauge stick on these hard starts? this truck gives me no problems in the warmer months, i live in illinois. if one coil was bad would it cause the truck not to start? thank you for your help!!

 

OMFG, finally a thread that don't start with "what size tire" !!!!!

Back in the day, this was an easy one! You could count on it being a flaky battery, sometimes they'll crank a good long time so you'd think they were ok, but never put out sufficiently to turn the vehicle over. It could be this, so I'd test the battery, at least to take it out of the mix.
Or it was the idle control valve sticking when it was cold, almost always! And a 10 minute fix. But it ain't that simple in these modern wonder engines.

So lets see what the "cold" could effect besides the battery, which I'm assuming you'll check first.

There are a number of issues that if the engine is warm, you'd never be aware of but are less "tolerable" when cold. So lets attack those.

First thing I'd check that could be the culprit is the Throttle Body itself. Is it filthy? When's the last time you cleaned it? If it's been over say a year or 15k miles, it's a good possibility. Could be dirty and more prone to stick when cold or gets enough air into the system when warm but not when cold. You have no CEL and a dirty TB usually won't throw a code unless it's like toast. Could also be the sensor in the TB, seen a good many be bad and NOT throw a code.

Bad plug wire. The Hemi uses a network of coil-on-plug and interconnecting secondary ignition cables to supply the primary and companion cylinders with spark. The loss of electrical conductivity through one of those long cables will certainly affect spark delivery on at least one of the two spark plugs in the involved cylinder. Because of inonization, the coil-on-plug spark plug will have enough power to fire at least its spark plug, but the single open curcuit to the cabled one likely will not. Since at least one spark plug is still firing, the cylinder is not completely lost and again will usually not generate a CEL.

Are you running a 93 octane fuel or using an octane "booster"? Believe it or not, I read a report on this about three months ago. The quick-burn technology used with the twin spark plugs means engine ping is a usually a thing of the past with current engines. Higher octane fuel slows the cylinder burn rate and actually will produce less output than regular grade fuel when engine ping is not involved. This could be a contributing factor in cold weather starting, but I think the chances are fairly slight.

Bad Injector? A dead one would throw a CEL but a sick one may just be giving a poor spray patterns when cold are less easily tolerated than later when the engine heats up or during warmer weather. You might consider taking xfeejayx's advice and give the whole system a good "Sea Foaming" when you can get it started. Not just the fuel, but the air intake (throttle body - boy there's that old throttle body reference again!) and the crankcase!

Could also be evaporator core issue, would really be effected by cold weather, but the PCM on the Hemi is REALLY PICKY when it comes to that system and I'd think an issue would pop a CEL right away.

Lastly, I'd not spend too much time looking at the "wet plug" deal. You are cranking the hell out of it in an attempt to start it. IMO you are simply flooding it...

That's about all I can think of to try, if I was a betting man, I'd say battery or TB/TB sensor...

 

check your coil packs and do a compression test. sounds like you sparks are flooded too if they are that wet.

 

i should also state this truck only has 30,500 mi on it. i will change the fuel filter and try to find someone that can check my coils and fuel pressure. i would take it to the dealer but they are going to put it in a warm shop and then it will start fine, the problem is the initial start up in cold weather. i will say again it starts fine above 15 degrees why only in cold weather would i have a problem with my coils or etc.? thanks again

 

you could get a block heater to keep the block warm in real cold weather. but i would want to fix the problem and get the blcok heater. your injectors/fuel filter could be getting gummed up in the cold maybe.