hey guys,ive been having problems with my 1995 dodge b150 5.2L van with less than 155,000miles. it started about a month ago when the check engine light came on and it would stall randomly(engine would die,oil pressure drop, but voltmeter and fuel gauges stayed constant). i noticed it had a pattern of that every time i came to a light or stop sign,and almost always in the morning. not long after that started the van when in idle would rumble around and engine would die unless i would hit the throttle. now this wasnt constant and more often than not it would run flawlessly. after looking around for an OBD1 with no luck i learned the on/off ignition trick and got a few codes. the codes were 12(battery disconnect),24(tps), 25(idol air control),14(map sensor) and 55(end). one by one i fixed them and every time i felt slight increase in performance but still the problems continued. i even changed the spark plugs, air filter, and sealed up all potential leaks in the air intake hose.same same. after trying two brand new and fully charged batteries its even harder to start. now i just hear a click and occasionally (what sound like) a slow dying motor. it wont actually crank and fire up unless i just keep turning it like crazy and stomping on the gas...then like magic it just fires up and runs no prob...somebody please help,!!

 

Check/clean all connections between the starter, and the battery.

Verify you are getting a MINIMUM 9 volts on the wire from the ignition switch, to the solenoid.

Do a starter draw test. (need to cool tool for that.... parts store should have it, may rent one to you.) If it pulls more than 200 amps trying to start, replace the starter. If it draws less then 10, but won't crank the motor, replace the starter.

 

Sounds like a fuel delivery issue, the fuel pump or something along the way. Have your fuel pump pressure tested.

 

is that the name of the tool..cool tool? or should i just ask for a starter draw test?

 

thanks guys, ill definitely try those things...but i think i might have gotten a clue as to what could be causing the problem. i was fiddling with the relays and fuses under the glove compartment on the passengers side, then i decided to try ti start and fired up smooth. i had her running for about 5 minutes when i looked under the hood,we were trying to hook up an obd1 hoping i might get some better info on whats wrong, well i touched one of the harnesses connected to the ecm/pcm and the engine started to lose power and almost cut out. wiggled it some more and sure enough it went out. im thinking the wires or harness is bad or the computer itself. if its the harness how do i go about changing it?

 

Just ask for the starter draw test.

 

I would be tempted to remove all the connectors from the computer, clean them with alcohol and a small pencil eraser and then reinstall sealing up with dielectric grease when you do. I had an issue with one of my trucks that stemmed from this. I also had an intermittent problem on a similar year truck with the wiring in the relay / fuse box. When I took it apart, the contacts inside were corroded, a little loose and had obviously been hot and even arcing in the past. There's quite a bit of power going through there and I get a sense that if the ac compressor / clutch and/or the starter (draw test...) are pulling a lot of current, it can really heat up and over time be a problem... all of the relays must have been getting hot and so the fuel pump circuit, auto shut down circuit and ac circuit would all intermittently crap out... it was a little frustrating...

Those are two problems I've personally had crop up in similar era dodge trucks I've owned (and put a LOT of miles on). Might be worth looking into. intermittent electrical problems on an older vehicle I often look early on for issues with connectors, etc...

 

Sounds like much more than a clue to me.