engine is hard to start up and run?

It sounds like a weak fuel pump or the glow plug controller is out but to be sure lets run down this guide.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-cranks-excessively-before-starting

Please run down this guide and report back.

yes well its a 5.7 Dodge Cummins desiel and we replaced the fuel filter and air filter on both of them and the milage on one truck is 100,ooo and the other one is 60,ooo have not had any major work done to either one yet these engines are great most the time they keep on running like a good watch

yes they crank as fast as the other 3 pick ups forgot to ancer this before sorry

is there a start circut and a run circut on there as far as the fuel is handeled like a electris valve or regulater i ask this cus as soon as it starts it runs great

being diesel, it may be a glow plug issue... im sure u wait for the light to turn off before starting, and u said once they fire up they run great... thats pointing me towards glowplugs....

yes you can hear the relay kick out when they go off and the light on the dash goes out also but thats true it dosnt mean there working we will check that out my next question would be how do you check a glow plug ?

•Pull the electrical connector wires off to expose access to the glow plugs. Remove one plug at a time by placing the socket over the top of the glow plug and turn it counterclockwise to remove.

•2
Clean the threads of the glow plug with solvent and a rag.

•3
Set your voltmeter to Ohms and touch the electrodes of the voltmeter to the glow plug.

•4
Check to see what the resistance is of the glow plug. If you do not have an auto-ranging meter, try other resistance setting to verify you measurement. If the meter reads an open or infinity measurement (on Fluke meters, it will read OL), then the plug is defective. If the glow plug shows resistance that is approximately less than 5 Ohms, then the plug is not defective.

•5
Repeat Steps 1 through 4 for each glow plug.

2001 dodge ram 1500 318 if truck sits for a day just turn the key and starts. if sets for less than a day truck will take 3 to 5 seconds to start.even after shutting truck off for 5 minutes it will do the same. real bad fuel smell after starting. new fuel pump plugs,wires.distubiter cap,coil,battery o2 sensors converter is good.

Check to make sure the regulator isn't allowing too much pressure to the engine. Check plugs. Check temp sensor.

temp sensor new,
regulator is good. plugs new. when starting truck have to hit gas pedal to get to start.

Dodge 3500 diesel Changed both batts & transfer (lift) pump, no codes. what to check next? Trouble started after changing lift (transfer) pump, had injector pump cheked, it is fine. fuel pressure fine. changed both batteries & no codes showing up. Please help. Thanks!

did you use the upgraded tranfer pump. the old style was a real problem and they have an upgrade that works much better.

Roy

Yes, used upgraded lift pump, last night changed Crankshaft position sensor & so far it's turning over fine, but I will put it to the test. Still no codes tho, someone said it might be the ECM going out, do u think this is true? Does the ECM go out all together at once, or does it give signs like this?
signed...baffled in tx--lol

Hello, I have a 1999 Dodge Ram 4x4 auto with a 5.9L I have had this for nearly three years and has always statred great, this summer it has begun starting hard when engine is cold, starts fine when warm. if I cycle the fuel pump 3 times when engine is cold it starts better, It also has begun to idle rough. I have replaced plugs, cap, rotor, and wires. any help will be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Jeff

Measure fuel pressure with a mechanical gauge.
If fuel pressure is good, scan the PCM with a scanner (free service at auto parts stores) looking for any error codes, or pending codes.

47 pounds and there are no error codes








[quote:881e033776="mmprince4000"]Measure fuel pressure with a mechanical gauge.
If fuel pressure is good, scan the PCM with a scanner (free service at auto parts stores) looking for any error codes, or pending codes.[/quote:881e033776]

Check fuel pressure regulator vacuum line for gasoline, if present replace FPR.

Also check spark, specifically the crank sensor, a scan tool in live data mode should show RPM when cranking, if not or sporadic, replace CS.

can you please tell me why when it gets below 4o deg. my truck will not start only when the temp gets above 40deg. then it will start

Hi:
Without checking the truck, I would tell you to try replacing the temp sensor. If the sensor sends a bad signal to the computer, it is the same as trying to start an old car with no choke.

Let me know if this helps.
Joe

cold start hard to start crank then clicking engine lites then fuel pump will come on and it will start replaced relay no help, no codes runs good when warm

Inspect and test the ASD and Fuel pump relay see below. Double check battery connections make sure its clean and tight. If both relays checks out could be coming from the computer pin#51. ASD relay control circuit.

We have received a RV with a dodge truck front, which has 440 V8 Engine.

Problem: The RV has not been run in over ten years, and has been in the back of my wife's father house. It' just been in the backyard all this time.

We had it pulled to our house, and I have done some work on the RV part of it.

Question: How do I turn over manually, or initially start this V8 motor, which has not been running in ~ 10 years or so, "without hurting the internal parts, and causing some damage".

I've been told not to do a "hard start" of the vehicle.

What steps should I intially take, before attempting to start the engine after all of this time?

Tony

The biggest problem will probably be that the piston rings are rusted to the cylinder walls.Pull the plugs and spray in a lot of a good penetrating oil like PB Blaster,let it sit for a day and spray in some more.Definitely pull the distributor and spin the oil pump to lube the motor! If the engine turns with the starter then spin it for 30 seconds to blow out the oil before replacing the plugs.Change the points and condenser and cap and rotor if they look bad.Don't change the oil until it has run because it will be contaminated with the penetrating oil.This truck is pretty old but if you can get it to spin than you can get it to run! It will need a big tune up -new coil,plug wires,etc.Good luck! Don't forget to drain the old gasoline and put in some new gas and some dri gas to remove the moisture that has condensed in that vented tank for 10 years.

Hi there,

Pull the spark plugs out and add a solution of diesel & 10 weight oil to each cylinder add about 100ml give or take and let sit for a day or so to soak in behind the rings, then drain the oil and change the filter, add engine oil and pre fill the filter with as much oil as you can, with the plugs still out turn the engine over by hand a few revolutions, if engine turns freely, place rags over the plug holes(remember that is oil in them still) and crank over for a few sec, let start rest and repeat, do this a few times, that will get oil in behind the rings and help unstick any, if they are to tight they will break on start up, drain fuel and change filter, fit plugs and try a start, do not worry about any smoke as it will be smokey for a while, hopefully this will minimise any potential ring damage due to sitting for so long.

mark (mhpautos)

I agree about what has been said, and also to drain the old possibly "gummy gas" in the gas tank!

One of you guys said to crank or turn the engine over manually? How do I do this? Do I put it in "neutral", and then put a wrench on the nut holding the fan belt. What i am saying is this. on Model T's, they had a hand crank that was placed and connected to the crank, just as on old propeller planes, to get them started.

I would like to crank the engine over, "manually", but this RV truck (440 V8 engine) is a "automatic transmission".

I also don't understand why I have to pull out the "distributor from it's shaft", that doesn't make sense to me. Please respond.

T.

With the spark plugs out, the engine will (or should ) turn over by hand (socket on crankshaft pulley bolt) fairly easily. the problem with hitting the starter even if oil has been added to the bores is that if a ring is stuck the sudden shock of the starter cranking it over may crack a ring, rocking and turning slowly by hand is the best way to break any seal between rings and bore with out doing any damage, the other mod is suggesting that the oil pump is driven by the lower section of the distributor,you can remove the distributor and with a large screwdriver blade fitted to a variable speed drill, you may be able to drive the oil pump manually and build up oil pressure before any start up,

Mark (mhpautos)

I have replaced the starter, brain, coil x2, alternator, battery cables, new filters, (fuel and oi)l, radiator (due to a pin hole leak) distributor cap, thermostat, valve cover and oil pan gaskets,had the timing adjusted, and increased the idle slightly, remounted the coil to the firewall, (was mounted to the engine) and all spark plug wires. I have also had to wire a push button start, due to a loose ignition switch in the column. The problem is the truck turns over, but it doesn't always start, sometimes it rolls and fires right away, but half the time it refuses to start until i open the hood, and bridge the starter with a wrench, and give it a little starter fluid through the air filter or to the carb. Once its running it goes like a champ. It always starts -eventually-, sometimes it just takes a while. A secondary problem, the engine has a click that comes and goes, louder when it first starts, and then goes away, and comes back randomly as the truck is run. I will be replacing the spark plugs, and doing a compression test, though from a visual inspection the plugs are clean.Any help would be appreciated.

Fixed the starting issue, by bypassing the ignition switch, and creating basically, a controlled hot-wire, with toggle switches, but now the alternator is pumping out too much voltage, melting the volt-meter and nearly causing a fire. Help would be appreciated.

Engine starts right up when engine is cold. But when it's been run awhile and then shut off, it won't start again sometimes until it's cooled down.

What is the symtom? slow crank? or no crank?

i have a 1975 dodge tradesman van.... it will start no problem in the morning and run but as soon as its turned off after about an hour of running it will start again but only for a minute or so and then it will cut out and not start again untill its cold... ive replaced the plugs, plug wires, dist cap, dist rotor and air filter... im not sure if its the choke not coming off properly and flooding the engine? i will try and disconnect it today. but i ckecked last night when it cut out and i was not getting a spark from the plugs so im not sure if its something to do with the wirinmg or the distributor.... any ideas ? thanks..

Sounds like the ignition module...

after i sent the last msg i was able to try a different module that was given to me be a friend... as soon as this was fitted the van would not start at all. so thinking this to be the problem i went and bought a new module.i also bought some wire connectors as there is a wire that runs from the battery to a bolt in the bodywork under the hood (the earth?) that has a connector joining it but it has come loose. i put a new connector on this wire and thought i would test the engine before i put the new module on. the engine would not start. i disconnected the connector tried again and the engine started, i left the engine running and reconnected the wire the engine continued to run...!!!!????? the wiring is a bit of a state, there are wires running everywhere. in doing all this ive now lost the horn and the interior lights?? do you think i have a bad earth or do you think i still need the module replacing ... also if you change the manifold on the right hand bank should i get coolant coming out from the bolt nearest the rear of the engine? ive heard somewhere that some bolts on 318's pass through water jackets. thanks for your help.
steven

Water runs thru all intake manifolds, there are seals, and RTV is used at the corners. If your wires are that bad thats the first item to be repaired. I assume this is on the negative cable? If it's the positive, don't ground it, it should be going to the starter solinoid, or possibly a fuse link. If the manifold leaks, you will have to remove iit and re gasket and re seal it. Severe vacuum leaks can make for a hard starting condition!

sorry should have been more clear in my description.... im talking about the exhaust manifold not the inlet.... the bolt on the right hand side nearest the back of the engine leaks anti freeze when removed... i think this is because it passes through a water jacket... i was just checking as when i first took this off i thought that the block had been cracked in some way but after checking on the internet i think this is normal??. we blew the gasket on the exhaust manifold but have a new one fitted now and the engine is running fine for the minute... not fitted new module yet and still have no interior lights or horn... just waiting for the next time it cuts out and will fit new module to see if this cures the problem... when it comes to finding a wiring fault im a bit clueless as to where to start.

yes the wire going to ground is the negative. the positive goes to what i think is a fuse link (small black box, loads of wires, some going through to the dash, some going to the ignition module, some going off into the engine.. any suggestions for a good place to start to find a wiring fault would be really appreciated thanks for your help...

The black box is the power distribution center, open it up and see if any of you large fuses are burnt.