Stubborn Engine Won't Ignite

I spent this morning loading up wood in a trailer and hauling it back to the house. It pulled great and had no problems with it. I get back to the house, back up to the wood rack, and killed the truck to unload the wood.

I get back inside, turn they key, and the truck seems to have had enough. It will turn over strongly, but will not ignite. Starter is strong, battery terminals are corrosion free and the battery is strong. Seems to be either a fuel pump or ( gulp) an electrical issue.

Checked for codes by using the key trick, but none popped up.

Here is a short video of what the vehicle is doing.

Friend of mine is saying fuel pump, but I want a few more opinions before I try to tackle replacing that.

I there anyone else that has had this problem and knows how i can either diagnose it or fix it? Help would be greatly appreciated!!

I am not saying the fuel pump IS what went out but I will say the same exact thing happened to me before in another truck, and it was a clogged inline fuel filter. Swapped that out, started right up.

Edit: I havent been under my truck enough to know if 3rd gens even have in line fuel filters, seems that I read somewhere they are located internally within the fuel tank. Someone with better knowledge will speak up soon I bet.

Yep, the fuel filter is inside the tank as part of the fuel pump assembly. When you turn on the key you should hear the fuel pump prime or whine for a few seconds. There is a Schrader valve on the passenger's side fuel rail on top of the engine where you can check to see if it has fuel pressure. If you have no fuel pressure and no codes then I would bet its the fuel pump.

RonJon '06 said:

Yep, the fuel filter is inside the tank as part of the fuel pump assembly. When you turn on the key you should hear the fuel pump prime or whine for a few seconds. There is a Schrader valve on the passenger's side fuel rail on top of the engine where you can check to see if it has fuel pressure. If you have no fuel pressure and no codes then I would bet its the fuel pump.

Click to expand...

I hope this is it! How do you check for fuel pressure on that rail?

We went back out to the truck after letting it sit. Tried cranking it, no dice.

At the suggestion of my mechanic buddy, we had my father tap the fuel tank near the pump with a hammer while i tried to crank it. It ignited , but it ran rough and the RPM's were behaving erratically while the tapping continued. When the hammer stopped tapping, it powered down and I killed it. So i reckon the pump is the issue.

I have a full shop at my disposal with most tools known to man inside it, save some specially tools. Is replacing this pump myself within the realm of possibility, and has anyone here done that before?? If i can save a few hundred bucks by avoiding putting it in the shop that would be epic. Gotta figure out how much the darn thing is too.

I just use a small flat blade screwdriver and press the needle in the valve to see if there is pressure. You could put a gauge on it as well. You can replace the pump by either dropping the tank or lifting the bed. I bought an an Airtex pump about a year ago for $225 but the thing doesn't work right and some other members have had similar problems so if you end up replacing it I would go with a different brand.

If you whack the tank and it starts, it needs a pump. Airtex is junk. Usually the cheapest one you can get. It is east to replace the fuel pump. You've just got a couple straps that hold the tank up and a couple lines on the top of it and it is out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hope the tank isn't full.

NYCruiser said:

Hope the tank isn't full.

Click to expand...

Due to my apathy this week, it has less than 1/4 in in it. That good?


Just phoned the local parts shop and they have a Precision brand pump for $206. Reckon this may be what i go with, and they have it in stock.

1/4 is good. A full tank of fuel is pretty heavy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah. You'll be glad its only got 1/4 tank in it if you end up having to drop it.

My friends truck was showing 1/4 tank full and it turned out to be out of gas ... The fuel indicator was broken and was still showing 1/4 take ... We put gas and it started right up ..

New , awful sounding developments.

We pushed it into our garage today to get a better look at it. We were just about to tear into the fuel pump, but we have reservations, so I called a mechanic buddy over to see if he can pinpoint the problem.

Turn the key, and we can now hear the fuel pump whirr for 3 seconds like its supposed to, then shut off. We try to crank it w/o any throttle, and it turn over smooth as can be but will never light.

Next we apply throttle while cranking, and the engine makes some gawdawful racket coming from up front. Sounds absolutely dreadful. We do this two more times to ensure it wasn't a fluke before we quit before we screw it up further

It turns over smooth as can be, but once you apply throttle , the poor hemi sounds like its missing and firing on all cylinders at random. I'd film it, but I'd rather not risk it.

We take inspect the engine, finding no leaks,, no smoke. Only thing amiss is that the oil is maybe 1 quart-ish low. Shouldn't be a problem, since oil pressure was sound beforehand and no light came on indicating any oil problem.

We pull one of the plugs from the front most drivers side cylinder, and from what little we could see inside it looked wet and dirty. Didn't have a borescope, so all we had to go on was a few mirrors. Spark plug smelled like fuel, but we tried to start it quite few times, so it's a possibility it may be flooded or something. IDK, I'm at a loss for words.

We have a friend coming over with a vehicle scanner tomorrow to see if he can grab a code (if there is one) before we give up and hobble it over to the shop.

Anyone have any ideas???

Throttle body? Check to see if the red lightning bolt is staying on in the instrument cluster.

Well, I took it to the shop and the mechanics cranked it, and all of them said i need a new engine. I'm at a loss for words.

There goes approximately $6000.

Well, any parts tips for a new engine? Like a metal vs plastic intake manifold, air intake, etc???

That's it? New engine? What did they say is wrong with the one that is in there?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That is a big jump without doing any real testing. I'd first pull all the spark plugs and look for damage and condition. You say it's flooded. To clean a flooded condition you hold the throttle to the floor while cranking, this cuts fuel during cranking. With the plugs out I would do a compression check to see if there are any weak cylinders. You might also consider removing the valve covers and inspect the valve springs. If you have any damage on any of the spark plugs then you need to look at that cylinder closely. Good luck..

"Welp, there's your problem"


All that shrapnel is bits and pieces of the cylinder #7 Piston. It appears to me that a valve seat broke loose inside the combustion chamber and wreaked havok. All the valves seemed to be present when i look at the engine, but they didn't take the heads off. When they pulled the air breather they could hear metal shrapnel jumping around in it when they moved it or shook it.



Image was shaky because it's a picture of a video with two people holding each unit, but even then you can see how pitted the piston is. Cylinder walls are probably *****.

Has anything like this ever happened to anyone else? I've heard anecdotes about similar instances with the #7 cylinder, but i assumed these were pretty rare.

Usually I recognize at least some of the shrapnel when shown, I don't recognize any of that mess. There is a good chance the head is scrap, but often the block can be sleeved. Good luck..

Redtruck-VA said:

Usually I recognize at least some of the shrapnel when shown, I don't recognize any of that mess. There is a good chance the head is scrap, but often the block can be sleeved. Good luck..

Click to expand...

The biggest piece found shows the ring lands on the piston. Something must have hit it hard. Some smaller pieces show the smooth outer portion where the piston is flush with the cylinder wall. There are a few smaller pieces that look like they could be a part of the valve seat. I'm going to try to get them to rip that head off tomorrow so i can get a good look at it, even it it's just for giggles so I can see the extent of the mess.

Apparently this is a fluke and nothing I did would have caused this or prevented it. I happened to pick the one hemi with some sort of flaw in that part, I guess.

That sucks, maybe time to check for a salvage yard motor?