Trouble starting when warm

Ram4u · Nov 1, 2016

2001 Ram 1500 4x4 5.9 automatic. Issue has just recently and randomly started coming up although it is happening with more frequency now. Truck will start fine in the mornings or after it has been sitting for a while but, if I try to start it right after its run for some time, it acts like the battery is dead or dying. It will turn over very slowly and start occasionally or like here recently, won't turn over enough to start. Will not start when hooked to jumper cables either when it does this.

Previously when the issue first arose, I had the battery, alternator and starter tested and all passed as fine. Replaced the battery this morning when it did it to me on my way to work when I stopped for gas. Slow/hard turning over and wouldn't crank. Wouldn't take a jump for two different vehicles or a jump box. Called my wife and had her purchase and bring me a new battery. Fired up with the new battery although it still hesitated with a slightly slow turnover at first.

This evening leaving work, truck fired up and turned over great. Stopped less then 5 minutes later at the store and come out to leave and it acts like the battery is weak again with very slow turn over and just barely starting up. Ran slightly rough/lopey right after starting which required me to give it a little gas for a minute to keep it running. Tried to explain as thorough with the description as possible. Anyone have any ideas what I should check that could be causing this?

dodge dude94 · Nov 1, 2016

To be honest, the only things that readily come to mind are the PCM and the starter, I'm leaning more towards starter.

crash68 · Nov 2, 2016

Wonder if it's a poor ground. Use your jumper cable to jump from the battery negative directly to engine itself when it happens.

crazzywolfie · Nov 2, 2016

how many miles are on the truck. i would probably pull the starter and check the contacts in the solenoid. it almost sounds like they might be shot which would prevent the starter motor from getting the power needed to really turn the engine. i shimmed the contact on my spare starter since it will likely never be needed but better safe than sorry.

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Ram4u · Nov 2, 2016

Thanks for the replies so far fellas! Truck has around 140k on it. I'm leaning towards some sort of starter issue but honestly, I have no idea. Everything else still operates and seems fine when it does this as in, nothing else's acts like the battery is weak. I was also wondering about grounds but it should have an issue all the time and not just when the truck is warm if it's a ground issue correct?

crazzywolfie · Nov 2, 2016

you can try feeling around the ground connection or if you have a temp gun you can try checking the temp of them. a poor ground connection will get warm or hot after a bit and let less power through but it is pretty easy to test if you have a bad ground. just grab some jumper cables and clamp them from somewhere on the engine to the battery when warm. if it starts better then that is your issue. if not then you probably have an issue with the solenoid on the starter. from what i have seen the 1 contact in these starters seems to always wear out pretty quick compared to the other

dodge dude94 · Nov 2, 2016

At my last job we encountered more than a few vehicles that wouldn't start or were weak to start when warm like this.

Almost all were a failing starter.

RobbieB · Nov 3, 2016

Cranks sensor is likey bad. This is the stereotypical cranks sensor failure pattern. When cool the insulation is good and it reads right. When it gets warm the insulation breaks down and the sensor doesn't pick up right. These are usually inexpensive part. I'd replace it before I did the starter.

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crazzywolfie · Nov 3, 2016

dodge dude94 said:
At my last job we encountered more than a few vehicles that wouldn't start or were weak to start when warm like this.

Almost all were a failing starter.

ya but with the starters on these engines it seems like the 1 contact in the starter wears out quicker than the other. this would prevent the starter motor from getting full power and could cause it to turn the engine over slow or not at all

RobbieB said:
Cranks sensor is likey bad. This is the stereotypical cranks sensor failure pattern. When cool the insulation is good and it reads right. When it gets warm the insulation breaks down and the sensor doesn't pick up right. These are usually inexpensive part. I'd replace it before I did the starter.

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i think you might have read the original post wrong. the crank sensor should not effect the speed that the starter turns the engine over at.

RobbieB · Nov 3, 2016

I did. Staying up late for game 7 then getting up at 4:30 is killing me.

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Ram4u · Nov 3, 2016

Thank you for the additional follow up guys! I'm going to try to have a look at things this weekend and see if I can figure it out. Haven't had the chance yet. Crappy thing is I think I have another problem to add on top of this one now. On the way home from work last night, I noticed whenever I would accelerate from a dead stop in any way other then a gentle manner, it sounded like I may have a broken transmission mount. No clunks but I was getting a kind of metallic rubbing noise sounding like it was coming from the transmission. This sucks on multiple levels because I just had a new transmission installed earlier in the year. Less then 10k on it. Ughhhh.

Trouble starting when warm

Ram4u

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dodge dude94

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crash68

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crazzywolfie

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Ram4u

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crazzywolfie

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dodge dude94

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RobbieB

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crazzywolfie

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