Brief: After 2009 Dodge RAM 1500 4.7L Fleet maintenance, the engine won't turn over. When the key is moved to the ON position, all electronics work, the fuel pump turns on and pressurizes the system, and the security light blinks. But when the key's moved to IGNITION, nothing turns over. Any ideas?
The long story: my friend had a pronounced ticking noise in his engine, loss of power, and a small coolant leak for a while, so we decided to tackle it. We decided to do some exploratory surgery to get to at least the rockers and inspect them, with timing and head removal later if necessary. Per the shop manual, we stripped the following:
The following items were replaced with OEM components, and everything else was thoroughly cleaned and refurbished:
FWIW, the injectors were especially dirty, all but two were thoroughly cleaned and reinstalled. All but 3 of the lifters had lateral play on them; all were replaced.
After proper reassembly (oh, those valve keepers can f*uck right off), the behavior at the beginning of the post is observed; it won't even attempt to turn over. As far as troubleshooting, the engine can be spun freely at the crank and has good compression, the fuel pump can be heard turning on, the fuel rail gets charged, and then...nothing.
We were cooked after reassembly so we figured we'd call it and attack it fresh today. I'll verify the wiring harness is installed correctly, but that's about the only thing I think that may be wrong.
The truck is behaving like the immobilizer system has been tripped. He has one key he's always used, and there's the "valet" key just for the doors. I'll hook up my OBD reader to the truck to see if it's kicking code(s); I forgot that during reassembly.
Is there a cold-start procedure that we missed? Is the ECU getting in the way? Are we missing something else? Any help is appreciated.
The long story: my friend had a pronounced ticking noise in his engine, loss of power, and a small coolant leak for a while, so we decided to tackle it. We decided to do some exploratory surgery to get to at least the rockers and inspect them, with timing and head removal later if necessary. Per the shop manual, we stripped the following:
- Battery was disconnected
- Electrical harness
- Fuel rail and injectors
- Throttle body and intake manifold
- Tensioner and serpentine belt
- Water pump
- Moved power steering and A/C compressor pump out of the way
- Valve covers
- Top 8 spark plugs
- All rocker arms
- All lifters
The following items were replaced with OEM components, and everything else was thoroughly cleaned and refurbished:
- Water pump
- Top 8 spark plugs (heat profile matched, properly gapped); the lower 8 were left
- Lifters
- Coolant temp sensor
FWIW, the injectors were especially dirty, all but two were thoroughly cleaned and reinstalled. All but 3 of the lifters had lateral play on them; all were replaced.
After proper reassembly (oh, those valve keepers can f*uck right off), the behavior at the beginning of the post is observed; it won't even attempt to turn over. As far as troubleshooting, the engine can be spun freely at the crank and has good compression, the fuel pump can be heard turning on, the fuel rail gets charged, and then...nothing.
We were cooked after reassembly so we figured we'd call it and attack it fresh today. I'll verify the wiring harness is installed correctly, but that's about the only thing I think that may be wrong.
The truck is behaving like the immobilizer system has been tripped. He has one key he's always used, and there's the "valet" key just for the doors. I'll hook up my OBD reader to the truck to see if it's kicking code(s); I forgot that during reassembly.
Is there a cold-start procedure that we missed? Is the ECU getting in the way? Are we missing something else? Any help is appreciated.
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