Truck died after idling now won’t start

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isthatsuperman

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Georgia
Ram Year
1997
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5.2 magnum
My 97 with the 5.2 has been sitting for a couple months and I decided to start her up today. The truck started up fine but soon began to have a weird idle and some hissing like a vacuum leak and eventually stalled out after about a minute.

I tried to start it back up immediately but it just cranks over as if there’s no spark.

I was wondering if you guys had any idea as to what could be the problem? Some other threads I’ve read suggest the cam or crank sensor. I was wondering if maybe the fuel pump had sucked up some sediment from sitting so long and perhaps that’s the problem.
 

Spike95

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Throwing guesses at the wall does you no good. If you are working with rudimentary tools, this is the way I have looked for the problem on the side of the road with no fancy tools…
The first thing to do is check if you have spark. You can do that with an insulated handle screwdriver (look on YouTube for video of this). If you have spark, then check for fuel pressure. You can release the pressure from the fuel rail that attaches to the injectors by pressing in on the little Schrader valve (on driver side top of engine. It has a black cap on it like a tire valve stem). Crank the engine and then press the Schrader again to see if it has built back up fuel pressure. Of course wear safety glasses while doing this.

These two steps can give you a direction to start looking in…
If you have a failing sensor, it will often times produce a check engine light. You can check your codes on the dash by switching your ignition to the run position on off on off on off on quickly without cranking (that’s 4 times on). Any faults will show up on the odometer.
 

TeamKDRT

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I know this sounds incredibly simplex, but it is the same circumstances as yours, and this is what happened. Same '97 truck/engine, same behavior, and here's what got it "all better." Had to wash out the fuel tank (so many years of sitting, and there was crap in the bottom). Replaced the fuel pump (might as well since you have to drop the tank anyway, and the screen would be likely not clean). A previous owner had inserted an inline fuel filter (std canister type) where the fuel line meets the fuel rail on the engine; replaced that. NOW...none of that helped much. I then replaced the Idle Air Control valve (on the back of the throttle body by the firewall on the '97 5.2). THAT solved the idle problem. The starting issue turned out to be simply hidden corrosion on the positive battery terminal; it was not visible on the outside...it looked clean, felt tight, had good voltage. Pulled it, took the brush to the post and clamp...and starting returned to normal. It even runs better at speed now. Onward...
 

RamElectricalRet

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I'm a retired Ram/Jeep Truck Engineering electrical engineer that specialized in Wiring durability testing. I had a Cummins test truck (dual batteries) that kept having the left battery have a low state of charge. A visual inspection of the battery post /battery cable clamp interface looked fine with no corrosion. I tested the interface with a meter and it measured infinite resistance. Simply cleaning (wire brush) the "clean" battery post solved the connection issue. That one really surprised me since everything looked clean!
 

TeamKDRT

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I'm a retired Ram/Jeep Truck Engineering electrical engineer that specialized in Wiring durability testing. I had a Cummins test truck (dual batteries) that kept having the left battery have a low state of charge. A visual inspection of the battery post /battery cable clamp interface looked fine with no corrosion. I tested the interface with a meter and it measured infinite resistance. Simply cleaning (wire brush) the "clean" battery post solved the connection issue. That one really surprised me since everything looked clean!
Indeed...it really shocked me when I figured it out. FWIW...I've got a second battery on this one, connected via cables through the firewall to the back (jump) seat, where the second battery sits. We're doing that to support the expanded comms gear, lighting, and a hefty inverter.
 

Mister Luck

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Inspect for evidence of rodent nesting
look for chewed wires, hoses etc.
could be a vacuum leak off the master and/ or the hose is rotten from the inside,
how full is the fuel tank ?
 

1979PowerWagon360

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I'm used to dealing with carburated engines, but if this is a throttle body F.I., why not simply poor some fuel down the throttle body and see if you get a start and at least temporary run, telling you it's a fuel issue.
 

RamDiver

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battery post cleaner.jpg

It sounds like you may have a fuel delivery issue but there's not much point in chasing anything start related without cleaning both battery posts and clamps first. The cleaner tool above is very cheap from Amazon or most auto parts stores.

I clean mine twice per year and in a warm area like Georgia, I'd clean at least once per year and coat both sides (post & clamp) with dielectric grease.

.
 

JG-Man

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I count four votes for checking and cleaning your battery terminals as job 1. Can't hurt!
So, I'm jumping on the PowerWagon, I mean bandwagon; make that 5 votes for cleaning the battery posts! :)
 

JG-Man

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Hey, you said it sat for a couple of months between starts, BUT how old is that gas in your tank? Really old gas turns to varnish in your fuel lines. It runs at first then everything in the entire fuel system gets clogged up with a varnish-like substance and it won't start again til everything is cleaned.
 
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