I need yalls help!

[Trey Eden]

I recently just bought a 98 Ram 1500 5.9 and it had no muffler. It was cut at about the end of the cab. Being that it was really loud I installed a muffler. The truck ran fine with it for about 2 days before i went to the store and went to turn it on and all I got was clicks. I figured it was the starter so I changed that, the battery, and alternator being that the previous owner probably never changed either of them ever. But still got the clicks when trying to start the truck. A buddy of mine asked what I had recently done to the truck and I told him about the muffler. He said it could be the back pressure so I undid the U clamps and took it off and ol behold it started! But now two days later I'm having the same problem. I'm noticing that when it doesn't start, if I jiggle the exhaust pipes the right way, it'll start. Can anyone tell me what this is?? I know a decent amount about mechanics and this one has me stumped. Please help!

 

[MADDOG]

Check your power cable grounds and connections. I wonder if the chassis ground is loose and coming in contact with the exhaust.

Back pressure won't cause a dead battery or a battery that won't function.

 

[Trey Eden]

Check your power cable grounds and connections. I wonder if the chassis ground is loose and coming in contact with the exhaust.

Back pressure won't cause a dead battery or a battery that won't function.

I followed the exhaust to the headers and the only wire touching it is the O2 sensors. Also brand new battery and terminals all tight and secure.

 

[NCRaineman]

No muffler is going to cause an engine to not start. You've got an electrical issue, probably ground wire related like Maddog there said. Crawl up underneath and look around real good near where you put that muffler on, there is a loose or unshielded wire under there causing a short.

 

[MADDOG]

I followed the exhaust to the headers and the only wire touching it is the O2 sensors. Also brand new battery and terminals all tight and secure.

Good...then you are almost done. Check for a primary system ground problem.

 

[rrb6699]

agreed. the wiring harness rides along top of the tyranny. I found several gnawed wires that I had to fix. you could also remove your negative battery terminal, hook the positive lead to the cable and set the meter on 10a current (recommend meter with 10amp setting) and see if you have a significant drain. usually over a quarter amp (250 milliamps).

if you do pull one fuse at a time until you find the one draining the battery. that may help you narrow down the circuit to focus on.

make sure your battery remains fully charged.

 

[Trey Eden]

No muffler is going to cause an engine to not start. You've got an electrical issue, probably ground wire related like Maddog there said. Crawl up underneath and look around real good near where you put that muffler on, there is a loose or unshielded wire under there causing a short.

I can't find anything. All grounds are connected. I just put the muffler on because it was running. Now it doesn't start. I take the muffler off and it turns right over.

 

[rrb6699]

it must be clogged then. is it a new muffler? either that or the tailpipe clogged

 

[SYKRAMMAN]

There has to be a logical answer to this problem!

 

[dapepper9]

Disconnect the front 02 and see if anything changes

 

[Jeffrey Vian]

back pressure in the exhaust can steal power and possibly cause stalling, but does not cause clicking when trying to start.

Your description of the failure as clicks when trying to start indicates an electrical problem.
You said you replaced the starter, battery, and alternator. You also said you checked the grounds.

Mine has a several ground wires (negative side). engine to pcm, engine to firewall (2), battery cable to engine, battery to fender, battery to frame.
On the positive side it also has battery to fuse block and battery to starter.

Those two wires (neg battery to engine and pos battery to starter) must be in good condition end to end for enough power to run the starter. Loose or corroded connections or broken wires can often be interpreted as a bad battery, a bad starter, or even a bad alternator causing low battery voltage.

I recently replaced battery clamps, and replaced connectors on battery cables and several ground wires for a similar issue. All the wire/cable ends at the battery were badly corroded and had been poorly installed. Any or all of the ground or battery wires can have a loose or corroded connector and may cause problems. Your description of lack of maintenance by PO would have me digging into all possible electrical fail points. If it appears corroded I would either replace the wire or repair the connector.

 

[DodgeTx]

replace your terminals or post pics of your current ones, betting those terminals are tightened up all the way and still loose. a new set at max is 9.99 at any auto store.

Had a similar issue with my 2001 when we first got it, the connections looked fine but were actually loose. didn't dig as far as you into it, only replaced the battery and the autozone guy recommended the connections as well. never had another issue after that.


I always replace these on any vehicle we purchase, unless the OEM is still present and in good condition.