New Ram 1500 won't start in the AM

[SimsRam]

Sooo....I bought my Ram 1500 Hemi 5.7 six weeks ago, car gets parked in the garage every PM.
Last week I couldn't start the engine- I pushed the start button and the engine just started cranking for about 15-20 seconds and the check engine light went on. Kept on pushing the start button until the engine finally went silent. Pushed the start button again and the engine started fine, but with a slight sputter....
So this has happened every single morning for over a week now. Got a "random misfire" diagnosed at a local auto parts shop and had to wait 5 days for a service appointment at my dealership.

Every time the engine was off for more than 3-4 hrs, it would not start, just crank. So this was happening during the day as well.

Dropped the truck off on Tuesday and they keep telling me that the truck is starting just fine at their dealership and they have no clue what is going on. First they thought it might be the outside temperature, which doesn't make sense to me because it's still mild outside, today I was told it's probably the fuel I put into my car, which is Bradley premium. Technician said it's low quality and full of dirt. We have two newer Durangos here at home that have never had an issue with the Bradley fuel...
That same fuel is in the truck right now though, so why is it starting fine with them?
Am supposed to pick up the truck this afternoon since they can't find what's wrong with it and am not happy about it. Would have liked to know what was causing the problem.
Anybody have any ideas? Read something about it maybe being the ICM, but they keep on telling me that they can't find the problem until the engine actually starts acting up.
I'm wondering if they think I'm just a dumb woman who doesn't know how to start her car

 

[Bullitt279]

Can't tell you what's wrong but maybe video while starting. If I it happens they will not think you don't know how to start it. Just a thought.

 

[R.L.K.]

Most dealership techs are dumb asses , with that said there are some that are FANTASTIC! Few and far between is my experience .

Like stated above video the starting problem .
And maybe go to a diff dealership.

I went to 3 dealerships befor I found one with the type of customer service and support AND technicians that wer top notch .
Don't be afraid to say ( do I need to bring my husband down here to get something accomplished ) even if your single , hell they don't know ! Tell them he is a Chevrolet 20+ year maint tech ! Lol that will get them cracking! Lol !

Lady , don't take me wrong , but I've worked @ auto maint shops before ( as a tech )and the salesman / maintenance writer that YOU actually speak to : Look fwd to and Bragg about how they make money off of women ...

 

[SimsRam]

LOL, thx . I actually took 3 videos on 3 different mornings because I KNEW they wouldn't take me serious or think I was exaggerating.
They weren't very interested in seeing them

Picked up my truck this evening. They said they checked EVERYTHING and they are pretty sure it's the fuel quality. Hmmm, my "bad fuel" is still in the tank, but caused no issues the 3 days they had it in the shop? They couldn't explain that.
" But it's a new truck so when you get a random misfire in a new vehicle, sometimes the various systems just need a bit to settle in and the problem resolved on its own. Please don't hesitate to give us a call if it starts acting up again" Okaaaay.....

Unfortunately all 3 dealerships in my area ( Denver) have pretty bad reviews regarding the service department, and this one is the one with the "better" ratings.

Guess I'll wait and see what happens tomorrow morning!

 

[csuder99]

Granted I do not live in the area but the fuel quality story is likely BS. A quick at look at the Bradley website shows they are reselling Sinclair, and refineries more often than not supply a number of different "brand name" fuels. There is a small chance that the specific gas station has a problem with its tanks but that is rare.

In any case you can exclude that by using some other gas for a few tanks. Keep the receipts to hold under their noses If the vehicle starts fine after a short stop but not after sitting for a few hours my first guess would be fuel system losing pressure. I doubt the dealership checked that.

 

[SimsRam]

I asked about the fuel pressure because it sputters a bit when the engine finally does start, he replied that they had connected the fuel pressure gauge to check the pressure and that pressure and volume were found to be good. He did admit that there was a slight stumble but it still started quickly.

Engine started fine this AM, guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens, but telling me that maybe it was a kink in the system that maybe worked itself out just doesn't seem right.

Thx for your input !

 

[WaterBoy1]

I'll share a story. About a month after purchasing my truck, it did the same thing. Just cranked and cranked. It only happened once though, never again.

I chalked it up to the fact that I might have pushed the start button just a millisecond before pressing on the brake. At least in my mind that's what happened LOL.

Now I'm very deliberate in pressing the brake for about a second before hitting the start button. As I said, it hasn't happened since.

I'm definitely not saying this is your issue, just sharing a similar event that happened with my truck.

Hopefully you get yours resolved quickly and find a decent service department!

 

[SlowRoller]

Hopefully, it's something as simple as Waterboys experience.

If not,,,

Unclear, but fuel pressure regulator / fuel pump / sticky injector might be something that could cause the problem.

After shutting it off, pressure slooooooowly bleeds out of the rail, either back into the tank or back into the cylinder.

Do you smell an abnormal amount of unburnt gas during the morning start?
Does the oil on the dipstick smell like gas?