Starting problem

[greenvan]

I have a 99 dodge ram van 1500, with the 318 v-8, 65,000 miles. In the past week, I have had difficulty starting it when the engine is cold. When it is warm, it starts right up. I eventually get it started after many tries. I have the service manual and under starter fails to operate, it gives 7 reasons for not starting. 1. is battery discharged. I had it checked and it is ok. #3. starter relay faulty, no, I changed that. #4. ignition switch faulty, no. #5, park /neutral switch faulty, no. #6 starter solenoid faulty, no. #7. Starter motor faulty, no. All these operate perfectly when the engine is warm. Only possibility is # 2, starting circuit wiring faulty. I checked all the grounds and there is no corrosion. I thought the starting routine on these vehicles were "fail-safe". Anyone have any idea why it won't start when cold?

 

[tron67j]

The issue of it starting hard when it's cold could also identify a bad coolant temperature sensor. If that's bad. It could be delivering the wrong mixture of fuel which is really hard on an engine. When it's cold. You can test it, there are videos online how to do it. It's basically just a resistor so give it a shot and see if it's bad.

 

[greenvan]

I replaced that a year ago. It definitely had an effect on engine performance, but didn't have an effect on starting. After reading some of the other posts on starting problems, I looked at the terminals on the starter. They are all
solid and appear to be in good shape. However I have a small oil leak which appears to be coming from the valve cover gasket. The terminals are covered in oil. This is a Denso starter and the only way to access the terminals is to take the starter out. I am going to buy some degreaser today and clean them off. One connector is bolted on and the other is a plug in connector. I still don't see how this would disrupt the electrical flow to the starter. It still starts perfect when it is warm.

 

[greenvan]

This is hard to believe, but after cleaning the oil off the starter with gunk degreaser, the engine has started 2 times when cold. Maybe it was the plug-in connector that got soaked in oil. My next job is replacing the valve cover gaskets. Anyone have any suggestions on the best gasket sealer?