Truck won't start
Asked by Don Apr 27, 2014 at 08:47 PM about the 1999 Dodge RAM 1500 ST Club Cab 4WD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
The only way I can get the truck to start is with a fully charged battery, my battery charger hooked to the battery and set on booster setting and with my wife's car also connected with booster cables to the battery. It requires all three sources of electricity in series at once to start. It of course turns over very fast but also turns over several times before it does start. It will then sit and idle relatively smooth and normal. I would very much appreciate any ideas from anyone.
4 Answers
I think you are connecting in parallel ( otherwise you would be putting out 36 volts) regardless you're using a lot of juice. Your cranking amps required means something is terribly wrong. You need someone that can read an electrical meter to see where all the draw is. You are frying sometning!
Could it be something as simple as one or more bad ground connections that are requiring this much electricity to get the system to complete the circuit. I have checked for spark at coil and plugs and there is spark at these points. If I try to start it on just the battery even with it fully charged it won't fire but after it turns over say a dozen times as I let off the key it will sort of backfire a small puff of smoke back thru the intake; nothing violent just a small whiff of smoke. Also the truck is not being driven on the road since last fall but has been started regularly and driven on my property up until it started doing this just before Christmas.
Sorry the previous was not an answer, I was asking another question but did not realize I was doing so in the wrong window.
Thanks for the BEST. How about (with just one battery) and a test meter check at the starter for voltage ,amps while someone cranks her over. watch out for moving parts when you're under the hood!
