2007 dodge ram 1500 4.7 flex fuel engine
Asked by GuruDCZZZL Jan 04, 2025 at 11:54 AM about the 2007 Dodge RAM 1500 SLT LB RWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
The truck always cranked rapidly and started until a few weeks ago. Now it
labors a few times then cranks as before and starts. Cables are fine, no
resistence with multimeter. O'reilly guys tested the starter and alternator on
the truck and say no problems there but their tester clamped onto the battery
posts, can that properly test the current draw? Are the o/reilly guys wrong?
Do i just need a new starter?
4 Answers
It could be a cam or crank sensor out of calibration or not picking up TDC signal. I had a Jeep with a 4.7 and had a similar symptom, replaced both cam and crank sensors and bingo no more problems. This problem will not appear on a code check, it will show on a waveform pattern if it is acting up at the same time as the waveforms are being scanned.
I'd suspect the battery before the starter. I assume as part of the starter/alternator test they load tested the battery. If not, they should have. Also, they need to put your cold cranking amps (CCA) of your battery into the tester before they begin the tests. I'd load test the battery again and check the battery cable connections at both ends. The starter could be getting tired but it would have drawn excessive power while cranking during the tests. BTW, I've used that type of tester before. For a quick snapshot of what's going on they're pretty good. But if you have an intermittent problem, not so much. For example if you have the problem when the engine is cold it wouldn't present itself for the test because you drove to O'Reilly's for the test and the engine was warm. Jim
GuruDCZZZL answered 2 months ago
The problem has solved itself. It must have been a short from the positive cable to ground for when I was testing the positive and negative cables for resistance I must have nudged the positive cable away from where it was grounding when getting my hands and multimeter probe down to the positive cable lug on the starter. Now it starts up as before. I just need to find where the fault is and tape it. Thank you all for your ideas
You're welcome, glad to help! Thanks for letting us know! If you find the positive battery cable itself is worn you might want to replace it. Jim