1998 Ram 1500 intermittently turns over

5

Asked by Taylor Oct 26, 2013 at 08:42 PM about the Dodge RAM 1500

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have 1998 Dodge ram 1500 with the 5.9v8. Recently when I get in the truck to start it,
nothing happens. However this only happens when the engine is cold. if it has been
running and is warm it starts right up no problem. The truck has a brand new starter
and battery as of yesterday and i am still having the issue. The only way to start it
when it is cold is with an ignition trigger between the battery and the small post on the
starter. I have also replaced the starter relay in the main fuse box. Any ideas would be
much appreciated

4 Answers

5

I finally got it fixed! after double checking the battery, starter and starter relay were all good. I used a tone generator and probe to trace all of the wires in the ignition system and check them for breaks. After confirming I had no breaks in my wiring, I had the problem narrowed down to 2 things: either the ignition switch or the neutral safety switch was bad. When I checked the neutral safety switch, it was not snugly tightened into the transmission (I could turn it by hand) so I replaced the neutral safety switch with a new one and made sure it was nice and tight and I have not had any problems

20

I'm having the same problem right now...when I turn the key it just clicks one time...gonna try the neautral safety switch next...

2 people found this helpful.
3,270

Seems to be an ongoing issue with the same defective ignition switch in these vehicles as the Ford, Honda, Acura, Lexus, Toyota, and Infinity that all use the same bad parts. Change the ignition switch and consider yourself lucky you didn't get cheated by crooked dealerships and dishonest manufacturers.

1 people found this helpful.

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