You said it won't even light up the dash. At a minimum it needs to go on a charger before you try anything else.
Truck won't stay started (suspected alternator)
- Thread starter thejon
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You said it won't even light up the dash. At a minimum it needs to go on a charger before you try anything else.
Some good suggestions already made here.
How do the battery terminals look? Green, or white with crustiness? If you see that, a 26 year old truck likely has a bunch of that gunk (corrosion) all throughout the battery cables themselves. I had to replace all of them on my Ram.
How do the battery terminals look? Green, or white with crustiness? If you see that, a 26 year old truck likely has a bunch of that gunk (corrosion) all throughout the battery cables themselves. I had to replace all of them on my Ram.
That one isn't really designed for low voltages like a 12v car system. Go get this one and report back.
You had a spark at one battery terminal. Make sure the connectors at both terminals are tight and corrosion-free. If you can turn the connector on the battery post or even take it off the post, that terminal was too loose. Intermittent contact will explain some of your symptoms. Any battery acid on the post is slippery and will hinder contact.
At the least, clean the battery of any visible corrosion and moisture, check the connectors to make sure they're tight on the posts and you can't turn or remove them, then see what happens.
You might need to replace at least the suspect connector. If you replace one, best to replace the other too.
At the least, clean the battery of any visible corrosion and moisture, check the connectors to make sure they're tight on the posts and you can't turn or remove them, then see what happens.
You might need to replace at least the suspect connector. If you replace one, best to replace the other too.
I did check the connection s and looked for corrosion. There was plenty on the positive cable so I unhooked the terminal thing and took a wire brush to it and put it back together. It started right up (where as before, it wouldn't do anything) ran for about 45 seconds (foot on the gas a little to bring the idle up) and then sputtered out. BUT whereas before, when the battery would stay dead, this time it did try to turn over but wouldn't... It would just sputter sputter.... Battery sill strong enough to try though, which is more than it did before. What next, fuel?
The last time I tried, I just put the cables on the post and started it (didn't stay running of course), but no, they weren't tightened down. I didn't think that would impact whether or not it would STAY started, but after reading this, I'll tighten them down and try again.
It only runs for about 45 seconds but I can have my wife check while I'm inside giving it gas or vice versa
I think the alternator isn’t working at all. The truck is charged via the charger, starts, and then is quitting as the battery discharges without support from the alternator. That’s my armchair diagnosis, and testing with the voltmeter is needed to confirm.
A fully charged battery without any accessory loads should idle a '99 Dodge for a good 1/2 hour.
Try to run it off starting fluid.
That's what I was thinking...
The original problem might have been a combination of a fuel issue with bad battery connection. After I cleaned the connections, the truck started and only ran for a bit but the battery stayed good, unlike before. I plan on checking Feul filters and all that next. I'm just spitballing here so any other ideas, keep them coming.
How do I do that? I've done it before with carburetors but where do I spray it with a Feul injected vehicle?
Remove the air intake somewhere near the throttle body. Have a helper start the car. When it sounds like its going to quit, give it a quick shot of ether. If it ramps back up for a few seconds then goes back to stalling, odds are its a fuel issue.
Sounds like a plan. From what it looks like online, the Feul filter is a part of the Feul pump assembly, which is located inside the feul tank. Which is just wonderful
Then it's not the fuel filter as the "in-tank units" are not serviceable.
When you charge it to get it started are you fully charging it or just enough to start it?
So would you just drop the tank and replace the "in-tank" assembly? If it is a Feul issue, where would you start?
It's an old, crappy charger but I had it on for 3-4 hours before I put it back in.
If it was really low, 4 hours would only get it 75% full. A lot less if the charger can't push 10 amps or so.
Perhaps a couple of simple tests. When the engine stalls check the voltage at the battery posts not the clamps this will tell you if the battery is losing power. If this test shows 12 volts or better push the red positive lead of the voltmeter into the side of the positive battery clamp then test the grounds at various points using the black meter lead. The entire chassis including the engine is part of negative circuit. The meter will read 12 v each time the black lead finds a good ground .
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