Hey Folks,

My 1997 Dodge Ram 2500 manual tranny 4X4 has been to my favorite diesel repair shop twice to have this issue fixed, but still it persists! After they work on it, it will start first time every time for about two weeks, then go back to acting up. It starts the first try about 50% of the time now, and that's not good enough! When it does start the first time it does so with no issues, just fires right up. When it doesn't start it turns over like normal, starter normal, plenty of battery, it acts like it isn't getting any fuel!? One day this last week it didn't start until the fifth try! Anyone else have or had this same issue? Any help to solve this issue would be greatly appreciated! I'm having to take it back to the shop again this coming Monday.

JBaja97'

 

Have you asked them what they do to it? How much time since it was last running on first-try starts vs non-first-try starts? It's possible you have an air leak somewhere, causing suction loss. I have heard of using the exhaust side of a shop vac to pressurize the fuel tank through the filler - you then look for wet spots on the fuel lines leading to the lift pump, between LP and filter, or at the sealing rings on the filter. The overflow valve may be suspect, too - do you have a fuel pressure gauge?

 

texasprd I've never heard the possibility of having an air leak be the cause of this. I had them take a screen shot of your post on my phone and get it printed out. So that the head mechanic can look into it. I asked them to change both the Fuel Shutoff Solenoid and the Fuel Shutoff Relay that's mounted on the firewall. Thanks for your help!

 

The FSS and/or relay is a possibility - if you have a helper to turn the key, you could easily check that the FSS is working. I hadn't really thought about the FSS much as (in my experience) they either work, or not. But I can see an intermittent problem if the relay is acting up, or possibly the FSS boot is damaged and causing problems (ditto a crudded -up plunger from a damaged boot). Or there is a wiring issue to the FSS relay. All of the above can be checked by visual inspection or with a multimeter.

Another possibility is that the woodruff key in the fuel control shaft has fractured or otherwise come adrift - this is what causes the shaft to rotate when the FSS pulls the arm up. It's not a common issue, but there have been a couple of mentions of it on the other Dodge Cummins forum that I'm on. (I think you posted on that forum, as well)

 

I had a similar issue...hard starting. Seems the fuel pressure would bleed down overnight and it would take quite some time to start. I finally changed the fuel filter to a type that didn't have the drain plug in the bottom and that fixed the issue.

Now I have a different starter issue....just a light click when I turn the key....

Dave

 

Thank you for your replies. As mentioned above I had the shop change both the FSS and the FSR. The Fuel Shutoff Relay went bad almost immediately. Since it was replaced a second time I have not had any starting issues. As recommended I did have them bump up the timing a little which helps it fire up a lot faster.

 

mine has the "loss of prime" issue that I think is pretty common in these...
if it sits for more than a day or two I have to manually pump the lift pump until I hear fuel at the overflow valve then it starts right up

If the truck is parked pointing downhill - fuel tank uphill, engine downhill - sometimes I don't have to pump it.
Planning to replace the fuel lines at some point...

 

That is the classic leak in the system symptom.
Most likely between the fuel filter and the fuel tank. Check all connections. Since from the tank to the LP will be under vacuum - not pressure when running, do not expect to find a fuel leak or wet spot.