This is gonna be long. So I'll get to the point. I am a fairly new owner of my first diesel(95 auto w/170,000). And have been looking into the website here for a while now. I am having several problems and there is some preventitive maintenance that I want to do. I would also like to get a little more power as my truck only has 160 hp. But, I want to get everything straight before I ever think about that.

So, my first problem is my fuel shutoff. I can turn key on and manually push plunger in and it will hold. I swapped both solenoids on the firewall off a buddys truck and nothing. Now I haven't checked the fusible link yet. And the mechanic where I work said to check that the actuator was grounded good. Coincidentally it is corroded some so I need to check on that still. Other wise I am lost unless the actuator is bad.

Second problem, voltmeter starts reading low. I pull altenator take it to shop and they test it. Tests ok. On a good note the woman there says that if she had to rely on making a living off our altenators then she'd go broke. I check batteries at the same time. I also found out that the batteries weren't the same age and the newer one of course was boiled out. I replaced them both with new ones. Everything was fine after that. And this wasn't more than a couple of months ago. Well now my check engine light has come on and the voltage has dropped to the first slash. Has stayed there for a few days. I read something about the crank position sensor causeing some similar problems. Should I clean it, replace it etc. What else other than the computer could it be and how do I know if it is the computer? Also how do I know what the codes mean after I read them, I know how to do the key cycle. I don't have a FSM or owners manual and was planning on getting them.

Third, I don't if the dowel pin has been fixed so I want to do that. Or get it done by someone.

Fourth, I don't know if the valves have been adjusted or not and want to get that done.

Fith, I don't know if the timing has been checked and would like to get it taken care of as well. Plus in my readings here I have seen people discussing having the timing set to 16 degrees or whatever it is and that the shops can't do it due to emissions. What is the benefit of having it set to other than factory specs?

I have changed oil and fuel filter. Is there any other PM stuff I'm leaving out. I probably could stand to change tranny and tcase fluid.

All this is overwhelming me and I don't really have a shop or all the tools to do this stuff plus the fact that I don't know much about all this stuff. I would like to do as much as I can and learn more about my truck but right now I just am feeling like I want to get this stuff fixed. Plus I am going to Montana in June and need it to be reliable by then. And on top of that I need to save money for the trip and here I am needing to do all this stuff. Anybody have any suggestions. Also, if I did take it to a shop what could I expect all this to cost? I'm scared of the last question but be honest. Looks like I got out of one money pit, Jeep, and into another. Thanks in advance for your help and encouraging words. Dave

 

Oh and another thing, when it is cold if I am not carefull it will cutoff. Example, I start up and it is idling low, back out of driveway, if I don't shift it to neutral before I stop it will stall out and cutoff. It doesn't do it all the time. Feels like torque converter is locking up and not releasing when I stop. I don't know though maybe its a fuel problem. Its not bad just enough for me to be concerned that it maybe a sign of problems to come. Any ideas, ever heard of anything like this? Thanks guys. Dave

 

Well, first off, welcome.

Second, don't feel so overwhelmed. It can be scary at first, but it's just a learning curve. You will make thru the learning curve. Pretty soon, kdp, gsk, and bhaf will all make sense to you .

A good place to start is here: http://dodgeram.org/support_pgs/diesel_ix.htm

It gives you a good general guide as well as providing you with the a decent knowledge base to (like a manual) to get some of the more common problems corrected.

OK, heres a few things, solenoid: clean everything, all wire connections, check the rubber cover or rubber boot. If it is gone or letting dirt in, might be your problem. The solenoid is easily removed, the boot removed, and it can be cleaned and lightly lubed with say wd-40. They rarely are the cause of the problem. The relay sounds like it is good, but clean all of it's connection points as well. Every wire and ground in the circuit should be checked and connections cleaned. Check the wire coming out of the starter also (small wire on bottom of starter)

Dowel pin: wait till you get the other more pressing items fixed first. This will let you accumulate some more tools, and get some skills/confidence under your belt. Yes, it NEEDS to be done, NO, it's not as bad of a job as it sounds like.

Valves: same thing, wait till you get the battery/fuel solenoid problem worked out, but once again, Needs to be at least checked.

Timing: once again, unless it's running poorly (white smoke and running rough) untill you start bombing, no immediate need to correct.

The battery thing: Do a voltage check of batteries. How much voltage before you start truck, and how much after you start truck. Buy a voltmeter for about $20 bucks to do this. Clean every bit of your wires and battery connections. Grounds at the block as well. I have read that the alternators have checked good, only to find later that they were dying. Check the bttery temp sensor connection although I doubt this is a problem

Your off to a good start by posting here. There is agood group here that has saved me tons of money and time. All the postings are scary cause people come here with a problem (like you). That is what this forum is for. It's rare to get a posting "my truck is running good, no problems to report". Although I have seen those posts, usually after a bombing mod (like me ).

Hang in there, you will get her going, sorry I'm in a hurry. Others will jump in here and help, in the mean time read the above link. Kevin

 

Check the blue wire on the driver's side battery + terminal - it provides a constant 12V feed to the shutdown solenoid relay for pulling it up to crank. If it is corroded and not making good contact there will not be enough juice to the solenoid to pull it up for starting. The run circuit is an entirely different circuit so that may be why you have run but no start.

Also, think about getting Larry Foster's oversized starter contacts in the near future. The two original sets I have changed out recently went about 150K miles and were chewed up - this can cause other, more expensive problems if they cause the starter to hang or the solenoid to stay in pull-up mode.

The low idle problem is probably just the idle adjustment. The idle stop will wear over time and cause the idle to drop too low. Also check the throttle cables for stretch and corrosion - there was a recall on the throttle cables that may or may not have been done or your truck. Just check behind the goobers at the dealership because they have been known to cause more problems when doing the recall (my idle was way too low after the recall work, they also left the air filter housing loose so I was sucking unfiltered air until I got home and fixed it myself )

All of this PM work can be done by a reasonably mechanically adept person with little or no trouble. Timing takes some specialized tools but everything else is common hand tools and common sense.

One other thing to check is the rubber fuel lines from the back of the block to the hard lines on the body. If you order starter contacts from LarryB you might want to spring for the fuel line kit and an extra shutdown solenoid while you are at it.

Enjoy your truck. It will be around a while.

 

CAPTNDAVIE

1st the Fuel shut off solenoids: If you don't lift up on it will it start? Because the solenoid only pulls in by it self when you engage the starter.

2nd dies when cold: That may be just your idle set to low, mine did that and I just bumped the idle up a tad.

3rd valve adjustment: Here's a link on how to do it.
http://dodgeram.org/tech/dsl/valve_adj/12_valve.html

 

Captin dave, I hear ya man! I got my 94 about a year ago and was completely run over by what I read on here, but... stick with it, get on here and learn how to do searches and such and just plain read. I read here about 2 hours a night. And finally, ive got most of the problems mine had fixed and am starting to think about mods. the dowel pin ( KDP ) isnt that bad. MY wife and I dove into it the otehr night and all went well. I made my own washer thingy to hold the pin in place. I even used my old gaskets and had no leaks! lucky I think more than anything but anyway. Good luck and if you have any more ? just ask!!!!

 

These are the exact symptoms of a failed shutoff solenoid. The solenoid can hold while you start the truck, then slowly fall down while driving causing lower power and the charging circut goes all screwy on you.

What you are calling a "solenoid" on the firewall is not a solenoid...it's a relay (the start relay). There is also a small relay in the fusebox called the hold relay.

 

Mike please explain how the solenoid can effect the voltage output.
Sounds like the hold circuit is fine but not the pull circuit. Just follow redramnc's good advice.

 

Explain? I cannot.
But two trucks were sitting here right in front of me in the shop doing that very thing.

 

YES, try checking that blue wire. I believe it is a fuseable link, and had corroded away on mine.

I put a new end on it, and WHAM, no problems.

Good luck, sounds like you've got plenty of help ,
Chris

 

Kevin, I think my boot maybe tore. The wire on the bottom of the starter, I haven't heard of that before, I'll have to check it. On the battery temp sensor, where is it located and what does it look like? Thanks for the help. I am enjoying it a lot. And other than these small things it is great. Just all the little things happening all of a sudden and its driving me nuts.

redramnc, I did clean the wires up when I replaced batteries. But one of the wires ends did seem a little flimsie. I think my starter was rebuilt/replaced not to long ago. Do most of the new ones and rebuilds have the contacts replaced? As long as they were replaced I could hold off on that for a little while. I have seen them on here before and thought about it. On the low idle thing it is just when its cold that the idle is low. When it warms up it idles fine. I have noticed the cutting off problem a couple of times when it wasn't cold but it usually happens when cold just after startup. Thanks for your help aslo and I'll look into the stuff at LarryBs.

winkle, Turns over fine but will not start unless I pull up on it. It will hold itself fine. I think it engages when you turn the key to the first click. I'm still not sure about the idle adjustment aas it idles fine when it is warm. Thanks for the link on the valve adjustment. I will be spending some time on that website.

mx261, Thanks for the words of encouragement. I am glad to know that I'm not the only one that feels like there is a lot of info to take in.

Miker, The arm stays up fine and I don't think I am having any loss of power. But the charging system is definetly a little screwy. You are right about the relay, thats what I meant to say.

 

infidel, Thanks. I think you replied to one of my first posts as well. On another note what part of Montana are at? A friend of mine lives in Bilings and my girlfriends stepmoms parents live in Ridge. We are planning on being in Ridge in June for our honeymoon. We haven't set an exact date yet though. I hope to see some other places while there also.

 

CAPTNDAVIE

What's your RPM in drive with the AC on? I think it should be around 850.

 

Hey man, I feel your pain here.

I love the engine, but the whole thing is driving me nuts. I feel like the truck is going to fall apart. The KDP isn't done, the valves need adjusting, the valve cover gaskets leak oil like crazy, the tranny won't come out of lockup over 50 with any amount of throttle, There's an annoying resonation at 55 mph, and a really annoying howl with any decent load on the engine no matter what the speed. Oh, and the rear window leaks making the interior smell like a mildew farm. I feel like driving it off a cliff! I've had the tranny and diffs serviced, and both mechs said that both components looked great. (no excessive clutch material/metal in tranny, gears fine in diff)

Wouldnt be so bad if I could actually work on it, but its been raining stupidly hard here and is showing no chance of letting up. Arrgh.

 

condensr

If I remember right I think '96 didn't have the KDP problem. Not comming out of lock up over 50mph that normal a least is is with mine.