skipperqueen

I saw the other post and posted a remark there first.. but what I really need is someone to help me figure out what is wrong with my truck before I get a new one ripped at the shop! I can't fix it myself, I have no tools... single mom and little money... It started cutting out on me a couple of days ago... it is like a very short hard one time miss occasionally while driving and the wait to start light comes on. It is hard to start in warmer weather.. starts great in cold and starts fine after having been driven a bit. This truck has barely had any maintenance its a 2000 - Ram 3500 and has almost 250,000 miles on it.... any suggestions... I have been all through the Haynes manual and can't even find anything on glow plugs - what might this be?

farmer dave

Welcome to the site. We will do our best to help you out with a fix.

Are you only having the problems while driving it? Is it when the engine is cold or warm? It could be fuel related but hard to tell. Also, the Dodges don't have glow plugs, they have grid heaters and that wouldn't cause your engine to miss occasionally.

Clunk

Turn your keyswitch on-off-on-off-on then look at your odometer for a code.
We'll discuss the results.

crobtex

The Cummins doesn't have glow plugs.

Unfortunatly, it sounds like the VP44, but I would try a few other thing first.

Since it has not been maintained, I would start with the fuel filter being plugged and go from there. If it does not have a fuel pressure gage, there is no way to tell without taking it off.

Can you hear the fuel pump run when you "bump" the starter. "Bump" means to hit the starter just enough to engage the starter, but not start the engine. The pump should run for 20 seconds or so.

Do you have any "codes"? You should be able to read the codes by turning the key "on/off" three time without starting the engine. Leave it on on third cycle and the codes should show up on the odometer.

crobtex

What part of the country are you in? The may be a member near by that could help you with the trouble shooting.
Also, fill out your signature with all the information you have, and it will help folks help you.

12valve@heart

Welcome SkipperQueen. We're always glad to help someone troubleshoot their problem but you'll have to help us help you by providing information. You've already told us that it's a 2000 model Ram 3500 w/ about 250K miles on it. If you go to the USER CP section, you can fill in your signature so that you don't have to repeat that information as often. You might also tell us whether it's a 5-speed or an automatic and whether it's 2 or 4 wheel drive. Also, if you fill in your location, sometimes another member that is close to that area can make recomendations on shops or may even be willing to look at it to see if they can diagnose the problem.

Now, on to your problem. Is the Wait to Start light coming on when you're driving? When was the last time that the fuel filter was changed?

Help us out with some more information and we'll try to point you in the right direction.

{Edit} Looks like Crobtex types faster than I do. Good to know that great minds think alike.

skipperqueen

Thanks for all of the replies. Found a good diesel mechanic, local, through a Deputy friend of mine willing to work on it at his home for minimal expense. We looked at it today and he determined that it is more than likely a Throttle Position Sensor that has gone bad. Apparently, this part for a 2000 Dodge Ram 3500 5.9 Diesel, 6 speed manual trans. only comes as a complete bell crank assembly or at least that is all we can find and they have to be ordered. We are unable to find any after market parts at automotive part stores and they are $379.00 without his discount. I have seen similiar single parts (just the sensor) for Fords online... does anyone know if they come differently or if they are cheaper anywhere. It is also going to take 2-3 days to get them shipped... so I don't suppose time is a issue. Fuel filter change stopped most of the hard miss, but it is still doing what it has for the last year and I would like to sell it soon and downsize.

amartinson

How did he come to the conclusion that the TPS (commonly refered to here as the APPS) is bad? It's not that they never fail, just that it is not a common failure. That is an expensive part to throw at it without knowing for sure that it is bad. There is a reset procedure for the APPS that can be found in the tech facts section of this site. It is worth a try. I obviously do not know the person who is doing your work, but these trucks are not always easy for a shadetree mechanic to work on. You may be best off taking it to a diesel mechanic and have it checked out before spending large money on parts. After a solid diagnosis, we may be able to help you save some money with repair tips.

amartinson

A good place to start is fuel pressure readings at idle and at wide open throttle. Also have the codes read with a scanner. These two things will tell you a lot about what is going on.

crobtex

Before you replace it, try the reset and find out for sure if the APPS is the problem. If it is, look at this thread and see if he can adjust the voltage. Some have done it and it worked. Saves a lot of $$$.

Good luck,

blackdiesel

like they said they do go bad, so time, But what codes did it you get. Theres been several people think their's is bad, just to have to put an pump on, or even an ecm.

skipperqueen

Thanks to all of you. My mechanic isn't exactly a shade tree mechanic... he's just doing it shade tree at his shop at his house for me. He has also been doing this for 16 years... However, we did read the codes and it was throwing 2 codes and both of them were TPS (I have the whole thing in the truck) we aren't going to replace the part until he has been able to take the truck to work and do the other diagnostics unless we could find an after market or one that will fix the problem from a junk yard... the truck is essentially FOR SALE... not because I don't like it and not because I don't want to keep it but because of my finances.. but I wanted to fix it first with minimal expense.

blackdiesel

let us know how it turns out. I had the apps code and I took the one off dad's truck and got the same problem and code. turn out to be the ecm. I know of one other member how had the same thing and he bought a apps just to find out it was the ecm. not say your ecm is bad, but some things are not what they seem (some times)

skipperqueen

Thanks for the advice. I will make sure he is certain it is the problem and I will let you know. He thought it was odd that there were two codes and they were the same.