The truck is a early 98 12V auto 4x4 extended cab with no mods to the engine or tranny It has 179,000 miles on it and is in great shape. It started acting up last night. Engine will start right up but when the switch is let go from the starting position back to the run position it dies right away. It runs fine with the starter moter tuning over. I checked the cables comming off the drivers side battery and they are in really good shape and the wires to the two solenoids below that battery are fine. Went to start the truck again and it was fine and ran with the key in the run position. Got in again this morning and it would not start again. I tugged on the wires again and it started and I was on my way until it just shut off about a mile down the road. From there it would not start until I unscrewd the main wire harness from the relay box on the drivers side and put it back on. It started but then died again a mile or so later. Unplugged and re plugged in the harness and its been fine since. I do not see anything out of the ordinary, its just having a mind of its own. The key to this is that it will actually start up fine but when the key is released to the run position it dies. I have ruled out the actual ignition switch but I dont know enough about the relay box to trouble shoot it. Any ideas of what to look into would be great. Thanks a bunch in advance!

 

Sounds like the same problem i had , with the problem being intermittent , i don't think it is the blue fuseable link , could be bad contacts on the relay , or the solonoid connector , or the solonoid itself going south , for the time being , you can wire the solonoid in the up position , but it is really hard to turn the truck off of you have an auto.

 

There are two circuits that feed the shutdown solenoid, the one that lifts it is activated via the blue wire though the starter and the relay on the firewall when you turn the key to start.
The circuit that holds the solenoid up after starting is fed from the key switch via the pcm. Most likely you have a bad connection or a shorted wire. Wiring diagram here>
http://www.fostertruck.com/images/Ram_wire_diagram.jpg

 

Update: It was the fuel shut down solenoid for sure. The circuit that works when it starts is fine but the one that keep the plunger up is acting up. There is current to it at the 3 wire plug. Seems to be ok though when the solenoid "warms up” To get me through the weekend I’ve resorted to making 2 cables that I plug directly into the solenoid on the start wire. I hit them to the battery and let it actuate the plunger for about 30 seconds. After that it seems to warm up the solenoid enough to make the secondary circuit work. If I don’t do this, the "run" circuit will not hold it up.

My next question is where is the best place to get a fuel shut down solenoid? I have called NAPA and they don’t have one, just the relay. I live in Anchorage AK and we don’t have the salvage yards like the lower 48. I will give the dealer a try tomorrow since today is a holiday but dealer prices can be scary. Would it be a Cummins part? Also how much should something like this be price wise? Thanks for all your help; you have really helped me out!

 

About $200 here http://www.fostertruck.com/dodge/default.htm

 

I use a choke cable and completely eliminate the fuel shutdown solenoid from my rigs. Cost is under $20 for a top notch stainless choke cable and it takes about an hour, and the truck will run with no electrical system at all!

 

If you have a case international dealer , get one for an mx150 or similar, they use the same pump and engine block.