Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Need help on Dodge Ram

My neighbor has a 1998 Ram 1500 with a 5.2 motor. I was helping him troubleshoot it yesterday and thought I'd ask here.

It turns over fine but doesn't start. The gas gauge quit working at the time the problem arose. It's got a full tank but the gauge doesn't register at all. Just wondering if it could be a blown fuse, a bad fuel pump, relay etc. I think there's a connection between the gauge stopping working and it not starting. I'm no mechanic that's for sure so I thought I'd ask here.

It worked fine when he parked it, the next day it didn't fire at all. Turns over great.

It could be a blown fuse. It could also be the computer of the truck as well. My son's first car was a beater Chrysler Sebring. He was set to get a lot better car, and then he thought he was God's gift to the universe, so he got the POS Sebring. Anyways, his car did the same thing you are describing, and after trouble shooting it, we found a blow fuse.

I believe that the fuel sending unit is part of the pump. It could be a blown fuse or possibly the whole unit quit working. The owners manual will show which fuse controls it. You can also find it onlline if there's no manual.
Fuses don't just blow on their own. Something has to cause it and finding that can be a trick.

Fuel pump has stopped working, beat on bottom of tank. Sometimes this will make it start working. It it runs, its temporary, get a new pump pronto.

Try pouring a bit of gas in carb, see if it runs at all.

It could very well be a bad fuel pump, as the pump/fuel level sending unit are housed together in an assembly about the size of a 2-liter bottle that sits in the top of the fuel tank. I had to replace mine in my 1995 (same series as the 1998) due to the same issue. They are not expensive (around $100 if I recall correctly), but a PITA to replace, unless you have 4 football players. Disconnect all the wiring from underneath the bed of the truck, remove 4 bolts holding the bed down to the frame, and simply pick the bed up off the frame and sit it aside. You can then remove the fuel pump unit from the top of the tank. I had 3 powerlifting friends from the YMCA come over and help me lift it off once I had everything disconnected, it took us all of 15 minutes to lift it up, removed the fuel pump/fuel gauge sending unit from the top of the tank, and sit the cargo bed back on. They left and I finished buttoning things back up.

If you do that, keep your face away from the carb when you crank it. A backfire can take your face off.

crawl under the truck next to the gas tank, if you don't hear the pump come on when you turn the key forward your pump is bad, it could be a fuse, relay so check those first.

98 is injected, no carb.

You can still pour a bit of gas in it ???

Will do fuel pump sound check when I go over, check fuses and other

Thanks gents.

I can't hear good enough to tell if an in tank fuel pump is running or not so I bought a fuel pressure gauge. It was cheap and you can also tell of you have low fuel pressure which will cause problems on injected engines.

Will it fire on ether? If so, it's a fuel problem. If not, it's likely an electrical problem.

I once had a Dakota that just quit running one day. Drug it to a mechanic. He searched and searched for the problem. Finally, he removed an electronic part he called a "Halifax" mounted on the front of the firewall. Replaced it and it ran like a top. I don't know what the correct name of the part is, coil maybe?

pretty sure they had done away with throttle body injection by 98, you could spray starting fluid into the air intake but i don't think i'd want to try that with gas,

atta gas.

If the truck wont start or fire with abit of fuel sprayed in the intake...check the timing chain hasn't jumped some teeth.

Bad fuel pump or bad connection to the fuel pump would be my guess from past experience.

Honestly, my automobile problems became way less frequent once I decided to stop buying Chrysler problems; and to a lesser degree, Chevrolets.

i've replaced two fuel pumps and two rack n pinions in my dads Chevy, stuff will wear out on all makes.

Tried the ether thing yesterday and it didn't fire.

I haven't been there yet today and he hasn't worked on it yet either. I'm thinking fuel pump at this point but it's less than a year old and quit all at once. Strange.

Could be electrical.

Like I said, I'm a terrible mechanic. 😀

also had the rear end apart twice to replace bearings. why would anyone design a differential with c clips.