1998 dodge ram 1500 quad... fuel problems truck will not start unless i put starter fluid in carbarator dies as soon as u stop spraying it,

50

Asked by freckelscc Mar 22, 2012 at 10:06 PM about the 1998 Dodge RAM 1500 ST Quad Cab RWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

took the cap off the pressure valve and pressed in the middle pin and gas came out a little with truck off, someone held it in while trying to start the truck and gas came out but with air filter off you can see no gas is going in. i have enough money to buy some part but not enough to have it towed or pay a mechanic

16 Answers

24,415

When checking fuel pressure on fuel rail you should have around 50 psi. If you don't have close to this it won't start or run. If you can get ahold of a pressure gauge check fuel pressure while cranking engine. If you don't have this much pressure look to fuel pump in tank. You might get lucky and just have plugged intake filter on pump. Check that before replacing. Also check to make sure your getting power to fuel pump (12 volts). If not check fuel pump fuse and relay. Repost with further questions.

9 people found this helpful.
33,345

First off, this vehicle is not carburetted, it has MPI (multi point fuel injection.) you have 8 injectors one for each cylinder, and then a throttle body (where the air filter goes). The only job of the throttle body is to meter the amount of air coming into the engine, a computer controls fuel injection. Odds are you have a bad fuel pump with the key in the ON/ACC position you should hear a slight buzzing from the tank if you dont, your easiest route of repair, is cutting into your fuel sending line, and splicing in a remote mount holley fuel pump then you find the fuel pump wires and splice those to the holley so that its activated by the trucks ignition system just like OEM.

13 people found this helpful.
24,415

Dan is right about your fuel delivery system. Not all fuel pumps will make enough noise to be heard, most do, but they will only remain on for a short period of time. Putting in a separate pump will work provided your intake to the pump isn't plugged. With all this being said I think your best course of action is to pull tank, check to make sure your getting 12 volts to pump ......if so replace pump. I had similar problem on my truck.....changed pump and works great.

5 people found this helpful.
50

how do you check for power to the spark plugs? it was the throttle body then that was being sprayed with starter fluid,

2 people found this helpful.
705

and if it looks like a carburetor and says holley on the side, it is not mpi it is tbi which i think was on those engines till 2000-2001 in which case does not need 50psi, I think requires about 35psi

5 people found this helpful.
24,415

If it fires at all even with spraying into intake your ignition is fine.

2 people found this helpful.
24,415

I wasn't 100% sure on fuel pressure so I checked my dodge. I'm getting 55 psi.

2 people found this helpful.
50

it was water in the gas i found a hose off from pump valve followed it to evap canister so maybe the water came in through that

3 people found this helpful.
160

My 1998 dodge ram is getting. Gas to the spark plugs and it doesn't want to start

16 people found this helpful.
180

I NEED HELP. Sooo , my 98 dodge rams fuel pump went out and i replaced it. Now i can hear the fuel pump start up it hums for about 4 seconds buttttttt...... still not getting alot of pressure . When i take the cap off the valve only a little gas flows out then stops . My dad took the fuel line off the fuel pump to see how much flows out and only a little fuel came out. Is this just another bad fuel this junk yard gave me or can this be something else??

18 people found this helpful.
50

Some of the questions I'm reading sounds liike the fuel regulator which is located on top of the pump!! It control the amount of gas your injectors receive!! Miight be getting too much gas or not enough!! Test the fuel pressure to see if it's higher then regulation causing it to send too much fuel to the injectors making it impossible to crankor in some cases rough idle!! If your like me started replacing everthing and still end up in the same boat as you were when you started!! Here's one last tip for those with a turn over but won't start: . unplug apl four injectors on the driver side andtry to crank it will only start for a breif second and then be flooded!! Check your fuel pressure regulator!!!

5 people found this helpful.
140

FYI for all. It happened to me. Warning If your truck doesn't start on first try but you hear the fuel pump continuously running, stop. Check the crossover fuel line at the rear of the engine for leaks..something chewed/damaged it causing the fuel to spray all over my firewall, then ignite when the electronic ignition fired up causing several thousands of dollars damage to engine compartment and cab where the fire caught my dash on fire because the fuel followed the heater core water lines. Just some info. As for the fuel pump/regulator, I bought one from APW for about $100.+ and after draining and dropping the the tank, simple replacement. Did that a couple of years ago. Solved the issue of no fuel or pressure.

2 people found this helpful.
100

I have similar problems with my 98 dodge ram pickup. I have had the fuel pump replaced 3 times and I think it is failing again. My problem is that a shop that I normally have no issues with when I need them to do repair something has not found any other issues. First pump was January 2016, that lasted until June but it had a couple times when it stalled when driving but started right up again so I did not take it in. June repair only lasted for a week or so and when it finally stops working it is after I have driven some place and stopped the truck, then when I come out it does not start.

4 people found this helpful.
100

My truck would not start again so I went to the shop that had worked on it several times. I mentioned that it had bee running ok but I went in to a store and came out and it started but stalled then would not start again. They towed it in and were finally able to find a bad ground wire. It was above the fuel tank and the connector had melted mostly. No problems since. It took three pumps and keeping track of what was happening over the course of 8 plus months. The tank had to come off for each fuel pump so I am not sure why that connector was overlooked.

6 people found this helpful.

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