Starting after warm up

Asked by GuruV4MDQ Jul 31, 2018 at 07:05 AM about the 1998 Dodge RAM 1500 ST Quad Cab LB 4WD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Starts finest first start but after driving it
won’t start till it cools down(especially in
hot weather) been doing this for 2 yrs!????

1 Answer

4,650

Is the check engine lite on? What is the operating temp of the engine? Poor oil management will crater these drivetrains faster than you can say, "a new engine costs how much?!?" Do you use good quality oil n filter n change it regularly? That said...going after the simplest things first; first, remove the gas cap n see if she starts easier with the cap off. When you fill the gas tank, do you "top it off"? Second, when was the last tuneup...spark plugs (check the condition of the plugs if you pull them, the electrode, gap n if it's wet or oily) n wires, dist cap, rotor, air filter? Third, what's the external condition of the ignition coil? Is it original or new? Fourth, what's the fuel pump pressure at the fuel rail...has the fuel pump ever been replaced? When was the last time the fuel injectors had any type of cleaning? Last, have you ever checked the compression on all the cylinders? Lotsa stuff here, mechanics usually hook up their expensive total vehicle analyzers to find patterns of failure, then work towards the ends mentioned above cause they have the tools to narrow down the problem before popping the hood or turning their first bolt. Short of that n $85/hour, try those things mentioned above first.

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