Yes I did. Thank you for posting the link for others to see, I got the same TSB from Alldata years ago. My routing was identical to the routing shown, so it wasn't a change for my truck. I found their concern about bad routing to be interesting, I never would have guessed it would be so critical. Of course there are issues of electrical interference with other devices and also the possibility of induction of false or diminished spark. They must have witnessed issues to justify the TSB, but I never found out more detail. When I put the secondary ignition of this truck on a Pico earlier this year I didn't see anything like that.
the number 2 and 4 have a very dark thread wich is too rich mixture (less air by design,injectors with bad spray pattern) they run always cooler because on front (is the water pump send the coolant to this passenger side ?)
I've got an 85 dodge that just stalled while running this video deffinatley helps show me it very well could be my cap and rotor thanks for the help man!
Thanks for posting this excellent video. I was debating on changing the distributor myself. After watching your video, you showed how simple it is if you follow your directions. Thumbs up !!!
If and when you fix it, I can wholeheartedly recommend spending the extra money for a Hughes repair kit. The temptation is there to use a cheap replacement gasket but it'll go bad again without the Hughes replacement plenum plate to complement it. The kit also includes a 180* thermostat, new bypass hose, and new bolts. Keep making these great videos!
Really nice job of showing the removal of parts which is always the hardest part to figure out. Other people skip over those details so they are not nearly as helpful for us DIY guys.
Hey, it's nice to have you on board, Jeremy. In case you didn't notice, I have a playlist of about 25 videos all done on the 98 Ram, 1500 5.9L, so I think you will find them relevant to your vehicle. I love my Dodge, warts and all. I just wish it was better on fuel. Cheers, Dave
Thank you for documenting and sharing. It is so great to have an experienced guy share so an enthusiastic amature can do it too. I hope your dodge keeps running strong.
Thanks for letting us know, Andrew. It feels like such a betrayal to buy a new defective part and then put all the effort into diagnosis and then taking it on and off. That happened to me once with a thermostat. What a pain.
Yeah, I was a little surprised how long it can take, and how awkward it is to reach the back plug wires. Guys who do this for a living have to be a lot faster and very organized to get it right. Most techs work really hard to earn their living. Thank you for your feedback!
Thanks, man! One of your videos helped me in the past about adjusting the low pressure band! And this one I hope helps me as well! I have a crank no start only after the engine drives and is warm! But I replaced the crank position sensor. There is a code for cam sensor but I found the location for that to be a round disk under the distributor. Supposedly, as an assembly but thanks and love your videos! Hope, you still have and run the old dodge!
It did better for a couple of years, in retrospect it was worth doing. I didn't formally assess fuel mileage, though these trucks are never easy on fuel. A few years after that, I began to have another misfire, coincident with getting an oscilloscope. If you watch the picoscope secondary ignition video, you'll see that I was surprised to find an intermittent misfire on one cylinder. Closer scrutiny of the plug showed some calcification on the electrode that shortened the gap, resulting in the misfire. I might never have found the problem without stumbling across it with the scope. Swapping the plug out brought it back to normal, and even today we drive truck regularly.
The number 7 sparkplug you zoomed on failed. It caused those deposits of oil on the electrode when it misfired. We can see it leaked oil because of the deposits on the porcelain too The rear cylinders always run hotter and this do not help on the longevity of the sparkplugs. they wear out quicker like this one.
Yes, it only goes on one way, there's a notch that won't allow it to go on any other way. After many years they can be a little sticky, but mine came off with a direct pull upward. You make a good point that if the position of the distributor were altered, it would affect timing. Since I didn't move the distributor body, that is not an issue. In the old days we would use a timing light to accurately reposition the body. On this vehicle, fine tuning of timing is done by the PCM.
I have a 1996 Dodge Ram. I have noticed that after the truck engine would heat up, it began to have a slight misfire. I checked for bad spark plugs etc. I pulled the truck into the garage and turned off all the lights and I could see (with the truck on) the spark plug wire were glowing in areas that they were close to any metal. I replaced the wires and made sure to keep them away from the valve covers. It's been running like a champ.
FYI, you can buy Sharpie 'Metallic Silver' fine point markers (available at any office supply store) which would probably work better for you then the white paint. I use them whenever I need to make some identifying marks on dark surfaces.
Great Video. Took your time and explained. I noticed that you skipped over the part of removing the Spark Plugs and dealing with that metal sleeve aka heat shield. That's also a pain. I heard there is a special plug socket you have to buy to get into that well and onto the plugs.
Thanks for such a Good lesson on this subject. I have a 01 318 that has original cap/rotor and just over 101,000 miles. This should help plus saving $. Thanks again.
Those are insightful observations at how a high resistance connection leads to heat, which cascades into more contact damage. That's exactly what was happening there -- the same oxidized dust was present at the inside base of my distributor. The main useful heater for my shop is the west coast ocean a few miles away. I've got one of those industrial portable propane heaters, like you do (grin).
That's a good description of a common problem, one described in a TSB put out by Dodge. They have very specific advice about routing of their wires and it would be wise to follow that. Interestingly, my wires were not routed correctly and I don't know when that happened. But fixing that didn't help in my case. Lately I've been looking at O2 sensors, and another video is likely forthcoming in the next few weeks.
Part II -- I hope somebody with experience fixing that plenum leak will chime in and tell us how much oil there is normal. I know that a plenum oil leak can be localized, so you may not see the main area of leakage just by peaking through the throttle body. Thanks for your comment!
I'll have to look again, since my memory is that they were all about the same. It's why I kept them, ha ha. I have wondered about dirty injectors, but have never had them cleaned. Thanks for your helpful remarks.
Great job on this, very informative. My 2001 Ram is running rough after rain, so I'm guessing I need to change the distributor cap. Couldn't even find the cap until I viewed your video. Thanks!
+esox994yt If it's a problem specifically after it rains, you could be having a short across the high voltage lines of the ignition system. Yup, that could occur inside the cap. Or, it could be anywhere along the lines. One thing that might help would be to idle the car after the sun goes down, then lift the hood. With a hand spray bottle, spray a fine mist of water onto the high voltage ignition wires. You want to watch for arcing of electrons near where you spray, as evidenced by a flash of light at the arc. If it is bad sometimes you can see branches of thin black carbon deposits near wires or plugs or inside the cap. Arcing usually occurs at connection points. One helpful preventive effort is to use dielectric grease at all connection points so water can't condense near vulnerable areas, forming a low resistance alternate pathway to ground. Also, remember that the Dodge Ram has very well defined pathways where each of those plug wires should be carefully placed. Apparently they've had some issue with inductance from wires that are too close to each other. Good luck!
zendoog said _i need to replace the fuel filter. where is it on this model?_ Like many vehicles these days, it's inside the gas tank and very hard to get to. When these started coming out, I was puzzled. Then I realized that a fuel filter situated upstream of the pump reduces the necessary line pressure, and makes it a bit safer in the situation of an accident. Whatever the reason, these don't practically get swapped out unless you need to drop the tank for other reasons like a bad tank sensor or a bad pump.
I was told by a mechanic at Canadian Tire that the fuel filters on these trucks never need replacing. They're guarenteed for the life of the vehicle. If it's a Diesel then it has to be done every so often, but apparently not the gas ones. Thanks for this. I need to replace my cap and rotor. It's not going to be easy. I used to own an 85 Dodge and it was far easier to work on.
Yes, with fuel being so clean these days the filters last longer, and the first sign of trouble is usually a failed pump. If the filter clogs, the pump would work so hard it would burn itself out. Of course if the pump fails after year 5, warranties would not cover the problem. The pump and filter are replaced as one unit after dropping the tank. I also agree that I always have back pain when I need to work on the Dodge. This generation of trucks, with the high bed and deep engine, has lots of engine room but you need to almost lie flat on the engine to reach the distributor. You can buy special topside creepers that are a little more comfortable, but most of us don't have access to those. Good luck!
Hello Spelunkerd, Did you also reset the timing when you changed the cap and rotor?...I'm going to change mine as well on my 95 dodge ram 1500 and not sure how to reset timing if needed....thanks!
If you just remove the cap you don't change timing, so there are no issues with that. Be sure to only remove the two screws that hold the cap on, don't take the whole distributor off or remove other screws. The hardest part is to be certain you get the order correct. It's easiest to put the long wires in place first, since putting the shorter wires in after is less of a pain. Be really careful to get the routing of the wires correct -- Dodge are very specific about where those wires should go. Good luck!
Thankfully that's the same firing-order as a small-block chevy where most of my experience lies. I wonder if a 'premium' cap & rotor can be found with brass-contacts I like them because they are easy to clean up and use over again....
Thank goodness we have the same truck. This will be the second time I've followed your instruction (last was the radiator replacement). Thanks. Were the results positive?
Well done Video! that Distributor Cap was all Calcified up. That Cap was Definately ! Time to be changed. aluminum contacts too. no good. try to find a brass one allways.
To update, autozone gave me a defective crank sensor out of the box.! Took a lot of man hours and redid everything before i checked that. Engine runs great
Thank you. Today I watched another video done by Briansmobile1 doing the same job on a '96. The two videos complement each other nicely, with thoughtful contributions from each.
Couple questions I've been unable to resolve: 1). In the TSB for re-routing ignition wires, cylinders 1,3 are not included in the diagrams and I have been able to find minimal advice on how to proceed. How should they be routed to best minimize electromagnetic interference, if any? 2). What plugs are ideal? I've heard to stick with with Champion copper-core, but was considering Champion iridiums as a deal exists on Rock-Auto. 3. Is there a significant advantage to increasing plug wire diameter or upgrading the distributor cap? Currently checking off maintenance boxes on an older company truck and am looking for long-term reliability and fuel economy. Thanks for any feedback! Andrew, Indebted Follower
Iridium last longer but to be honest, the more I know about my Dodge the more I'm inclined to reach for the standard OEM recommended plugs. The plugs I have running in my Dodge Ram presently are NGK. Interestingly, the most recent problem I had was a bad iridium plug, it was probably defective right out of the box. Regarding routing, I don't remember, just try to keep wires away from each other and at least 1" away from the primary coil wire. With the limitations of space and wire length you don't have a lot of options.
Interesting, we are shooting for efficiency, and sometimes it is difficult to balance the cost variable. In this case, the cost was similar, but I would have to see a performance increase to justify. Nothing like overpaying for something that increases problems. I will probably go with whatever the dealership recommends if any upgrade exists. I did reroute the Coil wire, and I assumed that was the more critical point of the TSB. Thanks for the reply!
Hey so I have an 01 Ram. 5.2L. It seems to have a deep toned knock at idle in the low end . It doesn't seem to be a rod knock at all. Wondering if you have had any knock issues? If so any tips ?
+Michael Upton I don't have any direct experience with that problem in my Ram. Sorry I can't be more helpful, perhaps somebody else who visits can add thoughts here.
Thanks great vid.l just bought a 98 Ram 1500 . Glad I found your vid. Does these type of ignition have points that need to be adjusted.? I liked and subscribed already.
hi I was in the process of changing my distributor rotor, wires and plugs yesterday and the distributor was taking out before I had a chance to label my wires and so I went to the dodge site and got the correct firing order for my 5.9 l motor 96, and now my truck jumps and makes a putting sound when put in gear only sounds great when in park. any ideas on what might be wrong?
If it's a definite adverse change then I would retrace your steps to be sure nothing went wrong. In particular, it would be easy to fail to seat one of the wire connections at the cap or plug. In park, is there any evidence of a misfire? Did you do the work because of another problem?
Did you figure out why you were getting misfire? I changed my spark plugs and rotor and cap and did it will change and oil filter ever since my truck misfire is at around 45 mi an hour and idles a little sluggish I just changed Iac module and now it is revving very high 😳 seems like the more I fix slightly the worse it is getting... 99 ram 1500 with 5.2
High rev at idle suggests a vacuum leak, which is pretty common. If you have access to a scan tool that can report live data, you can often diagnose a vac leak by demonstrating the lean condition improves when you push down on the gas pedal. If it happened after changing iac, have a look to be sure you didn't leave a hose off. If not you could swap the old iac back to see if the problem resolves. In my case I had an intermittent misfire that eventually turned out to be a plug, diagnosed in a video I did "Picoscope fundamentals, understanding secondary waveforms". That vintage of Dodge had a tendency to vacuum leak through the plenum pan that separates crankcase from intake, and I describe the Dodge method to make that diagnosis on my channel. You can tell if the repair was already done on your truck by carefully lowering a magnet into the intake, to see if the pan is magnetic. Old OEM pan is steel, Hughes replacement pan is nonmagnetic aluminum. I think the title was something like "how to diagnose a plenum pan leak in a dodge ram". I have about 50 videos of the dodge ram in a playlist you might find helpful, including one on cleaning the iac passage.
I didn't, and didn't have any problems. Since I wasn't working anywhere near any live sensors I thought it was safe to not do that. But, it's normally good practice to disconnect the neg lead of the battery whenever you work on electronics. Just remember to know the radio code beforehand, if your vehicle has one, so that your radio will work when you hook it back up.
I went back to those plugs and looked again. That brown stain is just the innocent "corona stain" that is often seen on plugs, from baking of contaminants from the ambient air beside the outside of the plug. Regarding the dark threads -- years ago, when I put those old plugs in I used a waxy antiseize crayon that stains the threads dark after a few heat/cool cycles. The part of the plugs that is inside the cylinder is not dark but white, so i don't think it's a complication of unburned fuel....
Good Video ! Your old rotor was "Brass" & the old Cap was "Aluminum". --- not Good. Allways keep similar metals to avoid excessive Wear between dissimilar metals. dissimilar metals allways create issues. Well, We Gotta Know, Did your Misfire go Away ?
In another comment down below a little ways, he said the results of this job fixed his misfire. That he thought it was the cap that was culprit. I'm doing mine myself right now. Freakin rotor button wouldn't come off dist for shit! I eventually put a little piece of wood in there and pried it up w little pry tool, at that point, it came off ok. Shaft was (and still is) rusted somewhat. New button back on, nothing broke, FINALLY.
It did, though later that year I did the injector cleaning because of a subtle rough idle. And after that, because of poor gas mileage I replaced the upstream O2 sensor, showing documented benefit. Presently it's running great, though I'm planning on replacing the drivers door hinge pin and bushings because of a noisy door. Thanks you for watching!
I have a few different sets of spark plug wire pliers, but my favourite was made by Lisle, part number is 52990. I got them at KMS Tools here in Canada.
I did a video of cleaning the injectors, but I didn't remove them to do it. Each effort I made to get the truck functioning better seemed to help for a year or so. But in the end, the most telling result came when I used a labscope to plot secondary waveforms, showing a defective plug. Surprisingly that plug wasn't all that old, I think it was defective out of the package. All of this is on a playlist of Dodge videos I have on the channel. The truck is still going strong today.
i just did my tune-up. this would have helped if i had viewed this prior to. some wires weren't long enough so i had to redo a couple of them. i'm currently having an issue where the truck turns over, but it won't start, any ideas? i tried to locate the crankshaft sensor, but couldn't find it.
+Joshua Cline I would retrace your steps and look for what might have gone wrong. Check the vacuum hose that attaches from your master cylinder to the intake housing and be sure you hooked it back up normally. That vacuum hose gives you the power assist needed for power brakes to function normally. If all looks OK, check the fluid level in your MC and look for brake fluid on the floor. If you accidentally unhooked or dislodged a brake hose during your work, then you may need to bleed brakes.
Well i got a timing kit and plenum pan kit from hugesengines not like theg pay me to promote them but they did give me an ultimate plenum pan so it doesnt happen again, intake was just caked in oil. Replaced timing while i was at it slapped it all back together and...no start just the crank. I have no idea what went wrong as ive done this a few times before im at a loss not sure if cam sprocket went out if time with crank or how i would go about fixing.any insight would do wonders for me.
+David Brubaker It's one of those jobs that takes longer than you think, especially if you aren't well organized. Whenever I do a job like this I gain respect for how difficult it must be to work with the added pressure of time in a pro shop. The first time through, slow and methodical placement of those wires in correct position should win out.
I have a 98 dodge ram 1500 with the 5.9 and on cylinder 4 the spark plug broke below the hex and its "stuck" I've tried penetrating oils, heating it up, and the screw extractor but I just cannot seem to break it free. Any suggestions?
+Josh Knight Dang, that's unfortunate. I'd be considering the option to take the head off to gain better access, but in the end I'd probably take it to a pro. One thing I noticed about heat is there is a dramatic difference between oxyacetylene and other less effective heat sources. That said, the risk of heat damage to your head and adjacent gaskets is worth considering as well. Presumably the threads are already shot, so you're looking at a helicoil after it's removed. Another option if the repair doesn't go well is to just replace the head.
+Josh Knight There are lots of these engines around. If the head is no different I don't see a reason to replace both. However I'll emphasize that I'm no pro. A pro might be able to replace the plug more easily, without need for drastic efforts.
+Josh Knight For this engine there are no points, and timing is electronic as long as the distributor is close to normal position. You shouldn't have to adjust timing to replace plugs and wires. Also it has a timing chain, not a belt, so timing problems aren't very common on this engine. That said, you can check timing if you have a timing light and inclination to do it.
Smashing tips. What an odd deposit on the plugs, im no mechanic but is the engine getting hot enough to self clean the plugs. Ignore if im talking crap :-) My frend has an old morris minor 1000 car and he was getting some misfires, i also found the center electrode on the dizzy cap was not coming out, after cleaning, it sprang ok and the car seemed much better :-) I was going to clean the points but someone had fitted an electronic version, nothing to clean lol. No dam computers :-)
Did you find oil or carbon deposits inside the manifold? Couldn't really tell on the video and you didn't say. I did the wires, cap, and rotor on my Ram a while ago if you remember from the ETCG forum. (I'm LJ11194) there) I've got another idle knock now and a flashing CEL under heavy load so I'm about to do the plugs.
Sorry it didn't show very well. I think a small amount of oil there might be normal, since the PCV system feeds the top of the manifold as well. How much is normal, I don't know! There was a small amount, not enough to give standing droplets but enough that I imagine would wipe off with one stroke of a rag. As you know, plenum leaks with this vintage are very common, so one day I may do that plenum fix. I haven't noticed any significant performance change so far, not like you describe.
Really good Video ! Air Filter---Should Be Replaced Every Year or Every 12,000 miles. which ever comes first. or Earlier if u see a 25% Restriction if u Put it up to the sun Out doors and Look through it. air filter --- super important for Gas Mileage and Engine Air Fuel Mixture Being Correct. Allways ! Replace Every Year if it's a Daily Driver. No Matter What. single cheapest / easiest way to save your engine. Oil change Every Year at a Minimum too. single biggest ways to have a Happy Vehicle. N.i.a.s.e. Certified Mechanic here & college Automotive Student teacher assistant.
Just replaced my autolite plugs with double plat.champion's, these are 1/8 longer, has increased idle 50 rpm,has much more low end tork, I have to be on the brakes to hold it back,,,,hope they hold up for 20,000,miles,, cowboy Mike
mr spelunkerd, its been rainy and wet here alot in the past two days. i have new wires, plugs and coil. im going to get the new cap and rotor in the morning. Ive been all over forums and have found that with dodge its a problem. I just wanted a second opinion from you if you think its one of these componets? i know its getting fuel. I enjoy your videos and have suscribed. hope to see more from you, thanks from texas.
The other thing worth noting is that Dodge are very specific about the correct routing of the wires. Judging from how important they think it is, I assume they have noticed difficulty (inductance problems from wire to wire) could be an issue if wires are incorrectly routed. The correct routing of wires are available in any dealers manual or from an online subscription. I use alldatadiy.
Thank you sir. I have seen this on dodge forums as well. I have printed out how they should be ran. Im going to hope it cranks tomorrow when its dried out. if not though, ill use the wifes car and change coil, wires,plugs,cap and rotor. thanks sir.
I saw a comment where you replied to someone that you had other vids pertaining to the 98 Ram. How do I find those in here? I've subscribed where it says "subscribe", that's all I did(I'm not good w internet stuff, obviously!) Thanks for the help with the truck. I did get new dist cap in yesterday, new plugs, wires go in today. Btw, when I looked inside my intake, lot of "wetness" so to speak, some black in it, biut mostly looked like coolant maybe? That could;ve my misfire on cyl 7 I think. And plug in cyl 7 was rusted on nut section, below the ceramic but not on threads. Ughh, this has been a job so far, but after watching this vid, not so bad! Thx.
Thank you for your interest! To find my Dodge Ram playlist, click on my photo or the name Spelunkerd. That takes you to the channel of the person you're interested in. I've made playlists that group videos into categories. Click the playlist icon at the top of my channel page. The ones you might be interested in are the Dodge Ram playlist, the Automotive Repair playlist, or maybe the Picoscope playlist. Once you are in a playlist you can scroll through the titles on the right side and choose the ones you are interested in, or they will play in random sequence automatically. Alternatively you can see all videos made by an author in reverse order of posting by clicking on the 'videos' icon on the channel page. By the way, on any video there is a subscribe icon, but that doesn't do anything unless you then click on the little bell to get email notifications of new videos. I only click the bell if I intend to follow an author regularly, it can be a source of email spam. The other way to do that is to find your list of subscriptions and scroll through that for new content. Regarding your question, if your coolant has a definite color and you see that color in the intake, you've got a serious problem. However especially at this time of year, you're allowed to have a little wetness there and a bit of oil staining. My video of cleaning the IAC shows what a normal intake looks like. A bit of yellow staining of the ceramic part of a spark plug is allowed, but black streaking there could be a sign of electrical short circuiting from wire to engine (fixed by replacing wires and plug). Remember to apply a dab of dielectric grease to exclude water when attaching wires to plugs. You shouldn't have any rust on the tip of the plug that is inside the cylinder itself, just a little dusty white grizzle. If you own the 98 Dodge Ram, you should learn about the plenum pan issue, I did a video on that topic. Yours may already be fixed, to find out put a magnet into the intake so see if the pan is magnetic (OEM) or nonmagnetic (fixed). I did do a video of ignition analysis on the Dodge Ram in the Picoscope playlist that you may find interesting, although it goes a little further than most DIY efforts would go. Nice to meet you.
spelunkerd, thanks! Big, big help. Had this truck 2 yrs now. 98, ext cab, black, 4x4, Laramie. Zero rust. 2nd owner. 240k though. Has always run smooth, ex idle, no miss fires codes, etc. Love truck. But got mis code other day & was only 1 cyl. Cyl 7. That was the only plug w rust on the nut section of the plug too. Anyway, wantin to do the plenum change, just worried lil bout investing too much $ into 240k vehicle. U still have yours? 240k a lot for the 5.9, 360? Thx!!
Yes, I still have the truck, I love it even though it is hard on fuel. I wish I could say it was rust free. Now cold air rushes in each door through rust holes, and I'm going to have to do something about that. I think I'll have to do another front U-joint on the left side, this time I'll video it.
I just had a look at Alldata and they don't mention it, except to say that timing is not adjustable in these engines and you can read the actual timing from a line on the DRB scan tool. Next time I put this vehicle on a scanner I'll check, and I will look it up for you in the hard copy manual when I'm next at the garage. When the PCM controls timing it makes adjustments to baseline timing to account for variance in rpm, temperature, and other factors. So, our old way of looking at base timing with a strobe is outdated. I still have an old strobe living in the bottom of the tool box but it's feeling a little lonely since I haven't reached for it in a decade. Thanks for watching.
Nothing more than above mentioned in the paper dealers manual. The cam position sensor sits in the base of the distributor, and as mentioned you can't adjust timing manually by rotating the distributor base, it's all electronic. They again refer to the DRB scan tool if you want normal values or actual values for your engine.
As a friendly suggestion it's important to know that the 5.9 in this truck is a gas motor. Dodge utilized a 5.9 diesel so just some clarification for the audience.
One of the most interesting courses I did this year was on diesel engines. Amazing simplicity, at least those classic old small ones. Of course it would be hard to find wires, electrical distributor and rotor on a diesel. I wish I had more to do with them.
Still pretty easy, you just need to remember the firing order and the way the cylinders are labelled in your vehicle. The most reliable way to learn the number convention for each cylinder is to read it from the OEM repair manual. In this Dodge Ram, cylinder #1 on this V8 is the driver's side cylinder that is closest to the radiator, with numbering going back and forth as you move toward the back of the vehicle. So, in order going front to back cylinders1,3,5,7 are on the driver's side and all even cylinders 2,4,6,8 on the passenger side. Other vehicles have different conventions and there are general rules of thumb, but you really should verify it with the OEM manual because of the implication if you make a mistake. The firing order for the Ram is stamped on the intake manifold, visible when you remove the air filter. Firing order also varies and is recorded in the OEM repair manual for other vehicles. Interestingly, when you attach the first wire it doesn't matter where you start on the distributor, it's a circular repeating wheel with no designated start point. Just remember that you want to lay out the new wires in order of length, and then attach them in such a way that you don't discover your last wire is too short to complete the job. So, I attach my long wires first to the plugs that are farthest from the distributor. If there is an option I use the shortest wire I can each time so that when I come to the end I don't have a last wire that is too short. In the Ram it takes some squirming to reach back and attach each wire. Use a dab of dielectric grease on each end, and be careful to hear and feel it click securely into place, and try to route it exactly as shown in the OEM repair manual to reduce the chance of misfires caused by magnetic inductance of parallel wires. I would keep a few good looking wires from the old set, they sometimes come in handy, especially if they ohm out within spec. Good luck!
Search for the missing link -- fuel, spark, timing, mechanical issues. I would go for spark first, then probably fuel. Ericthecarguy did some videos, search "crank, no start". If you need more help, the ericthecarguydotcom forum is a great free resource with lots of experienced mechanics who can help you out. Did it start before the tune up? if so, I would look closely to be sure the coil wire is well attached on both ends. Be sure to look for simple solutions first, they are easy to overlook.
Thanks for the video, did you reroute the wires as outlined in dodgeram.info/tsb/1998/18-48-98/18-48-98-v8.htm ?
Yes I did. Thank you for posting the link for others to see, I got the same TSB from Alldata years ago. My routing was identical to the routing shown, so it wasn't a change for my truck. I found their concern about bad routing to be interesting, I never would have guessed it would be so critical. Of course there are issues of electrical interference with other devices and also the possibility of induction of false or diminished spark. They must have witnessed issues to justify the TSB, but I never found out more detail. When I put the secondary ignition of this truck on a Pico earlier this year I didn't see anything like that.
You're welcome.
Thank you! I was so nervous having to do this myself. Your calm manner during it all was inspiring.
Man your videos are The best I've found for the 5.9 360 magnum every issue I've had is covered by you in neat detail and care
Thanks, man. I drove the truck yesterday, still going strong.
Excellent video! This is the first I've seen from you. You've got a relaxed, calm style and are an excellent teacher.
Thanks, man!
the number 2 and 4 have a very dark thread wich is too rich mixture (less air by design,injectors with bad spray pattern)
they run always cooler because on front (is the water pump send the coolant to this passenger side ?)
I've got an 85 dodge that just stalled while running this video deffinatley helps show me it very well could be my cap and rotor thanks for the help man!
Thanks for posting this excellent video. I was debating on changing the distributor myself. After watching your video, you showed how simple it is if you follow your directions. Thumbs up !!!
If and when you fix it, I can wholeheartedly recommend spending the extra money for a Hughes repair kit. The temptation is there to use a cheap replacement gasket but it'll go bad again without the Hughes replacement plenum plate to complement it. The kit also includes a 180* thermostat, new bypass hose, and new bolts. Keep making these great videos!
Really nice job of showing the removal of parts which is always the hardest part to figure out. Other people skip over those details so they are not nearly as helpful for us DIY guys.
Thanks, Scott!
Awesome video! I especially like the idea of writing the mileage on the air filter!
Hey, it's nice to have you on board, Jeremy. In case you didn't notice, I have a playlist of about 25 videos all done on the 98 Ram, 1500 5.9L, so I think you will find them relevant to your vehicle. I love my Dodge, warts and all. I just wish it was better on fuel.
Cheers,
Dave
Thank you for documenting and sharing. It is so great to have an experienced guy share so an enthusiastic amature can do it too. I hope your dodge keeps running strong.
Thank you, I just had to replace all of these in my 99 RAM 2500. your walk through really helped once again thanks.
+Kevin Mortimer I'm glad it helped, thank you for following up.
Thanks for letting us know, Andrew. It feels like such a betrayal to buy a new defective part and then put all the effort into diagnosis and then taking it on and off. That happened to me once with a thermostat. What a pain.
Thank you, your video was by far the best
Yeah, I was a little surprised how long it can take, and how awkward it is to reach the back plug wires. Guys who do this for a living have to be a lot faster and very organized to get it right. Most techs work really hard to earn their living. Thank you for your feedback!
Thanks, man! One of your videos helped me in the past about adjusting the low pressure band! And this one I hope helps me as well! I have a crank no start only after the engine drives and is warm! But I replaced the crank position sensor. There is a code for cam sensor but I found the location for that to be a round disk under the distributor. Supposedly, as an assembly but thanks and love your videos! Hope, you still have and run the old dodge!
Yeah, I still drive it, working great. Hope your effort works out.
Thanks, your diagram saved me. Your a Dodge rockstar
So what was the result? Performance wise? Misfire wise etc... ?
It did better for a couple of years, in retrospect it was worth doing. I didn't formally assess fuel mileage, though these trucks are never easy on fuel. A few years after that, I began to have another misfire, coincident with getting an oscilloscope. If you watch the picoscope secondary ignition video, you'll see that I was surprised to find an intermittent misfire on one cylinder. Closer scrutiny of the plug showed some calcification on the electrode that shortened the gap, resulting in the misfire. I might never have found the problem without stumbling across it with the scope. Swapping the plug out brought it back to normal, and even today we drive truck regularly.
The number 7 sparkplug you zoomed on failed.
It caused those deposits of oil on the electrode when it misfired.
We can see it leaked oil because of the deposits on the porcelain too
The rear cylinders always run hotter and this do not help on the longevity of the sparkplugs.
they wear out quicker like this one.
Okay. Thanks anyways. Like the detail and effort you put forth in your videos. Thanks again.
Yes, it only goes on one way, there's a notch that won't allow it to go on any other way. After many years they can be a little sticky, but mine came off with a direct pull upward. You make a good point that if the position of the distributor were altered, it would affect timing. Since I didn't move the distributor body, that is not an issue. In the old days we would use a timing light to accurately reposition the body. On this vehicle, fine tuning of timing is done by the PCM.
Hey, thanks for watching. I watch your excellent automotive racing channel all the time.
I have a 1996 Dodge Ram. I have noticed that after the truck engine would heat up, it began to have a slight misfire. I checked for bad spark plugs etc. I pulled the truck into the garage and turned off all the lights and I could see (with the truck on) the spark plug wire were glowing in areas that they were close to any metal. I replaced the wires and made sure to keep them away from the valve covers. It's been running like a champ.
FYI, you can buy Sharpie 'Metallic Silver' fine point markers (available at any office supply store) which would probably work better for you then the white paint. I use them whenever I need to make some identifying marks on dark surfaces.
Great Video. Took your time and explained. I noticed that you skipped over the part of removing the Spark Plugs and dealing with that metal sleeve aka heat shield. That's also a pain. I heard there is a special plug socket you have to buy to get into that well and onto the plugs.
Thanks for such a Good lesson on this subject. I have a 01 318 that has original cap/rotor and just over 101,000 miles. This should help plus saving $. Thanks again.
You're welcome, I'm glad it helped.
I just bought a 98 Ram v6 and really appreciate the detail in your videos!
Thank you!
This was very well thought out and comprehensive. Thank you.
+robert longoria Thanks, man.
Great Video! I have a 98' Dodge Ram 1500 and these videos will help out a lot.
Thanks for sharing.
Those are insightful observations at how a high resistance connection leads to heat, which cascades into more contact damage. That's exactly what was happening there -- the same oxidized dust was present at the inside base of my distributor.
The main useful heater for my shop is the west coast ocean a few miles away. I've got one of those industrial portable propane heaters, like you do (grin).
That's great to hear from you, thanks for the feedback.
I also have a 98 dodge ram with the same engine so all your videos are very helpfull
Thanks for the feedback, it's nice to know there are guys like you who benefit.
That's a good description of a common problem, one described in a TSB put out by Dodge. They have very specific advice about routing of their wires and it would be wise to follow that. Interestingly, my wires were not routed correctly and I don't know when that happened. But fixing that didn't help in my case. Lately I've been looking at O2 sensors, and another video is likely forthcoming in the next few weeks.
took an hour to find a good video! finally! thank you bud appreciate it! :)
You're welcome, I appreciate your kind feedback!
Thank you, and I appreciate all your positive comments, both here and on the ETCG forum. If the time comes I'll hit you up for more details.
Dave
Good informational video. Appreciate it man.
Part II -- I hope somebody with experience fixing that plenum leak will chime in and tell us how much oil there is normal. I know that a plenum oil leak can be localized, so you may not see the main area of leakage just by peaking through the throttle body. Thanks for your comment!
Thanks you did a great job very thorough job.
I'll have to look again, since my memory is that they were all about the same. It's why I kept them, ha ha. I have wondered about dirty injectors, but have never had them cleaned. Thanks for your helpful remarks.
I'm the original owner and I've done all the mechanical work on the vehicle.
Will the wire routing and firing order be the same for a 5.2 as well as the 5.9?
Great job on this, very informative. My 2001 Ram is running rough after rain, so I'm guessing I need to change the distributor cap. Couldn't even find the cap until I viewed your video. Thanks!
+esox994yt If it's a problem specifically after it rains, you could be having a short across the high voltage lines of the ignition system. Yup, that could occur inside the cap. Or, it could be anywhere along the lines. One thing that might help would be to idle the car after the sun goes down, then lift the hood. With a hand spray bottle, spray a fine mist of water onto the high voltage ignition wires. You want to watch for arcing of electrons near where you spray, as evidenced by a flash of light at the arc. If it is bad sometimes you can see branches of thin black carbon deposits near wires or plugs or inside the cap. Arcing usually occurs at connection points. One helpful preventive effort is to use dielectric grease at all connection points so water can't condense near vulnerable areas, forming a low resistance alternate pathway to ground. Also, remember that the Dodge Ram has very well defined pathways where each of those plug wires should be carefully placed. Apparently they've had some issue with inductance from wires that are too close to each other. Good luck!
zendoog said
_i need to replace the fuel filter. where is it on this model?_
Like many vehicles these days, it's inside the gas tank and very hard to get to. When these started coming out, I was puzzled. Then I realized that a fuel filter situated upstream of the pump reduces the necessary line pressure, and makes it a bit safer in the situation of an accident. Whatever the reason, these don't practically get swapped out unless you need to drop the tank for other reasons like a bad tank sensor or a bad pump.
I was told by a mechanic at Canadian Tire that the fuel filters on these trucks never need replacing. They're guarenteed for the life of the vehicle. If it's a Diesel then it has to be done every so often, but apparently not the gas ones. Thanks for this. I need to replace my cap and rotor. It's not going to be easy. I used to own an 85 Dodge and it was far easier to work on.
Yes, with fuel being so clean these days the filters last longer, and the first sign of trouble is usually a failed pump. If the filter clogs, the pump would work so hard it would burn itself out. Of course if the pump fails after year 5, warranties would not cover the problem. The pump and filter are replaced as one unit after dropping the tank. I also agree that I always have back pain when I need to work on the Dodge. This generation of trucks, with the high bed and deep engine, has lots of engine room but you need to almost lie flat on the engine to reach the distributor. You can buy special topside creepers that are a little more comfortable, but most of us don't have access to those. Good luck!
These motors benefit greatly with the application of a oil catch can.
Hello Spelunkerd,
Did you also reset the timing when you changed the cap and rotor?...I'm going to change mine as well on my 95 dodge ram 1500 and not sure how to reset timing if needed....thanks!
If you just remove the cap you don't change timing, so there are no issues with that. Be sure to only remove the two screws that hold the cap on, don't take the whole distributor off or remove other screws. The hardest part is to be certain you get the order correct. It's easiest to put the long wires in place first, since putting the shorter wires in after is less of a pain. Be really careful to get the routing of the wires correct -- Dodge are very specific about where those wires should go. Good luck!
Thank you very much!
Thankfully that's the same firing-order as a small-block chevy where most of my experience lies. I wonder if a 'premium' cap & rotor can be found with brass-contacts I like them because they are easy to clean up and use over again....
***** Good luck!
Thank goodness we have the same truck. This will be the second time I've followed your instruction (last was the radiator replacement). Thanks. Were the results positive?
Yeah, I think the contact surfaces at the rotor were my problem.
Well done Video! that Distributor Cap was all Calcified up. That Cap was Definately ! Time to be changed. aluminum contacts too. no good. try to find a brass one allways.
To update, autozone gave me a defective crank sensor out of the box.! Took a lot of man hours and redid everything before i checked that. Engine runs great
Great video. Very helpful and well made. Thanks man.
Thanks!
Great presentation and helpful info. Thanks for posting.
Thank you. Today I watched another video done by Briansmobile1 doing the same job on a '96. The two videos complement each other nicely, with thoughtful contributions from each.
Couple questions I've been unable to resolve:
1). In the TSB for re-routing ignition wires, cylinders 1,3 are not included in the diagrams and I have been able to find minimal advice on how to proceed. How should they be routed to best minimize electromagnetic interference, if any?
2). What plugs are ideal? I've heard to stick with with Champion copper-core, but was considering Champion iridiums as a deal exists on Rock-Auto.
3. Is there a significant advantage to increasing plug wire diameter or upgrading the distributor cap? Currently checking off maintenance boxes on an older company truck and am looking for long-term reliability and fuel economy.
Thanks for any feedback!
Andrew,
Indebted Follower
Iridium last longer but to be honest, the more I know about my Dodge the more I'm inclined to reach for the standard OEM recommended plugs. The plugs I have running in my Dodge Ram presently are NGK. Interestingly, the most recent problem I had was a bad iridium plug, it was probably defective right out of the box. Regarding routing, I don't remember, just try to keep wires away from each other and at least 1" away from the primary coil wire. With the limitations of space and wire length you don't have a lot of options.
Interesting, we are shooting for efficiency, and sometimes it is difficult to balance the cost variable. In this case, the cost was similar, but I would have to see a performance increase to justify. Nothing like overpaying for something that increases problems. I will probably go with whatever the dealership recommends if any upgrade exists. I did reroute the Coil wire, and I assumed that was the more critical point of the TSB.
Thanks for the reply!
really good job thanks ,its a pain in the butt but u show it really clear......
Thanks, I'm glad it helped.
No problem, I really appreciate your helpfulness.
Hey so I have an 01 Ram. 5.2L. It seems to have a deep toned knock at idle in the low end . It doesn't seem to be a rod knock at all. Wondering if you have had any knock issues? If so any tips ?
+Michael Upton I don't have any direct experience with that problem in my Ram. Sorry I can't be more helpful, perhaps somebody else who visits can add thoughts here.
Thanks great vid.l just bought a 98 Ram 1500 .
Glad I found your vid.
Does these type of ignition have points that need to be adjusted.?
I liked and subscribed already.
No points, no capacitor. The afferent side of the ignition is electronic and not adjustable. Thanks for stopping by!
Dave
Does the rotor only go on one way and if not, is it important to remember its exact position too?
hi I was in the process of changing my distributor rotor, wires and plugs yesterday and the distributor was taking out before I had a chance to label my wires and so I went to the dodge site and got the correct firing order for my 5.9 l motor 96, and now my truck jumps and makes a putting sound when put in gear only sounds great when in park. any ideas on what might be wrong?
If it's a definite adverse change then I would retrace your steps to be sure nothing went wrong. In particular, it would be easy to fail to seat one of the wire connections at the cap or plug. In park, is there any evidence of a misfire? Did you do the work because of another problem?
Did you figure out why you were getting misfire? I changed my spark plugs and rotor and cap and did it will change and oil filter ever since my truck misfire is at around 45 mi an hour and idles a little sluggish I just changed Iac module and now it is revving very high 😳 seems like the more I fix slightly the worse it is getting... 99 ram 1500 with 5.2
High rev at idle suggests a vacuum leak, which is pretty common. If you have access to a scan tool that can report live data, you can often diagnose a vac leak by demonstrating the lean condition improves when you push down on the gas pedal. If it happened after changing iac, have a look to be sure you didn't leave a hose off. If not you could swap the old iac back to see if the problem resolves. In my case I had an intermittent misfire that eventually turned out to be a plug, diagnosed in a video I did "Picoscope fundamentals, understanding secondary waveforms". That vintage of Dodge had a tendency to vacuum leak through the plenum pan that separates crankcase from intake, and I describe the Dodge method to make that diagnosis on my channel. You can tell if the repair was already done on your truck by carefully lowering a magnet into the intake, to see if the pan is magnetic. Old OEM pan is steel, Hughes replacement pan is nonmagnetic aluminum. I think the title was something like "how to diagnose a plenum pan leak in a dodge ram". I have about 50 videos of the dodge ram in a playlist you might find helpful, including one on cleaning the iac passage.
You never say if this fixed your misfire issue. I imagine it did but probably would have been good to mention either way. Great video.
I didn't, and didn't have any problems. Since I wasn't working anywhere near any live sensors I thought it was safe to not do that. But, it's normally good practice to disconnect the neg lead of the battery whenever you work on electronics. Just remember to know the radio code beforehand, if your vehicle has one, so that your radio will work when you hook it back up.
I went back to those plugs and looked again. That brown stain is just the innocent "corona stain" that is often seen on plugs, from baking of contaminants from the ambient air beside the outside of the plug. Regarding the dark threads -- years ago, when I put those old plugs in I used a waxy antiseize crayon that stains the threads dark after a few heat/cool cycles. The part of the plugs that is inside the cylinder is not dark but white, so i don't think it's a complication of unburned fuel....
Good Video !
Your old rotor was "Brass" & the old Cap was "Aluminum". --- not Good. Allways keep similar metals to avoid excessive Wear between dissimilar metals. dissimilar metals allways create issues. Well, We Gotta Know, Did your Misfire go Away ?
In another comment down below a little ways, he said the results of this job fixed his misfire. That he thought it was the cap that was culprit. I'm doing mine myself right now. Freakin rotor button wouldn't come off dist for shit! I eventually put a little piece of wood in there and pried it up w little pry tool, at that point, it came off ok. Shaft was (and still is) rusted somewhat. New button back on, nothing broke, FINALLY.
I think those deposits are fairly normal for lengthy use.
Like your dodge videos, did the tune up solve your hard start?
It did, though later that year I did the injector cleaning because of a subtle rough idle. And after that, because of poor gas mileage I replaced the upstream O2 sensor, showing documented benefit. Presently it's running great, though I'm planning on replacing the drivers door hinge pin and bushings because of a noisy door. Thanks you for watching!
Did you ever have the oil consumption issue with the plenum pan failure?
Is it necesary to disconect the battery before replacing the wires?
Very nicely done thank you Russell
You're welcome!
where did you get your pliers for the wires? I've never see those before.
I have a few different sets of spark plug wire pliers, but my favourite was made by Lisle, part number is 52990. I got them at KMS Tools here in Canada.
Did you ever check the fuel injectors on this truck? Are they easy to ckean out/up ?
I did a video of cleaning the injectors, but I didn't remove them to do it. Each effort I made to get the truck functioning better seemed to help for a year or so. But in the end, the most telling result came when I used a labscope to plot secondary waveforms, showing a defective plug. Surprisingly that plug wasn't all that old, I think it was defective out of the package. All of this is on a playlist of Dodge videos I have on the channel. The truck is still going strong today.
spelunkerd I see. Thank you for the reply and info.
i just did my tune-up. this would have helped if i had viewed this prior to. some wires weren't long enough so i had to redo a couple of them. i'm currently having an issue where the truck turns over, but it won't start, any ideas? i tried to locate the crankshaft sensor, but couldn't find it.
I changed my distributor cap and rotor and now my breaks don't work, they feel like they need to be bled. Any idea why and how to fix it?
+Joshua Cline I would retrace your steps and look for what might have gone wrong. Check the vacuum hose that attaches from your master cylinder to the intake housing and be sure you hooked it back up normally. That vacuum hose gives you the power assist needed for power brakes to function normally. If all looks OK, check the fluid level in your MC and look for brake fluid on the floor. If you accidentally unhooked or dislodged a brake hose during your work, then you may need to bleed brakes.
+spelunkerd Thanks for the tip and an excellent video, got it all figured out
Great video! By the way, the real reason they make Q-tips is to apply that dielectric grease. ;-)
Well i got a timing kit and plenum pan kit from hugesengines not like theg pay me to promote them but they did give me an ultimate plenum pan so it doesnt happen again, intake was just caked in oil. Replaced timing while i was at it slapped it all back together and...no start just the crank. I have no idea what went wrong as ive done this a few times before im at a loss not sure if cam sprocket went out if time with crank or how i would go about fixing.any insight would do wonders for me.
Great video thank. Getting ready to do this job myself!
+David Brubaker It's one of those jobs that takes longer than you think, especially if you aren't well organized. Whenever I do a job like this I gain respect for how difficult it must be to work with the added pressure of time in a pro shop. The first time through, slow and methodical placement of those wires in correct position should win out.
I have a 98 dodge ram 1500 with the 5.9 and on cylinder 4 the spark plug broke below the hex and its "stuck" I've tried penetrating oils, heating it up, and the screw extractor but I just cannot seem to break it free. Any suggestions?
+Josh Knight Dang, that's unfortunate. I'd be considering the option to take the head off to gain better access, but in the end I'd probably take it to a pro. One thing I noticed about heat is there is a dramatic difference between oxyacetylene and other less effective heat sources. That said, the risk of heat damage to your head and adjacent gaskets is worth considering as well. Presumably the threads are already shot, so you're looking at a helicoil after it's removed. Another option if the repair doesn't go well is to just replace the head.
+spelunkerd could I replace one head with a aluminum aftermarket or do I need to replace both
+Josh Knight There are lots of these engines around. If the head is no different I don't see a reason to replace both. However I'll emphasize that I'm no pro. A pro might be able to replace the plug more easily, without need for drastic efforts.
+spelunkerd what degree is the timing one th 5.9 360?
+Josh Knight For this engine there are no points, and timing is electronic as long as the distributor is close to normal position. You shouldn't have to adjust timing to replace plugs and wires. Also it has a timing chain, not a belt, so timing problems aren't very common on this engine. That said, you can check timing if you have a timing light and inclination to do it.
Smashing tips.
What an odd deposit on the plugs, im no mechanic but is the engine getting hot enough to self clean the plugs. Ignore if im talking crap :-)
My frend has an old morris minor 1000 car and he was getting some misfires, i also found the center electrode on the dizzy cap was not coming out, after cleaning, it sprang ok and the car seemed much better :-)
I was going to clean the points but someone had fitted an electronic version, nothing to clean lol.
No dam computers :-)
Yeah, me too, with video (grin). Thanks.
Did you find oil or carbon deposits inside the manifold? Couldn't really tell on the video and you didn't say. I did the wires, cap, and rotor on my Ram a while ago if you remember from the ETCG forum. (I'm LJ11194) there) I've got another idle knock now and a flashing CEL under heavy load so I'm about to do the plugs.
great job!!! wish i had found this a couple days ago when i did mine.
Sorry it didn't show very well. I think a small amount of oil there might be normal, since the PCV system feeds the top of the manifold as well. How much is normal, I don't know! There was a small amount, not enough to give standing droplets but enough that I imagine would wipe off with one stroke of a rag. As you know, plenum leaks with this vintage are very common, so one day I may do that plenum fix. I haven't noticed any significant performance change so far, not like you describe.
Another informative video. Thanks!
Thanks, Matt.
Good tune up.
Really good Video !
Air Filter---Should Be Replaced Every Year or Every 12,000 miles. which ever comes first. or Earlier if u see a 25% Restriction if u Put it up to the sun Out doors and Look through it.
air filter --- super important for Gas Mileage and Engine Air Fuel Mixture Being Correct.
Allways ! Replace Every Year if it's a Daily Driver. No Matter What. single cheapest / easiest way to save your engine. Oil change Every Year at a Minimum too. single biggest ways to have a Happy Vehicle.
N.i.a.s.e. Certified Mechanic here & college Automotive Student teacher assistant.
+OcRefrigeration,Hvac & Electrical. Good point.
Just replaced my autolite plugs with double plat.champion's, these are 1/8 longer, has increased idle 50 rpm,has much more low end tork, I have to be on the brakes to hold it back,,,,hope they hold up for 20,000,miles,, cowboy Mike
I'll have to check those fine markers out. The markers I use now are a little coarse.
Thank you sir,
Thank you, and thanks for the sub.
I haven't proven a plenum pan failure, yet, and I don't have oil consumption problems, yet (grin). The plenum fix is still on the table as an option.
mr spelunkerd, its been rainy and wet here alot in the past two days. i have new wires, plugs and coil. im going to get the new cap and rotor in the morning. Ive been all over forums and have found that with dodge its a problem. I just wanted a second opinion from you if you think its one of these componets? i know its getting fuel.
I enjoy your videos and have suscribed. hope to see more from you, thanks from texas.
The other thing worth noting is that Dodge are very specific about the correct routing of the wires. Judging from how important they think it is, I assume they have noticed difficulty (inductance problems from wire to wire) could be an issue if wires are incorrectly routed. The correct routing of wires are available in any dealers manual or from an online subscription. I use alldatadiy.
Thank you sir. I have seen this on dodge forums as well. I have printed out how they should be ran. Im going to hope it cranks tomorrow when its dried out. if not though, ill use the wifes car and change coil, wires,plugs,cap and rotor. thanks sir.
I saw a comment where you replied to someone that you had other vids pertaining to the 98 Ram. How do I find those in here? I've subscribed where it says "subscribe", that's all I did(I'm not good w internet stuff, obviously!) Thanks for the help with the truck. I did get new dist cap in yesterday, new plugs, wires go in today. Btw, when I looked inside my intake, lot of "wetness" so to speak, some black in it, biut mostly looked like coolant maybe? That could;ve my misfire on cyl 7 I think. And plug in cyl 7 was rusted on nut section, below the ceramic but not on threads. Ughh, this has been a job so far, but after watching this vid, not so bad! Thx.
Thank you for your interest! To find my Dodge Ram playlist, click on my photo or the name Spelunkerd. That takes you to the channel of the person you're interested in. I've made playlists that group videos into categories. Click the playlist icon at the top of my channel page. The ones you might be interested in are the Dodge Ram playlist, the Automotive Repair playlist, or maybe the Picoscope playlist. Once you are in a playlist you can scroll through the titles on the right side and choose the ones you are interested in, or they will play in random sequence automatically. Alternatively you can see all videos made by an author in reverse order of posting by clicking on the 'videos' icon on the channel page.
By the way, on any video there is a subscribe icon, but that doesn't do anything unless you then click on the little bell to get email notifications of new videos. I only click the bell if I intend to follow an author regularly, it can be a source of email spam. The other way to do that is to find your list of subscriptions and scroll through that for new content.
Regarding your question, if your coolant has a definite color and you see that color in the intake, you've got a serious problem. However especially at this time of year, you're allowed to have a little wetness there and a bit of oil staining. My video of cleaning the IAC shows what a normal intake looks like.
A bit of yellow staining of the ceramic part of a spark plug is allowed, but black streaking there could be a sign of electrical short circuiting from wire to engine (fixed by replacing wires and plug). Remember to apply a dab of dielectric grease to exclude water when attaching wires to plugs. You shouldn't have any rust on the tip of the plug that is inside the cylinder itself, just a little dusty white grizzle. If you own the 98 Dodge Ram, you should learn about the plenum pan issue, I did a video on that topic. Yours may already be fixed, to find out put a magnet into the intake so see if the pan is magnetic (OEM) or nonmagnetic (fixed). I did do a video of ignition analysis on the Dodge Ram in the Picoscope playlist that you may find interesting, although it goes a little further than most DIY efforts would go. Nice to meet you.
spelunkerd, thanks! Big, big help. Had this truck 2 yrs now. 98, ext cab, black, 4x4, Laramie. Zero rust. 2nd owner. 240k though. Has always run smooth, ex idle, no miss fires codes, etc. Love truck. But got mis code other day & was only 1 cyl. Cyl 7. That was the only plug w rust on the nut section of the plug too. Anyway, wantin to do the plenum change, just worried lil bout investing too much $ into 240k vehicle. U still have yours? 240k a lot for the 5.9, 360? Thx!!
Yes, I still have the truck, I love it even though it is hard on fuel. I wish I could say it was rust free. Now cold air rushes in each door through rust holes, and I'm going to have to do something about that. I think I'll have to do another front U-joint on the left side, this time I'll video it.
Well, very interesting but can you tell me the ignition timing for my 1998 dodge ram 5.2l. How mutch degrees before TDC.
I just had a look at Alldata and they don't mention it, except to say that timing is not adjustable in these engines and you can read the actual timing from a line on the DRB scan tool. Next time I put this vehicle on a scanner I'll check, and I will look it up for you in the hard copy manual when I'm next at the garage. When the PCM controls timing it makes adjustments to baseline timing to account for variance in rpm, temperature, and other factors. So, our old way of looking at base timing with a strobe is outdated. I still have an old strobe living in the bottom of the tool box but it's feeling a little lonely since I haven't reached for it in a decade. Thanks for watching.
Nothing more than above mentioned in the paper dealers manual. The cam position sensor sits in the base of the distributor, and as mentioned you can't adjust timing manually by rotating the distributor base, it's all electronic. They again refer to the DRB scan tool if you want normal values or actual values for your engine.
As a friendly suggestion it's important to know that the 5.9 in this truck is a gas motor. Dodge utilized a 5.9 diesel so just some clarification for the audience.
One of the most interesting courses I did this year was on diesel engines. Amazing simplicity, at least those classic old small ones. Of course it would be hard to find wires, electrical distributor and rotor on a diesel. I wish I had more to do with them.
Well done, thank you!!
What if I didn't label the wires before I took them off?
Still pretty easy, you just need to remember the firing order and the way the cylinders are labelled in your vehicle. The most reliable way to learn the number convention for each cylinder is to read it from the OEM repair manual. In this Dodge Ram, cylinder #1 on this V8 is the driver's side cylinder that is closest to the radiator, with numbering going back and forth as you move toward the back of the vehicle. So, in order going front to back cylinders1,3,5,7 are on the driver's side and all even cylinders 2,4,6,8 on the passenger side. Other vehicles have different conventions and there are general rules of thumb, but you really should verify it with the OEM manual because of the implication if you make a mistake. The firing order for the Ram is stamped on the intake manifold, visible when you remove the air filter. Firing order also varies and is recorded in the OEM repair manual for other vehicles. Interestingly, when you attach the first wire it doesn't matter where you start on the distributor, it's a circular repeating wheel with no designated start point. Just remember that you want to lay out the new wires in order of length, and then attach them in such a way that you don't discover your last wire is too short to complete the job. So, I attach my long wires first to the plugs that are farthest from the distributor. If there is an option I use the shortest wire I can each time so that when I come to the end I don't have a last wire that is too short. In the Ram it takes some squirming to reach back and attach each wire. Use a dab of dielectric grease on each end, and be careful to hear and feel it click securely into place, and try to route it exactly as shown in the OEM repair manual to reduce the chance of misfires caused by magnetic inductance of parallel wires. I would keep a few good looking wires from the old set, they sometimes come in handy, especially if they ohm out within spec. Good luck!
spelunkerd .... WOW! Thank you Sir, you are my new hero!
Ex. Thanks for your time.
You're welcome.
Thank you.
Search for the missing link -- fuel, spark, timing, mechanical issues. I would go for spark first, then probably fuel. Ericthecarguy did some videos, search "crank, no start". If you need more help, the ericthecarguydotcom forum is a great free resource with lots of experienced mechanics who can help you out. Did it start before the tune up? if so, I would look closely to be sure the coil wire is well attached on both ends. Be sure to look for simple solutions first, they are easy to overlook.