96 Dodge, Wont start

Did you have a paper spacer on the end of the new crank sensor to set the air gap? Has the Check Engine light turned on? The best place to start is by measuring the voltage on the dark green / orange wire at the ignition coil, one of the injectors, or either small terminal on the back of the alternator. You should see full battery voltage there for just one second after turning on the ignition switch. It should come back when the engine is rotating, (cranking or running). If it doesn't come back during cranking, we have to look at the cam and crank sensors.

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I forgot to mention that since the Check Engine light came on there is at least one diagnostic fault code stored in the Engine Computer. In the future when you have an intermittent problem it is important to read those codes as soon as possible. If the problem doesn't come back the codes will erase automatically after 50 starts. Disconnecting the battery will erase the codes too, then that valuable information will be lost.

You can read the codes by cycling the ignition switch from "off" to "run" three times within five seconds, then watch the flashes of the Check Engine light, ... Or, starting with '96 models the codes should be displayed one after the other in the digital odometer.

If you have voltage on that wire during cranking you are missing either spark of fuel. For spark, the coil is the most likely suspect. If fuel is missing, the most common problem is the fuel pump fails to start up. Often banging on the tank while a helper cranks the engine will get it going. It will continue to run once it has started.

Use the 20 volt DC scale. That will read anything up to 20 volts with one space after the decimal point. The black lead goes to the battery negative post or any paint-free point on the engine. With the red lead, poke it through the rubber seal on the back side of the connector for the coil or any of the injectors.

Prop the meter up in front of the windshield so you can see it or have a helper run the ignition switch. You should see a voltage reading when you turn on the ignition switch but it will disappear right away so you might miss it. What is important is it must come back steady while cranking the engine.

Was that fuse blown? That circuit feeds the automatic shutdown and fuel pump relays. If there's no voltage to that fuse, suspect the ignition switch. If you remove the plastic cover to get to the electrical connector, measure the voltage on the dark blue wire. It must have 12 volts in the "run" or "crank" positions.

There's multiple circuits in the ignition switch. You have to look for voltage going in on at least two wires and coming out on at least two wires when it is in the "run" position.

If there's just one terminal for a fuse that means that fuse isn't used in your truck.

I only have a '98 service manual but it should be the same circuitry. Fuse #9 feeds the Engine Computer. It gets its voltage from the 10 gauge dark blue wire from the ignition switch. If you have voltage on that wire when the ignition switch is turned to "run", it must be on fuse 9 too. If not, pull the fuse out and measure right on one of the terminals in the socket.

Hold on a minute. You have spark but the rotor won't turn? That's not possible. A spark is produced when the reluctor on the distributor shaft turns inside the pickup coil, so if you have spark, the shaft has to be turning.

To turn that gear you're going to have to lift it up because it is in mesh with the gear on the camshaft. Lifting it can be rather hard because carbon builds up on the exposed part of the shaft above the oil pump. If you can grab the gear well enough to tug on it you might actually pull the bushing out with the shaft. Lining that gear up isn't that important anyhow. All you have to do is put number one cylinder, (driver's side front) at top dead center on the compression stroke, then dump the distributor in one of the two ways so the rotor is pointing closest to the driver's side. Put the number one plug wire over the rotor, then work your way around clockwise. If you see any reference to the rotor pointing to number one spark plug, that is the description in the service manual only because that is how the drive gear is set from the factory. On some older cars if that drive gear is off by one tooth you will have to adjust the distributor for proper timing and that could back the vacuum advance unit into the firewall. That's not a problem with your truck because spark timing is set by the crankshaft position sensor, not the distributor. There won't be a vacuum advance unit on the side of the distributor to worry about either.