1995 Dodge Ram help please!

CHRISMULLIS1987

MEMBER
1995 DODGE RAM
V8
2WD
AUTOMATIC
190,000 MILES

I have a 1995 dodge laramie slt 1500 p/u. Sometimes when I try to crank it it will not starts it just ticks like the battery is dead. However if I try later it will crank right up. Also when I get up to 55 or 60 it will shake and jerk before it changes gears. If the overdrive is off it will do this no matter what the speed is. What is the problem?

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,744 POSTS

When you crank the engine, do you hear a light click which could be the starter relay or do you hear a loud single "clunk" each time you turn the key? That would be the solenoid on the starter motor doing what it's supposed to do. A common problem is worn solenoid contacts. It's an easy inexpensive repair to replace them, but they never fail completely at first. If you hear this loud clunk, keep cycling the key to the crank position. Eventually it will crank. This problem will get worse over time until, as in the case of my mother's van, it did finally start, but she lost count after 700 attempts and a blister on her thumb!

If you don't hear a loud clunk, turn on the headlights and try starting it again. If you see the headlights get very dim while trying to crank the engine, the battery is discharged, has a shorted cell, or the cables are loose or have corrosion between them and the battery posts.

I'm not a transmission expert, but I do know chattering and shuttering can be caused by using the wrong transmission fluid.

Caradiodoc