I got this thing in April and have had nothing but headaches!

A while back, I came out from work and it just wouldn't start, would crank all day long, but not kick over. Smelled heavy like fuel, and I had left the key in the ON position for a few seconds before trying to start, so I figured maybe the cold start injector had flooded it.

Left it for 20 minutes and it still wouldn't start. So I moved the shifter from Park to Neutral and back for the hell of it and it started right up....no idea why or if that was a coincidence, but it worked.

It did this a couple of times after that, but if I played with the shifter it would start up, so I ruled out the cold start injector problem, and I stopped turning the key ON for a few seconds before starting.

It hasn't done it in a while(like 3 months or so) and then I go out yesterday and all it would do is crank and crank. Played with the shifter and nothing....but it reaks of heavy fuel, it's gotta be flooded.

Left it overnight...went out and still no good, just cranks.

I haven't checked for spark yet, not enough time to. plus the battery died pretty quickly from cranking.

Also it started doing something else weird while it's cranking...it will crank for a few seconds and then all of a sudden it will stop dead and all the dash lights will go out for a split second. If I am cranking it with the door open the interior lights and door lights will die also for this split second when it does this.

I guess it's kind of pointless to ask before I know if there is spark, but anybody else ever have this problem....crank with no start, but heavy fuel smell??

Coming close to the end of my rope with this 3.crap!!

Thanks.

 

Try taking the ingnitor box (right by the coil) off the fender and sanding the contact points where it bolts to the fender to ensure a good ground. I had one that would do the same thing and that is what it was.

 

Is the ignitor box the little module that is basically stuck right up against the coil?

 

Your 3.0 is crap. Let me take it off your hands

Is their spark????

 

Yes

 

You don't want it believe me....I wish I would have bought a pcikup with a 22RE instead of this 3VZE.

I don't know if there is spark yet, I haven't had time to check. Hopefuuly I will be able to check tomorrow.

I will pull the ignitor/module and clean the grounds also.

Figures we're getting 6in of snow tonight and I don't have a running truck.

 

so your saying if you bought a 22re you wont be having this problem lol. the 3.0 aren't that bad. my dads old 92 v6 had about 315 miles when he sold it, running strong. headgasket got changed at 190miles. my 3.0 has 205miles and i bought it with a blown headgasket. after i got it changed the engine ran like new with good compression around 170-175. the blown headgasket issues don't bother me because i know the 3.0 is more reliable than the domestics and i know it will run for a long time. i will never buy a dodge ram with like 200miles because i know the engine is probably toast and everything is probably shot. another plus is when a timing belt in a 3.0 breaks, the engine wont get harmed. when the timing chain breaks on a 22re, your looking at another engine.

 

Mine has 256,000 never been opened up so i was told when i bought it.

Vehicles have problems. I wouldn't call it a POS motor, it sounds like a problem that was never taken care of that returned.

 

I wasn't actually calling all 3.0's pieces of , just mine.

Since I got it, it had a bad miss after I disconnected the battery and put a new one in, that went away....., a weird problem where it is sluggish after it's first started, then it goes away after a minute or two...., burns a quart of oil every 250 miles....., get's 14-15mpg on a good day......, every now and then it idles in gear at like 500 and shakes and chugs like it's a big block Chevy.......and now it won't start at all.

All I meant by having the 22RE instead was that I've had one before and it was great, tough as hell and not too slow, at least I thought. I figured I'd get the 3slow this time, figuring I'd get some more power and maybe pull my boat easier. All I got is less fuel mileage, no more power and headaches.....but that's just my experience.

I'm really just blowing off steam. I can deal with having to fix things on old trucks, I can deal with constantly having something to do to the truck....but out of all the vehicles I have ever owned, this is the first one that has ever not started for me and stranded me. Never had a car not start when I turned the key. Not starting at all makes me NUTS! Makes me feel like an A-hole when I am sitting in a parking lot cranking away.

And of course somebody always asks if you need a jump.....no obviosuly not, you hear it cranking don't you....that just makes it worse for me.


By the way Gary...if I could find a truck like yours I would be PSYCHED!! I have been looking for a truck like that for years!

 

my truck also chugs gas, gets about 12.5 to 13 in town, driving like a granny, shifting at under 2000rpm. probably need an o2 sensor. the sad thing is that my fullsize ram with a 5.9 v8 got almost the same mileage and had double the power and i also floored the go pedal at every light. i miss having a big truck with a loud exhuast i spent too much on my yota, about 1400 canadian + parts= 2300 but oh well i like it.

 

By the way....Flash319....I pulled the coil and ignitor bracket off, and cleaned all of the contacts for ground, with steel wool. Cleaned the fender points, the bottom of the bracket, pulled the coil and ignitor off the bracket and cleaned the ground points from both of those to the bracket...the coil where it grounds to the bracket was rusty as hell.

Put it all back together and put Dielectric grease on all ground points and it fired right up and starts a lot better than it ever has.

Just in case anyone is Searching through the forum at some point for this problem.

Thanks for the help.

 

I blame the autotragic... My 3.0 runs pretty damn good. Usually gets round 18mpg mixed (minus 1-3mpg in the winter), 21hwy. And she has some power Roasts them 33's pretty easily... in 1st at least

 

Believe me Jay, I WISH I had the 5spd, I couldn't find any.

I was really just venting up there, I am still keeping faith in the 3slow.

 

when the 3.slo fails.. 3.4 it. I did and i'm never looking back. used to only go 220 miles on a full tank. Now it goes 280 with my foot in it all the time running 4.56 gears, 5spd, and 31's

 

Haha, been there done that

the 3.0 makes me mad sometimes, she will be retired when I got the money for a 1uz

 

Too bad you don't live in Alaska. Some dude is letting a 1uzfe(2nd gen with vvti) and a 2uzfe go for like $750 on motor stands. 30K miles on the 2uzfe and 80K on the 1uzfe.

 

ouch! Locally im lookin at almost 2g for a complete engine, accessories, wiring and ECU