I HAVE A 1996 DODGE DAKOTA 3.9 LTR V-6,WILL NOT START IN MORNING,BUT WILL START IN AFTERNOON ?

mrmoose63

1996 DODGE DAKOTA 3.9 LTR,WIL NOT START IN MORNING,BUT WILL START IN AFTERNOON.WITH NO PROBLEM,CAN SHUT OFF AFTER THAT AND STARTS EVERY TIME.HAVE REPLACED BATTERY,FUEL PUMP,AND IGNITION COIL ANYBODY GOT ANY IDEAS?

isellhondas

Simple answer....Just drive it in the afternoon when it'll start!

Seriously you really need to take it to a shop that knows what they ae doing. It sounds like some kind of a choke problem to me but all we can do here is guess. good luck!

Mr_Shiftright

Well first step is to test for what you "lost" in the morning--either the fuel delivery stopped, there is no spark, or there is no fuel injector pulse to open the injectors. We can probably discount loss of compression, since that wouldn't re-appear in the afternoon.

To do these tests, you'll need a simple spark tester and for the injectors, a NOID light. Some down and dirty additional tests might be to press the schrader valve on the fuel rail to see if fuel comes out--then at least you know there is some fuel getting up there--but you still don't know, from that test, if it's enough pressure, or if the injectors are opening. Another down and dirty is to just pull a spark plug wire and use a paper clip to ground it to see if there's a spark. I'm not keen on that test though--I'd rather you by a cheap spark tester.

kyfdx

No start in morning seems to point to a moisture issue (to my untrained mind).

Mr_Shiftright

Yes, you would suspect some kind of electrical glitch here, either moisture or temperature related. Careful diagnosis should discover the problem. He might pull some codes as well. The very best solution would be to have a professional scan tool hooked up right at the time of the no-start.

Pollywoggles

I have a question for you, when your truck died can you crank the truck over or no? I had my 1994 dakota die on me several times while on the highway. I had it towed to a mechanic that found a main connection in the harness by the main wire from the battery. It had corroded and cracked and that is why it died. Supposedly a common problem with these trucks. He took it apart and cleaned and reattached it. It has been working since then which is about 10 years now. Hope this helps.