dakota long start then fires weakly

andybritt2002

Active Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2008
Location
Chesapeake, Va
dakota has just started acting funny, U turn the key .. cranks and cranks, starter/battery is not struggling at all. on about the 2nd attempt or after about 10 seconds of cranking it will fire up but has a very weak start and stumbles.

No check engine codes, tried changing fuel cap, No vaccum leaks that I can see or detect. Spark plugs are 1yr old. still getting fairly good fuel economy .. 20 hwy.

Its V8 4.7 L 2001 dakota

Ran fuel injector cleaner too doesnt help at all infact it seems to be starting harder and harder the longer this issue goes on.

The part that stumps me is once truck is running, i have 100% power. whether its 5mph or 100mph it runs like a champ. It seems like its a fuel issue if truck sits for a few hours it gets hard to start agian, any ideas ???? went to do fuel filter they said its not needed .. part of fuel pump assembly for $200 at advance/autozone.
 
Check valve in the fuel pump.. its allowing gas to drain out of the fuel line.. after it sits, find the little shrader valve on the fuel rail and see if theres any decent amount of pressure there... if its weak then thats most def your problem
 
Try turning the key to on and let it set 5 seconds before trying to start. Let the fuel pump prime the system again.
 
Yep. Fords a notorius for this. Just a quick thought that is easy to try.
 
Doesnt matter what you have, alot of fuel injected motors have this issue, I had it in my Grand Cherokee and my Chevy Blazer.. do what the guy says, tell us your results.
 
I've got a Dodge Ram 2500 5.9L (gas) with the same issue. Been that way since I got it used 8 years ago. Hardly ever starts on the first try, ALWAYS fires right up on the second try. Turning key on for a second has no effect on it. I've gotten to where I automatically let it turn once then turn the key off and then start it. Works everytime. You would think it would wear on the starter but I've had no problem with it. I've just gotten used to it, haven't even thought about it in awhile before I saw this thread. Anyway, you're not The Lone Ranger :)
 
wow thats crazy. I crank it once just let engine turn over . turn it back with key on ... let it sit for a few seconds ... lights right up on 2nd attempt .. saves a lot of cranking ... but damn if thats not a weird issue ..... stuff like that bugs me.
 
Yeah, I get comments all the time on it, like "uhho, dead battery", I'm like "it's turning over dude". Most that know me and my truck are REALLY suprised when it starts the first time :)
 
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