I have a 2002 Dodge 2500 that a couple of days ago started giving me trouble.When you go to start the truck after the "wait to start" light goes out you get nothing, no clicking noise or anything, just dead like the lights were left on and drained the batteries. Try and start it 3 or 4 times and bingo it starts up like nothing was ever wrong.The bad thing is it doesn't do it every time.Both batteries were new 3/14/08The truck has no codesI'm going to clean the battery and starter connections, but I'm wondering if anyone else has had this issue before.Thanks Dwayne

Maybe the grid heaters pull the voltage down to where the ECM shuts down. You wait a little bit and some voltage builds back up and allows it to turn back on Get a voltmeter and see what the voltage is when the grids pull it down and when the truck won't start. You might have a bad connection to the computer or batteries. Check the grounds to them too.

Grounds and hot leads are where I would start looking. Clean them up and tighten them down.

ignition switch ?

Intermittants are always a bow-wow to fix. You never know if you fixed it or it it's in the "gonna work this time mode". Russ

Few things to look at...

[*]Battery connections

[*]Starter contacts

[*]Solenoid fuse

[*]Solenoid relay

[*]Solenoid wiring

[*]Starter brushes

Here is a handy way to test for wiring issues...

http://mopar.mopar1973man.com/cummins/general/voltage-drop/voltage-drop.htm

This doesn't sound like a solenoid problem. Have you tried having someone hold a volt meter on the battery terminals to observe what the battery voltage is doing during the start attempt? The PCM should be able to stay online down to 6 volts.

Ok...... I cleaned both battery cables tried starting it and it still did it. Then I cleaned the cable connection at the fuse box tried starting it and it started every time. I thought cool..........This worked for 1 1/2 days about six starts, then it started acting up again.I just checked my batteries with a meter. Both are at 12.52 before doing anything after the wait to start light goes out they drop down to 12.40/12.41 tried two times to start it and no go........ checked the batteries again and both dropped down to 11.99. Went back and tried starting it again and it started 4 times in a row.

I'm leaning towards starter contacts...

if the contacts are bad and you got a second set of hands, hook a test light to the signal wire down at the starter (the small one) make sure the batteries are good and hot and start firing the engine if you engage the starter with the key and it fails to start but the test light is on then off with the starter to repair its an internal problem, if you engage the starter with the key and it fails to start but the test light is off then the problem is in the truck itself i.e. starter relay, ignition switch, even old car alarm. easy to isolate good luck

I just checked my batteries with a meter. Both are at 12.52 before doing anything after the wait to start light goes out they drop down to 12.40/12.41 tried two times to start it and no go........ checked the batteries again and both dropped down to 11.99. Went back and tried starting it again and it started 4 times in a row.

Thats a big voltage drop for nothing happening. Can you see if the voltage changes when you turn the key and nothing happens?

Unfortunately no second set of hands when I need them. I ordered the starter contact repair kit from Larry B's it should be here in a few days.Hopefully by the weekend I'll be able to pull the starter and see if that's the problem.Thanks Dwayne

I am not sure what model of voltmeter you have, but I recently discovered that mine has a min/max feature (I've only had it for 6 years :banghead:)...

I got the repair kit from LarryB's installed and the truck starts like a champ.The contact that connects to the positive cable was worn down to .050 and the opposite side was only worn down to .112 they were both .120 thick start with. So..... I'm wondering why is it that the positive cable side was worn down so bad, and why didn't both contacts wear even.Thanks Dwayne

I got the repair kit from LarryB's installed and the truck starts like a champ.

The contact that connects to the positive cable was worn down to .050 and the opposite side was only worn down to .112 they were both .120 thick start with. So..... I'm wondering why is it that the positive cable side was worn down so bad, and why didn't both contacts wear even.

Thanks Dwayne

That's just how the plunger pulls, to one side. Kinda stupid that it does that and wears the one side more, but that's just how they work. Here is mine when I pulled it apart to check it:

As you can see someone has done this and replaced with another stocker.... I didn't like that!!!

So....

I replaced it with a kit from Peter Gould at Gould Gear!

Worked before and works now. But at least I know where it stands at!!

Genos Garage carries these kits too for anyone else who may need one: http://www.genosgarage.com/prodinfo.asp?number=LB-R90SS http://www.genosgarage.com/prodinfo.asp?number=LB-2791 http://www.genosgarage.com/prodinfo.asp?number=LB-3160

Genos Garage carries these kits too for anyone else who may need one: http://www.genosgarage.com/prodinfo.asp?number=LB-R90SS http://www.genosgarage.com/prodinfo.asp?number=LB-2791 http://www.genosgarage.com/prodinfo.asp?number=LB-3160

Yep the contacts come from Pete Gould at Gould gear. He is awesome to deal with and has helped me out on more than one time!!!!!!

I'm leaning towards starter contacts...

I have a 2002 Dodge 2500 that a couple of days ago started giving me trouble.

When you go to start the truck after the "wait to start" light goes out you get nothing, no clicking noise or anything, just dead like the lights were left on and drained the batteries. Try and start it 3 or 4 times and bingo it starts up like nothing was ever wrong.............

solenoid would still give a loud solid click even if the contacts were fried. since he said no noise whatsover I would lean to bad relay or ignition switch. or maybe just a bad spade connector in the PDC which was the problem on my grandpas jeep.