Im new here guys, one of your moderators Rogan told me to get on here and ask question. So here we go.The truck is a 03 2500, with 288k miles as of now. For the past couple of weeks, not every day, it has been dead and had to be jumped. The times it has happened like this morning it was 30 degrees outside, so not that cold. Im in Texas, so cold doesnt happen to often around here.The batteries have been tested, and said to be good. When there on the charge box everything cranks up fine, so to my thinking the starters fine also. I dont know much about this truck, as im more of a Ford guy (forgive me), so im at a loss of where to start. All my knowlege on other cars has got me always going back to the batteries, even though they supposedly tested good. Now once the truck has been started up from the jump box, its starts as normal from then on out. Like I said this has happened maybe 3-4 times, and its not an everyday things.Like I said:2003 Ram 25005.9 cummins288k on the clock2wdAuto TransAll stockAnd never any major problems since new.Any input would be helpful.Thanks.

Hi Shawn, and welcome to the M73M family. We won't hold the Ferd thing against ya. There are a couple on here that also have them, or have had them.

All: Shawn and I have been friends for about 13 yrs; we used to work together, when I lived in TX.

We've discussed this issue over XBOX comm several times, and I'm at a loss with knowing very little of the CR stuff. This truck is one of his work fleet trucks (one of two) and he needs some assistance. I assumed there may be a weak cell or two in a battery, or both.

Shawn, stodg73 on here is "medic"

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Shawn, I don't remember: does it just click-click-click like a dead battery? Or crank and crank just not fire?

Ever put a volt meter across the battery and test voltage before/during crank process?

It cranks, but wont turn over. It will just sit there and grind as its trying to start but kind of like the fuel is not getting there. Was thinking to fuel pump to because of this, but if that was going out most likely it wouldnt stay running after it got jumped, and would prob happen a lot more often. Like I said, its very random, and only seems to happen when its cold.

so it'll crank over, just not fire?If you put the charger on it, it'll then fire?

Thats it. No hesitation at all when on the charger. Thats why it keeps bringing me back to the batteries, even though the shop is saying there good.

have you thoroughly cleaned ALL the battery terminals, ground-points, etc, for the battery/charge cables?How old are the batteries? It's just weird (to me) that it'll crank fine, just not start, without the charger.Does it crank slow? I.E. does it crank faster with the charger on?

No difference of how it cranks at all. And the first time it happened I cleaned the crap out of all the post and connections. Now you know what Ive been messing with, and why Im at a loss on this. All signs point to the batteries, but when they get tested, they show to be good.May just be this backwoods shop I went to not knowing what they were doing. May have to go a town over and hit up one of the chain auto parts stores and have them test them.And the batteries are about 4 years old.

for S&Gs, (if they fit) swap the batteries out of your F-series... Just for a day or so. See what happens..

CODES?? These things are rolling computers!

My guess; seeing that it's an '03 with 284+k miles, I'm gonna say injectors. My Bud JD has an '03 and had the same symptoms at about 260-270k miles.....................what you said, it'll crank, but not fire in the AM. His was the same first thing in the AM, so until he fixed it, he disconnected the grid heater and gave her a small shot of ether to get her started. For the rest of the day his truck would be fine...........but sitting overnight was another thing. New injectors solved it. I believe it had to do with return flow from the injector after so many injections the tollerances erode. The later '04s and '04.5+'s had a slightly modified injector design I believe.The sucky part is that common rail injectors are not cheap. You probably looking at around $2500 for 6!!!

If it was the injectors, would it not be throwing some type of codes? My Ford doesnt have a code for injectors, but with them going it throws other codes leaning to think the injectors. Im getting no codes at all. As you made It sound, it would basically do it every day due to that issue. It rarely happens, and only when it freezes.How can I test Injectors?

Let's try the batteries first! The crazy thing I have been seeing here with batteries is they will test fine, but give problems. Finally talked to a friend here and he said the batteries will test fine, but can have a cell going bad and cause low amperage. Most of the battery testers only test voltage, some will test both volts and amps.If they are injectors, only have them tested on a Bosch test stand, the Bosch stand gives the most accurate report on what is going on with an injector. Testing runs about $35 an injector.Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

Shawn, I'd also throw a code scanner on it, even if you aren't seeing any CEL activations.Not sure on the 3G trucks, but I know my 2G will trap a code and not trigger the CEL.

My guess; seeing that it's an '03 with 284+k miles, I'm gonna say injectors. My Bud JD has an '03 and had the same symptoms at about 260-270k miles.....................what you said, it'll crank, but not fire in the AM. His was the same first thing in the AM, so until he fixed it, he disconnected the grid heater and gave her a small shot of ether to get her started. For the rest of the day his truck would be fine...........but sitting overnight was another thing. New injectors solved it. I believe it had to do with return flow from the injector after so many injections the tollerances erode. The later '04s and '04.5+'s had a slightly modified injector design I believe. The sucky part is that common rail injectors are not cheap. You probably looking at around $2500 for 6!!!

I have a friend with an 03 and his started acting like this just over 100k which happened to be just out of warranty. he wound up paying 2000+ at the local dealer and as I understood at the time they told him they had to replace the injector "tubes"?? I have never heard that phrase anywhere else since then unless that was there way of saying injector? Anyway he started having trouble getting the thing started after the temp got below 30 degrees, and after that it ran fine the rest of the day. I do remember him saying if he plugged it in at night it would fire right up with no problems.

Injector tubes or injector connector tubes go through the head and supplies the fuel from the injector lines to the injectors! They can leak an I always replace them whenever I replace injectors. Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

Im still looking into it. Got the batteries tested again and they say there fine, but im not fully convienced they are. When it does it again Im going to used my Ford batteries to check if they will start it. If they work it will be one or both the batteries. If not, ill start looking at the injectors.

Im still looking into it. Got the batteries tested again and they say there fine, but im not fully convienced they are. When it does it again Im going to used my Ford batteries to check if they will start it. If they work it will be one or both the batteries. If not, ill start looking at the injectors.

How dare you use a Furd battery in your Dodge/Cummins!!!! Sacrilege!!!!

How dare you use a Furd battery in your Dodge/Cummins!!!! Sacrilege!!!!

X2. I hope this is not some kind of trend starting here?

Without reading the entire thread the hard start to me sounds of low rail pressure from leaking injectors. I would pull the injectors and have them bench tested.

Any updates?It sounds an awful lot like injectors, the added CCA's of the box are spinning the motor faster and creating more pressure from the CP3 and it fires. Rule out batteries first as they are cheaper thou..With 288K miles on your injectors they WILL fail a bench test, even if it's not the issue. Injectors with 100K miles in perfect working order generally wont pass a bench test, it's just what happens.

Any updates? With 288K miles on your injectors they WILL fail a bench test, even if it's not the issue. Injectors with 100K miles in perfect working order generally wont pass a bench test, it's just what happens.

And this is the case usually............especially with an '03-04. My Bud puts a "not normal" amount of miles on his truck and found this out earlier than most. He's got 340,000+ on his '03 now. I believe the injectors are improved/different in the '04.5+ models. I've got 181,000+ on the OEM injectors now on my '04.5.