1987 Dodge Ram won't start

[susvol]

Please help. We've replaced the battery, alternator, starter, and ignition switch and it still won't start. Any ideas about what we're missing? Thanks, Susan

[jpb53]

What size engine is it? Is it not cranking or does it crank and not start?

[susvol]

It's got a 318 v-8. When we try to start it, it doesn't make a sound, not even a click. The lights, turn signals, horn, and hazard lights all work. We've tried starting it with the lights on and they don't dim when the key is turned on. The warning lights on the dash don't come on with the key turned either.

[jpb53]

The starter relay is on the left inner fender (drivers side) and should have 5 wires in the connector. Red wire should have power to it at all times and if I remember is protected by a fusible link. Pink wire goes to the ballast resistor; don't worry about that wire at this time. Yellow wire is the power wire from the ignition switch and is hot with the ignition switch in the start position. Brown wire with a yellow tracer (yellow stripe) is the ground signal from the neutral safety switch. Larger solid brown wire goes to the starter solenoid. Hopefully you have a volt meter or test light. A test light is cheaper and easier to use for checking these circuits. You can jump the red wire to the large brown wire to see if the engine will crank. Check this and let me know what you find.

[Scrapper]

so your not getting nothing to turn over stater???? fusable may be problem like he said. and make sure you take off neg cable when you work on this. or it's in the switch you replaced i'd think?

[susvol]

Thanks very much. I'll have him check out the wires and the fusible link after work tomorrow. Man, I hope that's it. It's been a great truck, a real working truck, couple of hundred thousand miles on it.

[Slade901]

If the vehicle does not even turn over with a good battery, I usually use a remote starter switch to narrow down the problem either the starter motor or the starter solenoid/relay.

Put the vehicle in park and emergency brake on. Put one end to the positive terminal of the battery and the other end to the starter motor positive connector. Push the button on the remote starter switch and if the engine turns over, more than likely your starter is fine and it is in the starter solenoid/relay/wiring issues.

If the engine does not turn over with the remote starter switch in place, you have issue with the starter motor.

[BleedDodge]

Sounds like maybe the neutral safety switch. That's always the last thing I ever suspect.