Had a 2012 Ram 2500 with a persistent crank-no-start that stumped me for a whole weekend

Turns out it was a corroded pin in the ECM connector I only found after pulling the whole harness. Anyone have a better method for tracking down gremlins like that?

4 comments

4 Comments

willow_ellis3mo ago

After a whole weekend of that, I'd start by checking the connector pins with a test light before pulling the whole harness.

alex5243mo ago

What about checking if the connector itself is the problem, not just the pins? I've seen those plastic housings get heat-cracked and warp just enough that the pins don't make contact, even if they look fine. You could have perfect voltage at the pin with your test light, but the second you plug it back in, the whole thing shifts and you lose the connection. Sometimes you need to check it while the connector is actually snapped together.

taylor3052mo ago

A whole weekend just on that one connector? That makes me want to kick something. I would have been ready to set the whole truck on fire by Sunday evening.

claire_hayes352mo ago

I had the same thing happen on my old Ford, spent an entire Saturday chasing a no-start condition that turned out to be a broken wire inside the insulation about three inches from the connector. You could tug on it and the light would flicker, but it looked fine with just a visual check. After I finally found it and soldered in a new piece, the truck fired right up and I felt like an idiot for not checking that spot sooner.