2003 Dodge Ram 1500 3.7L - No Start, Will Not Crank
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General Information: This truck was towed in with the complaint that it will not start or crank. That’s all the information I got. They just wanted it fixed.
First Thoughts: It literally could be anything at this point. But it is best to start simple when diagnosing a no start and no crank. I needed to figure out what I do have and what I don’t have on this truck. But first, it’s best to confirm the customer’s complaint.
Diagnostics: After confirming the customer’s complaint, the first component I decided to test was the battery. I needed to identify if the connection were clean and tight.
The ground terminal was clean and tight, but the positive was covered in corrosion. I don’t think I’ve ever seen corrosion this bad.
I cleaned it up and took a look at the connection.
I almost liked it better with the corrosion on it…
The corrosion has destroyed the positive side terminal. It was barely hanging on.
I wanted to give it a chance and see if it could work when I put a new battery in it.
As soon as I touched it, it broke.
What ended up fixing this truck?
This one was a pretty simple fix. I replaced the battery terminal with a good one, replaced the battery, and it started right up.
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