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'96 Dodge RAM Van 1500 just died cold.  Seemed like an electrical failure.  Checked, and sure enough, no spark.

Tried to crank it the next day (hoping magically it would start), and the battery was dead???

Maybe just a coincidence, but could they be related issues.

Thanks in advance for any help.  

you did not say if you had the V6 or either of the V8 motors.. i will look at the V8s at that is more likely in that model...  

first.. check the battery cables for corrosion..

engine off,  take off the battery cable from the top of the battery and clean them with HOT water and a stainless steel wire tooth brush..  the posts and the inside of the terminals have to be bright and shiny..

if you have a digital volt meter.. please set it to 20 volts scale..    


test the amount of charge in the battery....
turn the headlights on for one minute. then off..

12.65 is a fully charged battery
12.45 is a 3/4 charged battery
12.25 is a 1/4 charged battery

you will also want to check the body and the engine ground connections..

i have another test for that...

since you have a 1996 model.. its obd2.. so what failed is going to probably be easier to diagnose..

but it will take a scan tool that can look at the live data stream from the engine..

first.. dirty battery cables

second.. dirty ground wires..

third.. perhaps either the crank sensor.. the cam sensor  or the timing chain went..

lets get it to crank first..  since this is a computerized van.. please.. make sure of the amount of charge on the battery..   if the battery is low.. or the cables dirty..

you can damage the engine control computer attempting to get it running by doing so with a partially charged battery or jump starting it with a dead battery.






if your battery is truly discharged.. please.. remove it and take it somewhere to have it charged on a battery charger..  

Right on!  Thanks for the info, wayne.  This definitely gives me somewhere to start.

First off, it's the V8 (sorry about that).

I had already checked and cleaned the terminals per your suggestion.  I followed the negative terminal and cleaned that connection as well.  Is there a ground cable on the motor itself I should check?

Have a multi-meter, but the battery is dead.  I get that working and check the voltage on the battery tonite.  I'm assuming I should charge the battery before testing it, correct?

Thanks again for the help.  

Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead, but i though i would report back in case anyone else had a similar problem.

i checked the battery per wayne's suggestion, and that's about as far as i got.  too busy with work a little kids and all the rest of the stuff we all have to put up with.

Anyways - took it to the mechanic and it ended up being the ECM, which from what the mechanic told me, is a fairly common part to fail.  Unfortunately it wasn't that easy to diagnose (so they tell me), so it ended up setting me back a few bucks.

Thanks again for the replies, and happy driving!