89 dodge start problem

I have an 89 dodge 250 with a 5.9 gas engine. It starts every morning. Cranks fine. But if i drive it 1 mile and turn it off it wont start up again for a few hrs then she starts right up. Its bin sputtering a little now and if it to hot out it seems to have the same problem. It cranks but i dont smell fuel. Is it my pump or the reservoir has junk in it and is plugging it up. Any thoughts? Pretty sure its injected to.

A bad ignition control module can cause your problem.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/dodge,1989,d250+pickup,5.2l+318cid+v8,1085992,ignition,ignition+control+module+(icm),7172

Tester

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I will have to look at that. Thank you. Heres hoping.

The first thing to determine is whether the cranks-but-won’t-start problem is no spark or no fuel. You can spray some starter spray into the air intake , if it starts and runs briefly, it is a fuel problem. Conversely you can check for a visible spark during cranking using a spare spark plug. Once you know spark vs fuel the problem will be easier to solve.

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I just noticed my air filter was plugged to high heaven. Havent tested it yet but if it was being starved for air could that do it? Also i put in a commercial battery as it has higher cca for the climate and is a better batteryfor better price. Could this bigger battery be causing the problem. It did start acting up awhile after i put it in but i was under impression the pull from the battery wouldnt change so it wouldnt be a problem.

Temporarily remove the air filter and give it a try.

The battery has nothing to do with it if it is fully charged and has adequate capacity.

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My gas-engine lawn mower will run ok w/a partially plugged air filter, but nearly impossible start. In any event since a new air filter has to be installed anyway, makes sense to do that first.

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I’ve seen that completely stop a car that was going down the road. Removed the element and the car ran fine. I don’t understand the part about testing it. If it is that dirty, replace it, don’t test it.

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Alright guys. Replace the air filter and the ignition coil. Still not doin it. A buddy test one of the spark plugs by pullin it and placing it down to see if it sparked and he said no spark. It still fires up regularly after a 4 hr cool down. The coil resistor is getting only a short burst of power when i turn the key over to. Any thoughts. Im gunna do the fuel filter cause i already got one but then the ignition control module next i think. Yes?

Ignition control module sounds likely. I had a similar issue with a 79 Jeep years ago.

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So everything i see for icm has it on the drivers side fire wall… Not there. Do the 89 dodge d250 5.9l 360 gas engines have an ecm instead? Or are they the same.

That, I do not know. I thought since you mentioned an ignition control module, you knew the truck had one. You might try looking to see if a parts place like Rockauto has an icm listed for your truck…?

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On the fuel injected 5.9 L engine the engine control module controls the ignition coil, the older carbureted engines have an ignition module.

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How can i test my engine control module to see if that is the issue. Is there a video on youtube or an easy way anyone knows

I opened up my ecm and cleaned it up. Heres the question. Do they a gel in the pins to keep them cool. Cause one of them is pretty gross looking

. the other had a little bit of white goop on the pins to. Gave em a light clean with small wire brush. But is that gunk normal?

So I tested the truck out and drove to a point where it normally would have bin dead. I left it for an hour and it started up no problem. But its still actin wierd. Gunna try it again today. I detailed the engine and removed alot of grime and oil. If the the spark plug were getting to hot would that affect spark? I feel like its getting better just by cleaning it.