'97 Ram 318 fuel starved on startup

[hiloguy]

'97 Ram 1500, 318 engine. It runs perfectly once it's warmed up. It starts and runs perfectly if I start it every day. If I let it sit for a day then it seems to be fuel starved for 30 seconds or so, it stutters and stammers, and then it smooths out and runs fine. If let it sit for several days, it has now become hard to start in that it takes 30 seconds of cranking to get it running and then a minute or so to smooth out. Never a problem once it is running right, though.

Do I have a tiny leak in the fuel rail that is letting the system depressurize, but such a tiny leak that it evaporates as fast as it leaks? Or equally expensive, do I need a new fuel pump? Seems if it was the pump it would also do weird things when I'm climbing a long, steep hill and it's gumping fuel like there was no tomorrow . . .

HELP! (Please?)

[BULLRAIDER]

Bud .you HAVE to get a fuel pressure guage for that thing,set it up to be under the hood and facing you if you are alone to test, and leave it on there go to bed wake up and just turn the key till you hear the fuel pump prime the injectors it should read 49.2 psi +/- 5 psi right around there ,then DONT start it, verify the rail is HOLDING that pressure, meaning, make sure it doesnt fall back to zero by itself, just sit there and watch it, it will tell you everything you need to know about you fuel system on a cold start,that means the pump is bad, it also could mean the pressure regulator is bad but on these trucks it is all one piece, dont worry hardest thing is the price of the pump ,removal is not bad, and look around there are some great deals. without gointg the the dealer. get a cheap GOOD guage at Harbor Freight, you have whats called a schrader type fitting on your rail,same fitting as a a/c hose, but using an a/c hose to make a guage the other end will need an adapter to fit on a guage, so just get the kit

http://www.alldatapro.com/alldata/PRO~V95532331~C27636~R0~OB0~P3R0H~N/0/41746678/56418281/56418288/56418290/34853741/100411974/34853743/58828685/58800464/141698207/62671099/57436199

[hiloguy]

Bullraider, the answer might be there in your suggestion: "Turning on the ignition is supposed to prime the injectors." I just replaced the fuel pump and there is no change. The fuel pressure is 50 psi when the engine is running, it stays there after shut-off. Overnight, the P/P is zero the next morning. Turning on the ignition does not bring on any F/P. Only CRANKING the engine does. Once it starts, the F/P comes right up.

So where's the circuit that is supposed to power up the pump to prime the injectors? Is the pump supposed to come on by turning on the ignition? It doesn't!

[BULLRAIDER]

OK check these fuses first #9----#4----#8-- see if they are good

then try 2 new relays-----ASD--Automatic Shutdown Relay
and a fuel pump relay

the relays are under the hood in that black box
after that it will get fun......you can swap the relays around instead of buying them but remember where they go...good luck
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