Sentry key system in 03 Ram

From : richardson brian

Q: i am not going to get into an argument over something like this. that would be a refreshing change. lol i dont deny doing that but you are as bad as i am in this. removing the ignition switch is much more difficult then testing it the way i suggested and if you try to open it you will probably destroy it. agreed but.... you have to address the question. actually i dont. to just explain how to remove the switch without showing him an easier way to check it first would be doing him a disservice and may lead to him damaging the truck. in many cases that feeling is an illusion. you get used to hearing and feeling the starter kick when the ignition is turned to the start position usually before it hits the stop and when that doesnt happen it feels like the switch is stopping too soon. again agreed but.... neither of us knows specifically what he is feeling. so you have to address the issue. and i did. there is more than one way to address an issue. the primary issue is that he wants his truck to be able to be started from inside of it and assumed that the ignition switch may have failed. i explained to him a fairly easy way to check it first. if you went to a doctor complaining of some chest pain would you want him to through you on the table and perform open heart surgery without even the slightest examination only to find out you just had 1 to many tacos well yea since that is the whole primary side of the starter circuit. all shorting it out proves that the starter and its solenoid are functioning. yup. but if it starts then it also proves that the ign. sw. is likely functioning. agreed but it has three positions and is possible that the accessory and run positions are ok and only the start position has failed. as for the multi-meter you can get an inexpensive digital one from home depot for around 20 bucks. terrific now does the average joe know how to read one and which scale to use perhaps not. but the average joe can use a jumper wire. actually the average joe can get himself in far more trouble with a jumper wire and actually damage the truck. these innexpensive meters are just as easy to use as a jumper and will not short anything out. they only have two or three switch positions depending on if they can read current or not and they scale automatically and unlike my analog meter if you connect it backwards it just gives you a negative reading. i prefer my analog simpson but i have a few cheap hd specials as well and they will do the job and are fairly indestructible. if you are going to mess with the electrical system of the truck it is a needed tool. agreed however assuming that the person posing the question has or can operate a multimeter can make an answer totally irrelevant if you are wrong in your assumption. if they cannot operate one of these butt simple cheap meters they shouldnt be driving that truck either. it may even be the fuse but....when a fuse goes bad you have other problems. while true in many cases its not in this one. that fuse 40a is dedicated to the starter solenoid and does nothing else. when a fuse blows it means something made that happen even if there is only one thing on that circuit. very true and is why it should be the first thing that is checked. why do you say that the ignition switch is responsible for that not the starter relay. at best that may indicate that the ignition switch is not the problem. correct and if the ign. sw. is ok its probably pulling in that relay. if the ignition switch is ok you would be correct but we dont know that yet. if things are going normally hell also see headlights dim etc. some starter relays also cut out accessories and send extra voltage into the ignition circuits. i am not sure of the starter relay sending more power to the ignition. starter solenoids can have a vicious kickback and they are controlled through a relay to help isolate them. having the starter relay also connected to other circuits defeats that purpose. if that were the case then shorting the solenoid would not work either although there could be corosion on the solenoid terminal. i didnt think of that good call max. corrosion sucks and its the first thing i look for since itll stop diagnostics as easy as itll stop a vehicle. very true. its always the little things that bite you in the ass lol. bingo and its those things that will frustrate the hell out of the amateur and expert alike. been there done that. -- if at first you dont succeed youre not cut out for skydiving .