My dads 93 never has had trouble starting. He lives in the high dessert so it does get fairly cold, even with snow on the ground I can count on one hand how many times it's started and ran rough.

 

The battery is good, 1000cca and 1180ca. I will try the pre-heat twice idea. The truck had a smaller battery in it when I bought it but I felt that it may due damage to my starter by cranking it over without enough amps. The truck has really low miles (about 62k) and I have full service records since it was purchased new. Thanks for the info, and hopefully all will be well for the old Dodge.

 

are there any tricks to make these trucks reliably start when its really cold? I live in Alaska and am nervous to take the truck on trips where I can't plug it in because it could have to sit over night at -20. Maybe just 2 big batteries?

 

i have had the same problem latley!!
i pulled my starter today!
i think somone at bosch forgot to put a seal in there because i found about a cup of black sludgey gooey slimey stinkey shat in the motor!!! contacts were corroded and the brushes were dirty!!
i cleaned it all up sanded the contacts!!
now she starts like she used to!!
ps the bosch starter was only 2 years old!!!

 

I have the original Chrysler starter on mine from '92. Dont ask me how its lasted this long but it still starts with the touch of a key.

 

[QUOTE=tltruckparts;555176]in 40* weather without my preheaters even coming on my truck cranks over in about .5 seconds maybe 1 second on a long run.

Mines the same

 

Check your cables, even though they may look ok at the ends the can be corroded in the middle, do a voltage drop test. That yuor multimeter and put one lead on the positive battery post and the other on the post of the starter the cable attaches to.

 

sorry for the long over-due update. I ended up taking out the starter because I had checked everything else and one day it did not start. The problem was because the truck had such low miles and had sat for almost two years the brushes were seized. Only one was contacting at the time of removal, thus the problem. After a good clean-up everything works like it should and starts with a touch of the switch. Thanks to all for the suggestions.