I have a 98 Dodge Dekota. Can someone tell me if a crankshfat sensor & a distributor preform the same thing? I was told I have a distributor and not a Crankshaft sensor.

Here is a diagram of the distributor firing order as well as the cylinder locations

Will not turn over at all ?

my 96 has it on/ in the bell housing

the crank sensor can give these symptoms and some vehicle makes OBD do not capture all the fault codes , i would try a replacement crank sensor they are not expensive and are usually very easy to replace , go to a Dodge dealer as there may be an up graded sensor because of this very reason , i.e Renault included a longer wiring connection as this was the cause with there vehicle's , i know you dont need to know that but just trying to illustrate that there some known faults with many vehicle makes so a main dealer will know of them

sounds like variable pressure in the fuel system..aperently there is bleedoff of fuel pressure during operation.. that means there is an issue with the pump holding proper fuel pressure in the tank..there is a part in there where this happens and it may be going bad..sign that replacement is needed .. also check the fuel filter under the vehicle..it may be plugged up..

Sorry you have a burnt valve my friend, I would rebuild it or buy another engine if you want to keep the truck.

make sure the firing order is correctly. going clockwise on the cap it should go 1-6-5-4-3-2 and the cylinders are numbered as follows: passenger side from front to back is 1-3-5 and driver side front to back is 2-4-6

Do you mean it's actually grinding while trying to start or it just cranks & won't fire?If it's the latter,i've had to replace 2 distributors on my 99 2.5 because the sensor which isn't serviceable has failed.

I had this problem with my 99 Durango and went to AutoBeef.com to discover this was a major problem with 98 & 99 Durangos. The fix was easy -- PCM "brain" was exchanged with a refurbished PCM "brain" from an online PCM company in Florida. You can google as I can't remember name of company. I called them and they said - Yep this is the fix -- the guys told me 3 screws all I had gone to several mechanics and dealers -- none could figure it out. I was so grateful that someone gave me the clue I needed.

Honestly? Cruddy parts.

I have a Dodge Stratus....97....same thing here. Unfortunately, shoddy parts, even from the dealership. I think the best thing is to keep a fresh one on hand. I know that the wiring is garbage too due to how the harness curls up to the sensor. Not much to tell you on this one.