1998 dodgeram 1500 won,t start won,t turn over

What is the vehicle doing? Does it make a clicking sound when you turn it over? Or is it just dead? I assume you tried a boost.

Could be many different things. (Starter, Cables, Electrical, Computer).

Need more info on what happens when you put the key in and turn the switch.

At the starter relay, you have two red or purple wires, one goes to the starter and the other comes from a 30amp fuseable link. Is that fuseable link circuit hot ?
From the key switch, power goes thru the alarm relay, then the clutch safety switch or automatic selector switch, then to the starter relay. The fourth wire on the starter relay is a ground.
You should be able to put power to the starter relay on the white or yellow wire coming from the safety switch to make the relay engage.
My guess is something wrong with the alarm system.

Will it crank in neutral ?

So it's a no crank condition? Do dash lights, gauges, and everything else work when the car won't crank over? If so, buy a cheap $5.00 testlight, and when the car won't crank, pull the small black wire off the starter solenoid. While someone holds the key in start (cranking) position and clutch pedal depressed, see if the black wire has power as it should. (Ground the testlight and just touch the wire's end terminal. If powered, the testlight will light up.) If power there, then the starter solenoid is failing. Toyota starters are very good units, but the solenoid's internal contacts get old and pitted.
If no power at the black wire, then the start circuit from ignition switch to clutch safety switch (on the clutch pedal) to starter relay to starter solenoid will have to be diagnosed. To double-check: take a single battery jumper cable and put it on the positive battery post connection. Put the other end of the jumper cable on the solenoid terminal where black wire was removed. Key can be off. Make sure car is in neutral, brake set. If starter now operates, solenoid is O.K., and it is a problem in the start circuit, -ignition switch, neutral start switch, or in the wiring.
Now find a grounding place for testlight under the dash. When car won't crank, check for power coming out of ignition switch on the black wire with white stripe. This is the start wire for the starter solenoid. Key must be in crank position. Wire shoud be powered-ignition switch is working. If no power, switch is failing. You can do the same for the clutch start switch-it's a simple switch, that when clutch is depressed switch is closed and passes power on from ignition switch to the starter relay (thus allowing power to the starter solenoid). Black wire, red stripe-this is wire from clutch switch to starter relay. When key is in crank, clutch depressed, this wire should be hot.
With me so far? Still haven't found a problem, or any loose connections? Next and last is the starter relay. It is located under dash, close to gas pedal, but under the center console, just forward and left of gear shifter. It can be tested and the wiring diagnosed there, but relays are cheap, so just swap in another and see if that helps.
If you have tried everything, and still no help, you could try a new wire from the relay to the starter solenoid. This is that black wire we started with. Older toyotas sometimes have a problem with degraded wiring not passing enough current to operate the starter

if the key turns lights on the dash. u can jumper the starter thru the starter relay in the fuse box under the hood. 4 wires, one hot all time jumper to starter wire thru relay wires at fuse box

I don't know about the 98 Escort, a fuse on a starter circuit is very unusual.

You should check the voltage at the battery - then at the starter solenoid, battery side. If you have 12 volts at the battery, 12 volts at the battery side of the solenoid, great. Now, have a partner turn the key to start position and test the starter side of the solenoid. If you haved 12 volts with the key on start position, I would be thinking starter. If you don't have 12 volts on the battery side with the key in start position, I'd be thinking solenoid.

You could also jump the solenoid with a jumper cable to check the starter operation.

Use a volt meter if you have one - a 12 volt test light if you don't have a meter.

Thanks for your question at FixYa.com

hi,
set the parking brake and make sure its in neutral then
try to bypass the ignition switch by jumping the starter relay under the hood. take the small wire off the relay and use a 2 foot piece of wire to go from the positive battery terminal to the terminal on the starter relay you just unplugged. if it turns over and if its a manual transmission the clutch pedal interlock switch may be busted, on the clutch pedal theres a small switch that senses the pedal is to the floor and it wont start. you can try to bypass that with a simple jumper wire. lastly if neither of those do it then you may have to drop the steering column and put a new ignition switch in it.

jm

sounds like the starter here is why....
fuse blows in the under hood fuse block because the draw is to high to the starter. I got lucky and changed to a higher amp fuse to start the car to get in to my garage..... DO THIS ONLY ONCE AS HIGH CURENT IS NOT THE FIX,

My mother just had a problem similar to this on her cavalier and it turned out to be a module unplugged underneath the car.

check the charge on the battery. then maybe your starter is out.