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Comments
I have a 1995 Dodge Dakota V8, 5.2 4x4.
I have the following problemS:
It has loss of power, sputtering, stalling, backfiring, and lights come on and off and will randomly run at all. :sick:
I've spent A LOT of time and money trying to find the problem with no luck yet. I've had the fuel filter and pump, gas tank, brain, relays, air fuel sensor, spark plugs, universals, crank shaft sensor, (and some others) all replaced. Those did not seem to fix my problem.
Currently I am working on getting the distributor and plug wires replaced and hooked up to a scanner AGAIN. I am hoping this will help solve the problem but I am not holding my breath. Has anyone had or heard of this problem before? ANY and all advise would be greatly appreciated!
I have done some research about other potential problems but not sure which to follow next. Could it be excessive oil pump drive gear wear that may cause warm engine surging, light bucking, or cold engine lack of power or burst spark knock. It said that engine noises may also be experienced with no drivability complaints. Maybe the throttle position sensor? OR the torque converter sensor? What about the Powertrain control module? PLEASE HELP..... WHAT DO I DO NEXT????? It's too late to turn back now...(Beside pull out all my hair... I do like my hair) I really want to keep my truck! I have put far too much of myself into it!
Thanks, John
"Dear Bob,
I recently had a experience with my 88 Dodge Dakota truck that caused me some grief for a few days. One morning the truck wouldn't start so I check for spark which there was then I checked for fuel which there was. After some other investigating I tried to start it and it started. The next day it wouldn't start again so my son and I checked the throttle body for fuel injection which there was none. After some troubleshooting we determined that there was no 12V supply to the injectors, fuel pump or coil.
We noticed that the fuel pump would run when the key is in the run position for about one second and then it would stop which is correct. Just to make sure that the fuel pump is good we checked the fuel pressure which was at 14 lbs. which is correct. We then took apart the wiring harness to see if there was a bad connection going to the injectors and the coil. The connection was good.
The 12 volts goes through the auto shut down relay and after checking all the wiring from the computer to the relay several times we decided that maybe the relay was intermittent. So I jumped the 12V through the relay and the truck started. We bought a relay the next day and put it in that night and it worked.
The next morning Brant my son went out to start the truck and it wouldn't start. That night we checked all the grounds on the engine and frame. Still no start. We replaced both battery cable connections as they were deteriorating. Then it started.
Next morning no start. Then we decided with great apprehension we bought a used computer. Installed the computer and now the fuel pump would not run at all and when I called the junk yard they said there was no warranty. We repeated our steps all over again and arrived that the computer was bad and so was the used computer so we bought a new computer. We installed the new computer and still no start.
At this point I was getting just a little tired of this problem and upset at spending $300 dollars for computers and the problem was still not fixed. I tried to think of what input to the computer would cause the computer to shut down the fuel system and coil but I couldn't think what it could be. Also another unanswered question was what caused the fuel pump to stop after about one second when the key is turned to the run position.
After looking at the shop manual some more I found a note that said that the computer will not energize the auto shut down relay if no tach pulses are seen from the computer. Then I knew what the problem was so I jumped the auto shut down relay again and checked for spark again and there was none. I removed the distributor and removed the electronic pickup to notice that the rotor under it with the six vanes for the cylinders was loose and they were rubbing on the electronic pickup which had taken out the pickup. We got another distributor complete with electronic pickup and the truck works fine.
Also I remembered a few months earlier when I was setting the timing that the marks were bouncing all over and I knew that the timing chain and sprockets were good so what was causing this. Now I know. What I learned was that fuel and spark are related and you need to check both.
Bruce Larsen Lindstrom Minn."
Again, hope that this can help at least someone.
John
Anyway, back on topic, I would look for an electrical short. From what I understand they can be rather common in the cramped dashboard space on these trucks.
Good Luck!
Smitty
My '05 Dakota 4x4 does the exact same thing. I am having the same problem with the dealers in Calgary. They can't seem to find anything wrong with it (no codes). I lose all electrical (gu ages, radio, door locks, & lights), but only for a split second. However I have noticed it only occurs when my gas gauge is below 1/2 a tank. When the guage is down, somedays it will do it only once on a 20 mintue drive and has happened as much as 5 or 6 times.
I had accepted the fact that it would never go away. I wonder if the previous owner had done any home wiring. The dealer says there is no record of this happening prior to when I began bringing the truck in in November. Unfortunately, my warranty expired, before I even bought the truck last year.
Any suggestions what action to take? Someone mentioned going to Walmart and buying a plug in device to check the voltage (while driving) via the cigerrete lighter? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Did you ever find out what caused the problem? I have the same problem. I replaced the relay and found that it was not the problem. A tech at a dealership advised that I replace the headlight switch. I changed that out and the problem is still there. Any thing you can add?
Thanks,
cm2381
did the light switch work? I replaced mine and I still have the problem.
Did the CTM fix your problem? I'm having the same symptoms.
Chris
Why no spark?
Why positive charge on negative line to Coil?
Why does charge on line 1 go away?
Coil good.
Lines clear.
Battery good 12 volt.
Fuel pump good with fuel.
fuses good.
tires have air :-) Today
Please email me at KC8WJG@aol.com with any help or relevant comments.
kcram - Pickups Host
Key does not turn (like it's the wrong key!)
I hope the "mallet" suggestion works.
This truck is new (only 10,000 mi)
I saw another post where a guy had a locksmith fix it...twice!
into the lock and turned it normally. It turned. Subsequently the lock works fine.
But I'll make a note of carlocksandkeys.com just in case.
Thanks in advance
Where do I look? The fuses are all good....
with 91k miles. I haven't noticed anyother electical problems, the horn beeps with
the remote lock.
When I touch the horn/aibag pad it seems like the center pad is not as hard to press,
seems like something is missing? It presses in very easy where before, it took
fire presure to blow the horn? Could be me,,,,,,,,,,
Strange, I also just got my truck back from dealer to have the water pump replaced.
Mick
Good luck,
Dusty
Especially removing the airbag and replacing? Main thing diconnect the battery, right? Special tools?
My horn does not work.
I beleive that the regulator is imbedded in the PCM (engine computer) and it must be properly grounded to perform its task.
On my 2000 Dak, pulled the screw to EVERY ground wire and filed the paint off of the body to ensure a good solid connection to ground.
Also, I have found that some rebuilt alternators are junk. In my experience, it is better to pay a bit more for a quality, tested replacement instead of installing the cheapest one. BEWARE of the units which claim a "lifetime warantee", you may be replacing it many times over your lifetime because they are the worst culprits.
On the surface, the "lifetime warantee" sounds like a good deal.... but instead, the rebuilders KNOW that they tend to be junk so they gladly replace them as you spend your lifetime doing the labor to replace them.
My b-in-law seems to think it might be my dimmer switch. A guy at Checkers thought it could be that or an electrical problem. Any ideas and how to best fix?
When you put your truck into reverse, the electricity cannot "find" a good ground so the current flows "backwards" into other parts of the electrical system.
(The above is a laymans description of what us electronics experts call a ground-loop problem.)
Use a DVM to troubleshoot and isolate the problem.
Trying to fix electrical problems without actually MEASURING the voltage and continuity of the circuits is guessing.
Any ideas?
Thanks.
Thanks.
I'm afraid the short in the trailer wiring has caused some malfunctions in the wiring and or computer.
Any ideas?
all is well again.
I ordered a clockspring on line for $60.00 delivered. The dealer wanted $99.00 for one.