Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
put in new starter.. truck still no cranking just a quiet click.. decided to try and start directly at starter and it started... whats going on here? cant i bypass the relay somehow so i can key start it? this is ridiculous having to start my car from outside... please someone help me...
truck was driven fine just change speed sensor on training night before
it,s just bog out. tested fuel line on top got pressure pull plug got spark from block
Ron
Regards,
Dusty
Regards,
Dusty
I had a 2002 Dodge Dakota 4.7L and I had exactly the same problem. This is not electrical problem!!! Do not touch it. I replaced fuel pump and everything went back to normal. I believe that there is not enough pressure build up for the first start in old pump. New fuel pump will solve that problem. It is located on top of fuel tank. This is a well known defect on these vehicles as I found out later. Good luck.
Toli
Ron
When I've seen Dakota pumps fail they are not often intermittent like this. The one fuel pump related issue that I'm familiar with that matches your symptom, was not the a pump failure, but a clogged inlet filter on the pump. This was not discovered until after disassembly and the new pump was installed. As was told to me, when the pump was shaken all kinds of "crap" fell out. What is a more likely failure scenario, in my opinion, is a faulty Fuel Pressure Regulator, however, it is an integral part of the pump anyway.
That aside for the moment, what I have seen on older (2000-2003) Dakotas (and a couple of RAMs, too) are intermittent Auto Shut Down (ASD) Relays. The ASD Relay prevents power to the coils and fuel injectors in the event of a rollover.
The older relays were manufactured by Emrod and are usually dark red in color, the newer ones are black and made by Tyco. The part number is 56049018-AA. Look at the last two alpha characters on the relay part number. Chrysler uses these characters to denote a change to the part. In my 2003 these are marked "AB," meaning the part has been revised from the original.
Since the cost of this part is relatively inexpensive compared to a fuel pump, I would suggest looking at this as a possible suspect. The ASD Relay can be switched with another in the Power Distribution Center box as a trial. There is also a Fuel Pump Relay in the PDC that could cause the same problem. Also, inspect the relay pins for signs of corrosion.
Of course, there are other things that could cause this problem, like an intermittent Crankshaft or Camshaft Sensor.
Best regards,
Dusty
Ron
If that is the problem, then thank you, it is getting very annoying....
Over the last summer, I experienced an intermittent rough spot during acceleration. I installed new tune-up parts and ran some injector cleaner through the fuel and that seemed to clear things up, however about 6 weeks after the new parts were installed, the truck was slow to start one evening after being parkedand unused for 2 weeks. The truck eventually started and appeared to run fine, but 10 miles down the road it stalled (while being operated at 50 mph) and refused to start.
The truck was towed to a repair shop, where they said I had a bad battery and installed a new one. I picked the truck up the next day and it again appeared to run fine. The next time I drove it (3 days later), it again stalled about 10 miles out and while being operated at 50 mph.
The mechanic had the truck for about a week and it started fine for him, then one day after he put about 25 miles on it, the tuck stalled.
This time the mechanic replaced my fuel pump and cleaned the injectors. When I picked up the truck it ran like new, but refused to start the next day. I waited a day and tried again, still wouldn't start and it was towed into the shop - again.
The mechanic has had it for a week and when I called him today, he said the truck started just fine for him. Any ideas on what could be causing this? I am the original owner and this truck has been well maintained.
There are two possibilities that come to mind, especially on your vintage Dakota: A faulty ASD Relay or Fuel Pump Relay. If either relay is intermittent or there are bad connections in either circuit, this symptom will be caused.
Regards,
Dusty
I spoke with my mechanic and he advised the relays have already been replaced and were among the fist things he did. He asked that I bring the car home and if/when it breaks down again, call him to the scene so he can diagnose the problem as it occurrs.
Sounded good to me, so I brought the car home and used it for a few days. There were moments when the truck started to lose power, just as before, but this time instead of putting my foot down, I backed off the gas pedal and the engine smoothed right out.
Well, I went out to use it today, but the truck fails to start again. The engine turns over just fine, it simply never starts. The mechanic is off for the holiday weekend, so I can't reach him until Monday (this is Friday afternoon).
So, to recap; the battery, fuel pump, ASD and fuel pump relays have all been replaced. Only a few months ago the plugs, wires, air filter, cap & rotor were replaced. When put on a computer, no error codes are found and this vehicle desplays an annoying tendency toward "Tecnician Proximity Syndrome". There is an occassional hesitation under acceleration (maybe once every 12 - 15 miles) and the engine occassionally refuses to start. We are all stumped here. Any ideas are greatly appreciated!
Tom
My apologies, but I forgot the year of your truck, but if you've got plug wires you either have a 3.9 or 318 motor. That means you have a Crankshaft Position Sensor and a Hall Effect Pickup Sensor in the distributor, both or which are candidates (depending on the year, the Crankshaft Position Sensor is a strong suspect). But I hate to make these suggestions because it may only encourage more shotgunning and that usually proves to make a situation much more frustrating and expensive.
Of course, a problem like this is difficult to resolve because its intermittent, even for the most capable technician. You are at least fortunate at the moment because its in the failure mode. Now's the time to make some forensic observations and get some readings. In lieu of have a service manual or good diagnostic equipment, I would start looking at electrical wiring, especially connectors. These are often the source of intermittent problems on Dodge trucks.
A friend of mine was conveying a similar problem to me on a Nissan Frontier just a couple of months ago. That problem turned out to be an intermittent ground connection on the body because a ground strap had just about corroded away (not entirely, though).
Best regards,
Dusty
Tom
It was the coil wire. But in the process I discovered I had the original battery in it still....7yrs old ! A bit overdue I would have to say.
Thanks for everyones help in pointing me in good directions to trouble shoot.
Strange but it stared happening after I had fluid changed last year. Any ideas???
:sick: :confuse:
:confuse:
Could it be that when it sits out all night, there is condensation buildup on the spark plug wires and if they are old, they are arcing to the engine and not getting full spark to the plugs? Then, after it has warmed up and dried, the problem goes away. Try starting it in the dark when the engine is cool and see if you can see any evidence of sparking. Just a thought.
S.
I'm not sure on this year but my Dakota has a starter relay in the small electrical box drivers side.
You might also try the DODGE Forem, this sight specically for dodges only.
Good Luck! Rick J
ps. you should never have to get you'r injectors cleaned the injector cleaner that you poure in with you'r gas once in a while is more than enough to keep them clean. and if you don't like to use cleaners than just fill up with higher grade gas once in a while because the have more detergents and cleaners than regular gas.
please help had a complete tune up 1 year ago
kcram - Pickups/Wagons Host
time. Replaced and has been fine since.
2nd time this has happened:
Backing up (with a load in the bed) into my driveway (slight grade) and the truck dies. Try to start it and it only turns over. Went through all the fuses and also under the hood wiring. Bought a used computer and it started right up. Drove 70 miles that same day, got home and it did the exact same thing... backing in to my driveway...
>>>Weird thing is (both times) the Cruise Control button light (green light on the on/off button) on the steering wheel stays ON... even when the key is off and out of the ignition.<<< Now I have 2 bad computers... or can they be cleared/flashed or what?http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxi- cons/emotorcons/emo_confused.gif
Might consider rolling it over if I can just get it running again...http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/we- bxicons/emotorcons/emo_wink.gif
Thanks in advance for any help...