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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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10/06/2005
19:45:48
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 Subject: help! truck dying!
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I have several problems that I think may be related. First, my oil pressure guage on occasion will fluctuate. From a little low to a little high. I think this is an electrical problem.
second, the truck will occasionally backfire through the exhaust. It will do this while accelerating from a stop (stop light, leaving parking spot). It happens with the engine warm and cold. Starts out in first fine, slow to accelerate, almost like it doesn't have enough rpm to switch to 2, though sometimes the switch to 2nd is fine, but slow to go to 3rd.
Replaced plugs and wires about 10k miles ago. Just replaced cap and rotor 2 days ago. I have yet to pull the plugs and check them, will do that later tonight or tomorrow.
Tonight, while pulling into a shopping center from a stop light, i was only one in turning lane, the truck died, check engine light came on, oil pressure guaged dropped and oil mil came on. I stopped, shifted to park, started truck back up fine, check engine light went off. tried to back into a parking spot, truck died. same thing with the check engine light coming on, oil pressure dropping and oil mil coming on. Tried starting truck again, 3-4 times and it kept dying, finally, started again, and i was able to back into parking spot. After sitting a couple minutes, started it back up again, let it idle another minute, ran fine with no problems, drove it home. the check engine mil was off, i tried to pull codes, there are none.
I am leaving sat morning for a week, will be driving 550 miles each way.
Anyone have any ideas what else to check?
Truck is 1995 3.9L CC 4x4 auto w/ 161k miles.
- Dan M
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Craig
Dodge Dakota
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10/06/2005
23:40:54
| RE: help! truck dying!
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An interesting problem that could obviously be one of a thousand different related and unrelated problems... I'm going to take the worst kind of diagnosis ever devised by man- a guess. I have a feeling from what you're saying that you're needing a new computer. I could be wrong of course, and it's an expensive guess...
I'm not liking that it doesn't matter whether hot or cold, that the check engine light was on and off, no codes in the computer, and I don't like that there's a backfire with an apparently random movement in the oil pressure guage. That's why I pick the ECM. The wierd shifting of the transmission and sluggishness too...
Could be a distributor too I suppose... but it doesn't really fully explain the tranny or oil pressure guage, or the fact that there's nothing when you try and pull codes.
Having worked with my dad a lot, we would probably call this a DNP- Diagnostic Nightmare Problem. It's a problem where you might spend 12 hours working to make a profit of maybe $120.
Well, good luck. As it stands, I don't know if I would drive it 550 miles.
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trader
Dodge Dakota
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10/06/2005
23:50:49
| RE: help! truck dying!
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Trade her in. Get what u can for it, then buy a new Dak of course
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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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10/07/2005
03:56:55
| RE: help! truck dying!
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I believe I have 2 separate issues. I think the oil pressure guage is purely an electrical problem. I had this problem long before the dying, shifting,etc problems.
I was reading more in the haynes manual last night, the erratic idle, dying, hesitation while accelerating could be the egr.
While I'm looking at that, I'm going to clean the iac.
- Dan M
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Frankie
Dodge Dakota
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10/07/2005
09:05:23
| RE: help! truck dying!
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this same thing happen to me it was the wiring on my fuel pump that keeped going out.
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zzark
Dodge Dakota
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10/07/2005
10:33:26
| RE: help! truck dying!
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Dan M
I know you have been working on your truck.
What was the last 3 things you did?
Usually when something is wrong with my "stuff", it is the last thing I did.
I'm like another guy on here, "If it ain't broke, work on it till it is."
zzark
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davec
Dodge Dakota
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10/07/2005
11:15:31
| RE: help! truck dying!
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Maybe I'm reading this wrong but when your truck dies, your engine light and oil light come on??? If that is the case it's normal. It would be like turning just the key on...those lights always come on. I say you have one problem, your truck is stalling. I'm thinking it has something to do with idle air control, but I'm not one to throw darts.
Does it stall sitting still (traffic light?) or only when you're turning under load (parking lot manuevers)???
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daddio
Dodge Dakota
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10/07/2005
11:16:42
| RE: help! truck dying!
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have you checked that #115 splice? the one under the PDC.
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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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10/07/2005
13:50:39
| RE: help! truck dying!
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I know i have a problem with the oil pressure, I have yet to pull the instrument panel out and test. As I stated, even before the dying started, my oil pressure would fluctuate. My oil pressure has actually been fluctuating for months, it seems to be slowly getting worse (as in in fluctuates more now than it did).
While sitting still, it idles rough on occasion, almost like it is going to dye. It only has died while accelerating from a stop (traffic lights, backing into parking lots). It happens while turning or driving straight.
The backfires occur while accelerating from a stop as well. It does not backfire all the time, nor has it backfired before before dying. In the case last night, it died several times in a row, it has not done that before.
I forgot all about the splice, will need to check that tonight when i clean the IAC and check the EGR.
And zzark ,the last few things I have done are:
- replace a/c evaporator (april?).
- replace fuel pump (several months ago - oil pressure fluctuation occurred before this)
-and replaced the cap and rotor this week.
- Dan M
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OBIO3
Dodge Dakota
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10/07/2005
14:58:41
| RE: help! truck dying!
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EGR ? > Don't know the last year for EGR but in fact if you have it must be about the last year they used it > Your right about the EGR causing backfire on accelerating > In days gone by I just took my belt off and went on my way > I have no clue if you can do this with yours > If it's the only thing on that paticular belt give it a try as a temperary fix till you get back
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bykerdude59
Dodge Dakota
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10/07/2005
15:23:14
| RE: help! truck dying!
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you mentioned..."Starts out in first fine, slow to accelerate, almost like it doesn't have enough rpm to switch to 2, though sometimes the switch to 2nd is fine, but slow to go to 3rd."
Is it a matter of your truck not speeding up enough in a short period of time that's why it's not shifting, or is the rpms going up as normal just not shifting normal?
Hope that makes sense.
If your rpm's are not rising properly (slowly, not enough power) this could make the torque converter not engage the next gear.
Maybe check out your catalytic converter. Don't buy a new one, just crawl under your truck, and give it a good jingle, if it jingles back (rattles) then it is shot, and clogged full of crap. This would cause a lack of power, gas milage etc.
Good luck.
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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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10/07/2005
17:04:03
| RE: help! truck dying!
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I have yet to see a decline in gas milage. The cat was replaced about 2 years ago. I did notice on occasion, driving at speeds under 45, the rpm need bounces quickly, up and down about 50-100 rpm.
I checked alldata today, all of the symptoms I am describing all one one thing in common, the EGR.
I'm going to check the splice here shortly, i just got home. Failing that, check the egr and clean the IAC.
- Dan M
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cuzindoug
GenIII
10/07/2005
20:10:31
|  RE: help! truck dying!
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Like daddio said, have you check the splice under the PDC? An erradic electrical(i.e. starting, stalling, flucuations in pressure by gauge) problem is normally the cause of the faulty splice.
If it ain't broke, fix it til it is.
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Craig
Dodge Dakota
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10/07/2005
21:42:27
| RE: help! truck dying!
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We shall see how this problem turns out.
EGR valve can cause the running rough, dying, backfiring, however I'm not very clear on your transmission shifting issue. I thought you were saying it was dragging out the shifts intermittantly. I still don't like that you can't pull any codes out of it. Come to think of it, my Dad's '92 F250 did something similar, only with the old 460 motor in it you could barely notice it running rough. But the check engine light would come on intermittatntly. Sometimes a few hard blips of the throttle can send a sticking EGR valve back to normal, and extinguish the check engine light.
I know I have a temper sometimes with my own stuff when it breaks, and if it did that to me I would have probably flogged it home. Might explain why your check engine light extinguished itself- just running it up there at the higher RPMs can cause the valve to unstick. It wouldn't be the first EGR valve I've seen fail on a 3.9, although at 160,000 miles it's almost surprising it hasn't failed before now...
Well, we will have to see how this works out. Good luck!
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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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10/16/2005
10:05:48
| RE: help! truck dying!
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Ok, I have an update.
I soldered the wires well on the splice. The truck has died twice since. Within about 20 seconds. I was driving up my brothers long driveway which is a slight incline. It's always died driving at low speeds, even before redoing the splice.
I have not checked the egr or iac yet. I was waiting on seeing how the splice repair did.
On my way back driving through tennessee on I75, my truck back fired several times through the exhaust driving in the 70-75mph range. I would feel the truck starting to slow, then it would have a temp lose of power and if i didn't let up on the gas, it would backfire,if i would let up, it would not back fire at that time. Then after letting up , i could slowly start to accelerate again. If i tried to accelerate too hard, it would backfire. It did this maybe 5 times, all within about 5 miles. Might have had something to do with the incline of the road.
I still have an occasional rpm issues, spike up or drop down 200-300. Now I have noticed that when the cruise control is on and this happens, it dis engaged the CC. The button is still on, but resume does not work. I have to turn the CC off, turn it back on and set the coast.
The oil pressure guage still fluctuates. Now, I have another issue, which i think is related to the oil pressure guage. Sometimes while driving, speeds over 45, my check engine light would come on. Sometimes it would go off after a while, other times it would stay on. That is, until I turned the truck off. When i would turn it back on, it would be off. I tried to do the key thing to get codes, it gave none. Which is not surprising since i knew turning the truck off would cause the light to go off.
I am thinking either a computer problem, or a wiring problem with my instrument cluster.
- Dan M
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zzark
Dodge Dakota
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10/17/2005
19:55:02
| RE: help! truck dying!
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Did anyone mentions checking grounds?
Grasping at strays here.
zzark
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zzark
Dodge Dakota
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10/17/2005
19:56:58
| RE: help! truck dying!
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straws, grasping at straws
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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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10/17/2005
23:32:22
| RE: help! truck dying!
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That's my next step, take the dash apart and start checking the wiring there back toward the engine.
Then I'm also going to clean the IAC and check the EGR.
There's some decent instructions on alldata.
- Dan M
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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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10/22/2005
15:34:58
| RE: help! truck dying!
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Persistance pays off.
I rechecked my oil sending unit twice today, it is bad.
I checked the TPS, it is also bad.
I'm going to pick up the new parts and post an update.
- Dan M
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jayb
Dodge Dakota
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10/22/2005
18:18:48
| RE: help! truck dying!
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i was gonna say, check the tps. if that doesnt pay off, the backfiring could be caused by some kind of timing issue, which i would think of a computer issue. anyhow, i would research that alot further if the tps isnt it. computers are expensive.
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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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10/24/2005
07:53:17
| RE: help! truck dying!
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installed the TPS and oil sending unit. See separate post on changing oil sending unit for special tool information.
My oil guage has yet to fluctuate. I am confident that this issue is resolved.
My truck has yet to backfire or stall. It was a little rough the first few miles, I think that was normal since I reset the PCM.
Changing the TPS was the hardest, stripped 1 screw. Had to use dremel to cut head off to remove TPS. Had to remove TB to unscrew what was left of it.
- Dan M
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