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doh
Dodge Dakota
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4/19/2007
09:56:34
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 Subject: RE: Won't start randomly
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you guys are better talkers than mechanics.
the clicking is the solinod/relay trying to engage - indicates bad battery
won't idle because PCM senses low voltage/amps - notorious common to dakota - bad battery
bad battery won't take a charge period check battery with hydometer
youse guys want to replace the motor & rebuild the tranny but don't see the obvious - I can't help you anymore when you won't listen - I give up
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Meredith
Dodge Dakota
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4/19/2007
11:35:06
| RE: Won't start randomly
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It was a dodge neon that was trying to jump me earlier.. the fact that it tried to turn over and couldn't makes me a little bit hopeful, it was better than dead and just clicking to begin with, even if something else IS wrong with it? I will still replace the battery from what you guys are saying.. it needs it more than likely anyways.
- I don't suppose any of you are in the Bowie, Maryland area that are able to tow me to a mechanic? haha. Free pizza and bear? =D Just promise you won't murder me or something...
Taking someone out to dinner would have to be cheaper than the $150 the places I have called are asking just to TOW it to have it looked at. (mourns the end of her money)
That reminds me... what is a PCM? The dodge threw a code that when I looked it up translated into an issue with a "PCM" about a week ago... I didnt think anything of it, I was on the road at the time, and after I start/stop/start/stop/started the engine... so it could g ive me the code to look it up, it went away along with the engine light that was on, in about 20 minutes. (was that my only warning of something about to crap out?) I assumed if the light went off..and the code went away, it fixed itself? =/
This is why girls don't fix cars!!!!
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daddio
Dodge Dakota
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4/19/2007
11:51:06
| RE: Won't start randomly
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bet if you run down to local walmart and get a new battery your troubles would be over.
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GB2000
GenIII
4/19/2007
12:43:18
| RE: Won't start randomly
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I don't think it's the battery...I'm gonna go with a bad connection at the terminals as well. I had a similar problem at work a couple months ago on our dump truck. It started right up, I took it over to the gas pump, filled it up, went to start it and nothing. All the lights had turned off, dash lights, headlights EVERYTHING...even the fuel pump just abruptly shut off.
Finally after trying to turn the ignition on and off a couple times, I called my buddy up and he said he had the same problem recently and he'd taken it to the dealership and they said the battery was dead and replaced it...as well as put in a second battery since it's also a plow truck(his grandpa owns the dealership, the truck is his grandpa's so we get pretty much everything fixed there for super cheap).
So it was pretty easy to rule out the battery since both batteries were just a couple weeks old. I got under the hood and messed around...the first thing I noticed when I popped the hood was a faint annoying buzzing sound. Turns out it was the door buzzer TRYING to buzz...so I knew it was getting SOME power. I started checking the terminals...first battery was fine...brand new battery and wires...bolts were tight.
As soon as I jiggled one of the terminal wires on the second battery...BAM! All the lights and the door buzzer kicked back on. The terminal was clean as could be...and tighter than what I could turn it by hand. I tightened it down tight with a ratchet and haven't had a problem since.
If that's not it...then I'd say dead battery...but I'm still leaning toward a bad connection...and possibly a dead (but not necessarily bad) battery now due to the connection being loose and causing it to short out.
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4.7onN20
Dodge Dakota
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4/19/2007
17:02:54
| RE: Won't start randomly
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JJJ, why pay someone who knows what they are doing when you can just throw parts at it? Easy because unless you go to the extreme it will be cheaper and you might even learn something about cars that may come in handy later.
Also when your done you have lots of cool new shiny stuff.
Example, I went to the steelership because my blower wasnt working. They quoted me $20 for the part and $60 labor. Ha, I just took an educated guess it was the resistor and replaced it myself for $11.95. It only took 5 minutes and I learned something.
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knuckle drag
Dodge Dakota
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4/19/2007
18:54:21
| RE: Won't start randomly
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some folks have no common sense, they want a mechanic to work on it. some words to the wise
1. you can't tell stupid people that they're stupid. They are too stupid to understand what you are saying
2. we have guys that were milking cows last week and this week they are auto mechanics.
3. you can take a horse to water but if it's too stupid to drink, it will die from thirst
4. stupid people ask for help then ignore it and do something stupid ( hey man that's why they are stupid )
5. stupid people are telemarketer food
6. stupid people will spend $200 to tow a car and $300 for repairs for total cost of $500 for a $50 job then say they don't know why they are broke
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jjj
Dodge Dakota
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4/20/2007
09:07:07
| RE: Won't start randomly
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4.7onN2O not everyone can fix their vehicle, many people have zero mechanical ability - whereas I have zero artistic ability :)
I'm all for people learning how their car works or how to fix it! Maybe she has a neighbor that has a voltmeter and can tell her what's wrong.
Kudos to you on your resistor fix, you are right that is how to learn.
If I was her, I would borrow a voltmeter and know what the problem is with 2 minutes or less.
Now we just find out it had codes beforehand, don't know what they are though, and may be unrelated.
She has me thoroughly confused. Does it start? Did it start jumping it? Does it crank and not start? Does it not crank? Crank slowly? who knows at this point LOL
doh is clueless and doesn't know chyr. systems either LOL
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roger
Dodge Dakota
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4/20/2007
10:39:46
| RE: Won't start randomly
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I agree with doh, replace the battery. everything points to it and that's always a good idea
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enufalready
Dodge Dakota
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4/20/2007
16:11:06
| RE: Won't start randomly
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Message:
geez louise.... agree with all of the above who are pointing their fingers to the bad battery.
meredith, do you know anyone with something bigger then an old neon to try and give you a jump? give that a try. if it turns over, it's the battery...
or, do you know anyone with AAA card? get them to call for you and get a jump from AAA. when it's starts up go straight to favorite *mart and get a new cheap battery and quit crying and wasting your's and everyone's time... sheeesshhhh
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doh
Dodge Dakota
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4/20/2007
18:55:50
| RE: Won't start randomly
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the dakota won't idle with a weak battery, screws up the PCM
if it starts slow but won't idle buy a new battery
do a search and see
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texaspete
Dodge Dakota
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4/20/2007
19:01:33
| RE: Won't start randomly
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doh you da man
http://www.dodgedakota.net/boards/gen/9222.html
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GB2000
GenIII
4/21/2007
00:21:30
| RE: Won't start randomly
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She also mentioned in the beginning that it was completely dead and ALL lights turned off...and then when she tried later, it started right up. So are you gonna tell us the dead battery suddenly recharged itself. Yes, a dead battery is a good possibility...but I'm still leaning toward a bad terminal connection.
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LOL
Dodge Dakota
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4/21/2007
00:57:17
| RE: Won't start randomly
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A bad battery has nothing to do with screwing up the PCM and idling. It has to do with the PCM going back to square one (bat. disconnect) setting on the idle speed motor - lost it's memory.
Clean the throttle plate, set the minimum air flow to spec and it will idle all day long - after started you don't even need a battery to run (assuming the charging system is ok).
It would probably idle the way it is now, if you know how to make it do it.
Clicking indicates low voltage/current flow - which can be a bad battery but not nec., can also be a bad cable or ground.
What DOH says is somewhat correct (his reasons aren't completely accurate though) as the symptoms could be a bad battery - which is what was said in the beginning.
And besides, how hard is it to get a battery????
If it is the stock battery, what color is the built in hydrometer?
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4.7onN20
Dodge Dakota
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4/21/2007
19:42:16
| RE: Won't start randomly
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Sorry but a bad battery can effect the ECM and cause it to run badly. Also if your into programming ECMs many of them adjust injecter pulse widths acording to battery voltage. Ive seen that table in many different ECMs. I dont think that the big 3 would add code like that for no reason. If you dont believe me download tunercat or gmecm.
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mdjohn
Dodge Dakota
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4/22/2007
14:59:27
| RE: Won't start randomly
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4.7 I beleive you. It happpened to me.
Hard to believe that post is now 5 years old, which means my battery is 5 years old.
time flies man
should i wait to have problems or should I replace the battery.
i guess I'll replace it before next winter
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LOL
Dodge Dakota
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4/22/2007
17:17:52
| RE: Won't start randomly
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4.7onn20 it is true a battery can screw up a ECM for running, but only in certain conditions. Usually it is because the battery can no longer smooth out voltage flucuations from the charging system or sudden draws.
It would seem to be obvious why voltage would have to be taken into account for pulse width calculation.
But the reason the trucks usually don't idle after a dead battery or even a battery replacement is the ECM adaptive memory loss.
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4.7onN20
Dodge Dakota
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4/22/2007
21:21:28
| RE: Won't start randomly
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That sounds reasonable. It does make me wonder though how close the original programming from dodge is without using the 02 sensor memory. You would think it would be pretty close but who knows maybe the techs over at dodge just desided to short cut it and let the memory do the work for em.
I still think it is more a combination of the memory loss and the dead battery not properly working with the ECM and injectors. If it was just the lost memory causing the problem then you could put a new battery in it and it would still barely run and stall until it relearned the fuel curve. By the way let us know the exact cause of your problem when you get it fixed.
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LOL
Dodge Dakota
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4/23/2007
08:17:07
| RE: Won't start randomly
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4.7onN2O the stock fuel curve without O2 input is fairly close, slightly on the rich side in most cases - if you mean with no O2 sensor or the sensor unplugged.
It will often stall once or twice after a bat. install - esp. if your min. air flow is below spec as in a dirty TB.
You can also exp. stalling and poor running with a bad battery due to the voltage fluctuations that will vary with rpms - a good battery will smooth those out, but a bad battery may not be able to.
I agree with you on her problem, probably just a dead battery.
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doh
Dodge Dakota
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4/24/2007
07:51:55
| RE: Won't start randomly
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Message:
seems like Meredith got a new battery and is gone from this board
bye bye
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little jer
Dodge Dakota
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4/28/2007
09:42:35
| RE: Won't start randomly
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it would have been nice to know the final outcome of what the problem really was.
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