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23:20:35 - 12/19/2024
V6 Dakotas
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Melinda
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/22/2002
09:08:48
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 Subject: 3.9L Stalls, Quits, Dies
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Message:
First, I'd like to thank everyone who contributes to this site. It helped me solve a problem I was having with my V6. In case someone else has this problem, I'm offering my 2 cents as well. I was finally able to solve my problem by installing a new IAC and coil. Please read on...
My Dakota suddenly started stalling for no reason whether driving slow or fast, or idling in park or drive. Sometimes it acted like somebody just cut the power for a few seconds, then it would kick back in. Sometimes it started right back up, one time it had to be towed home. My truck has about 108K miles, multiport injection. The timing chain was replaced within the last month or so, as well as plugs, cap and rotor a month or so before that.
Before I found this site, we replaced the fuel pump and filter, and some relays (fuel pump, shut down), but it didn't help. I read everyone's posts and tried many of the other suggestions.
Here's what we replaced and checked on top of the fuel pump and filter:
HAL pickup, crank sensor, more relays, checking for corroded wires, checking EGR, MAP, coil, alternator (all checked out fine), replaced battery (was going to get one anyway before the snow flies), checked for plugged exhaust. In the hopes of saving someone else this headache, here is what was most helpful in my situation...
Cleaning, and in my case, replacing, the idle air control module in the throttle body. We replaced ours because it was very carboned up and looked like it was original; the truck seemed to idle a little better, but it didn't solve the problem. Did a complete tune up (again) with plugs, wires, cap and rotor. Still no better (but my 3 month old plugs were very black, another good indicator that the IAC was due).
In the end, it was the coil that was bad. Ironically, it had tested good, so we spent a week going down other paths before coming back to this point. In total frustration, I decided to start back at square one with the simple things. That's when I did the second tune up, this time with wires, too. When the truck wouldn't start after the tune up, I checked the coil spark wire. The truck fired right up for a few minutes after pulling the wire and replacing it. When it died again in the drive after about 15 minutes of idling, I repeated the pull the wire procedure and the truck started again. Since we'd been banging our heads trying to find the problem for 3 weeks now, and spent more $ than I care to think about, I decided that $30 for the coil wasn't too bad (better than driving the truck into the Grand River, which I was about ready to do).
The truck has been driven about 60 miles now without a stall or hiccup, so I think the problem is resolved (though I won't be thouroughly convinced of that for a few more days of problem free driving). I guess it makes sense that if the coil was having an intermitent problem, it could test ok and it could certainly cause the problems I was having.
While it saddens me to have spent so much money on parts I didn't need, after reading the posts on this site, I don't feel so bad. Some of the components are obviously common problems, so hopefully I've eliminated some future difficulty.
Thanks, DodgeDakotas.com for this website. It was invaluable!
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Pistolero
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/22/2002
21:02:22
| RE: 3.9L Stalls, Quits, Dies
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Message:
Melinda, what a pleasure it was reading your post! Besides being a lady who obviously knows a lot about Dakotas and vehicles in general, you are also obviously an articulate writer, well versed in proper spelling and punctuation techniques! What a refreshing change!
Anyway, I'm glad that you finally, and hopefully, figured out the problem with your truck. I used to have a '73 Dodge Polara...HUGE car...that would run fine and then just stall. Sometimes, it wouldn't start at all after being shut off, but if we waited 10 minutes, it might start again and run fine the rest of the day. After going through many of the same headaches and $$ that you did, I finally determined that the problem was with the pickup coil in the distributor. These were the young days of pointless ignitions, and I'd given the car a "tuneup" with K-Mart parts. The pickup had gone intermittently open. I replaced it with the original pickup, and it was fine forevermore.
Hope you keep coming back, and that these guys treat you well!...P
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