All:
The EPA excuse from Daimler-Chrysler appears to be hogwash! A few weeks ago, I contacted the EPA in regards to certification of the pinging 1999 Dakota fix. Here's the response I received from the EPA:
> Dear Mr. Carson:
> I have had a dialogue with our headquarters folks about the problem you
> described in your May 17, 2000, E-mail to EPA regarding your 1999 Dodge Dakota
> truck. They informed me that it was similar to another complaint they had
> recently received and were working on resolving. I am enclosing the text of an
> E-mail that was sent to the other complainant who had a similar problem as
> yourself. It is not clear to me if EPA is finished investigating these
> complaints and if there would be more to come. But it sounds like, unless
> someone finds out differently, that EPA is not holding up any certifications for
> Daimler/Chrysler. If and when I get subsequent information, I will let you know
> immediately.
> The enclosed message follows. It is from Frederick Hart at EPA's Office of
> Transportation and Air Quality in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to the other complainant.
> It certainly seems to apply to your case as well.
>
> "I spoke to Mike Loso with Daimler/Chrysler today to attempt to shed
> some light on this situation. EPA is not in the process of approving a field
> fix for Daimler/Chrysler. We do not approve or disapprove field fixes.
> Daimler/Chrysler notifies EPA when a field fix will be done and that's
> about it. As of today, I have not heard of any field fixes being done. Mr.
> Loso informed me that Daimler/Chrysler will be notifying EPA in the very
> near future on this particular issue. I am sorry that you were fed
> misleading information about your vehicle, and assure that
> Daimler/Chrysler is aware of your problem and a fix will occur. If you
> have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at
> (734) 214-4877. Thanks."
> If we can assist you in the future, please feel free to contact us.
> Sincerely yours, Sandra Rennie
So it appears that Daimler-Chrysler is stalling. Why?
BTW, my dealer recently applied TSB 18-37-98 to my Dak. They said it's supposed to fix the pinging. It didn't. I pulled the TSB from Fritz's Ram page and it discusses the addition of a "clear flood feature" to the PCM. It says nothing about fixing detonation. WTF?
Erika: Please look at the invoice from when your pinging Dak was "fixed". The TSB the dealer performed should be clearly stated on the invoice. If not, DC is *required* by law to apply a sticker under the hood (on the computer module perhaps?) that states the TSB number. I *REALLY* need to know *exactly* what they did to your Dak to fix the pinging.
-Mitchell Carson
1999 Dak SLT Plus 3.9L auto w/no mods. Sounds like a soda can full of rocks under the hood under light acceleration. Been pinging since 3000 miles...has 14k on it now <!@#$%!>
> Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2000 09:37:35 -0400
> From: Chad Simon <chad.simon@wcom.com>
> Subject: DML: RE: DML pinging still there after over $1,000 worth of work ...... Atten: Bernd
>
> Got my truck back Thursday after the dealer had it for a week. They spent
> over $1,000 to try and fix the spark knock and the result is no difference.
> They removed the headers and valves and sent them off to be manually
> cleaned, ground and checked to remove any carbonization. They also had to
> order all new gaskets and all when put back together. While they had it
> they also did a tune-up, changed the oil and rotated the tires. I had a
> rental vehicle for 9 days while they worked on it. Within 2-3 days it was
> back to the same as it was before they spent all the $$$$. I guess now all
> I can do it wait for the new flash once the EPA decides to approve it. I
> love my truck but this is ridiculous.
>
> Chad
> www.echomarket.com/dakota
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