He should be under warranty still for this kind of a problem.
Ron
00 SLT QC 4X2 5.9 46RE 3.92 LSD
For modifications see my DML Profile
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-dakota-truck@BUFFNET.NET
[mailto:owner-dakota-truck@BUFFNET.NET]On Behalf Of Jon Steiger
Sent: Friday, November 17, 2000 8:12 PM
To: dakota-truck-moderator@twisted.twistedbits.net
Subject: Re: DML: aaaarrghh!! Dak STILL not fixed! (long)
steve318@webtv.net (Steve Preston) wrote in <26763-3A15EE40-5066@storefull-
102.iap.bryant.webtv.net>:
>OK,NOW I`m gettin` pissed. They just put a new fuel pump on my truck and
>it still runs like crap.I drove it for one hour after leaving the
>dealer,and it ran like a 2.5 pulling a house (no offence,2.5ers,you have
>more power than I do,at this point).It runs just like it did when I
>dropped it off last week.They did replace a ball joint,so I have no more
>"clunk".But that`s overshadowed by the fact that this sag/hesitation
>persists after about 10 months of fighting with it,and I`ve only had my
>Dak for 13 months,I think.Again,I will post my problem in detail (it
>helps to share my pain with others,if nothing else).My truck(99 V6 auto
>3.92 gears) just loses power and feels like it`s missing.Some days it`s
>like this constantly,other days it comes and goes at random.The surging
>and power loss occur during takeoff,at W.O.T,and at steady highway
>driving.The severity of it changes constantly.It may climb a large hill
>fine,without losing any power,and not even have to downshift.But a mile
>down the road,when a very small hill comes up (or no hill at all) it
>will start sagging really bad,and MPH will drop off so fast,it`s like
>taking my foot clear off the gas,and I have to floor it.Then it
>downshifts,hits the rev limiter,makes a lot of noise,and slowly I will
>gain some MPH until I reach the speed limit.Then it will start kickin`
>ass again a few minutes later,and I can click along up steep
>grades,easily maintaining 65 mph in overdrive.There you have it.That`s
>what it does.And the TPS was replaced,the fuel pump has now been
>changed,and the TSB on the plug wire reroute has been done.I`m at 12,000
>miles.Ignition problem? Fuel delivery problem?(regulator,injectors,etc.)
>No trouble code has ever been set by the computer,BTW. Map sensor? I`ll
>bet no one on this list is smart enough to figure this out!! hehe. (Jedi
>mind trick) Steve P.
Hey, that's no Jedi mind trick; that's just plain ol' reverse
psychology! ;-)
I haven't followed this problem real close, but I think it was you
that mentioned the dealer was finally able to experience the problem,
and were going to replace the fuel pump? Those intermittent things
are always fun. :-P
This sounds like a fairly big problem; I'm surprised no trouble code
has been triggered. Did they actually pull the codes, or is this just
an assumption because the check engine light hasn't come on?
Sounds like you are missing either fuel or spark somewhere. Since
it is intermittent and it keeps coming back, I would suspect that
the problem doesn't lie with the fuel system. (Just about the only
other major component in the fuel system is the injectors; doesn't
seem likely they'd gum up and clear themselves repeatedly, though
I suppose it is possible one or more could be damaged.) I would
start to suspect the ignition system. I had a problem a while back
that sounds very much like yours except that my problem would happen
the worst when the engine got hot, and it would often kill the engine
completely. To make a long story short, the problem ended up being
a loose connection in the connector that plugs into the bottom of the
coil. Since this is an intermittent problem, I would suspect something
like a loose connection or a sensor that is going bad. Has the problem
ever happened at an idle? If so, you may want to try letting the truck
run while you jiggle wires and connections in the engine bay, to see
if you can get the engine to stumble. The cap and rotor are easy to
check, so you may want to open it up and take a look in there. As
long as you're replacing sensors, you might as well try swapping out
the one in the distributor too. (I forget the official name for it,
but its essentially a cam position sensor; its a flat disc.) If
something is wrong with that, it could cause problems like you
describe. As long as you're spending money ;-) you may want to get
a fuel pressure gauge as well. That way, when the stumble happens,
you can check the gauge and see if your fuel pressure has dropped.
(I kind've doubt that is the problem, but its possible, and a FP
gauge is a nice thing to have anyway...) Do you have someone nearby
with a Dak that would be willing to swap parts? (You could swap
coils for a few days, MAP sensors, etc.)
These temporary gremlins can be a real pain; I know mine was
driving me crazy before it was fixed... (Is it still under
warranty?) Good luck, and I hope you can get 'er back to 100
0X1.F727070616E55P+871SAP!
---Jon-
.---- Jon Steiger ----- jon@dakota-truck.net or jon@twistedbits.net ----- -. | Affiliations: AOPA, DoD, EAA, NMA, NRA, SPA, USUA; Rec & UL Pilot - SEL | | '92 Ram 150 4x4 V8, '96 Dakota V8, '96 Intruder 1400, '96 FireFly 447 | `------------------------------ http://www.cs.fredonia.edu/~stei0302/ --- -'
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