So I just bought my 01 Dakota. 5 speed 3.9 4x4. 37k miles. Truck ran
great....heck still does.
So I went ahead and changed the oil to synthetic mobil 1, and dropped in
some Autolite 3923 plugs. I've got friends who are Mopar nuts and swear by
the plain old Autolites in the Magnum engines...so I tried 'em...for $6.00
and some change what the heck.
Well...it did seem to smooth the idle out a bit.
So I had already put @ 300 miles on the truck before the plug / oil
change...no issues. Pulled almost 19mph with 50/50 city hwy. Filled up, next
day ( this past Saturday ) did the plugs and oil. So yesterday, I needed to
run an errand at work. About 5 minutes into the trip, the check engine light
trips. So after work I crank it up to leave, same thing, check engine light.
So I run the codes. Get a P0601...which points to an "internal PCM" issue.
So I get home, I check all connections at the PCM, all wires underhood etc,
no problems. Truck is still running GREAT by the way.
So for good measure I unhook the battery for an hour or so and hook it back
up. Code is cleared.
Drive @ 20 miles to work..no light ( 1/2 hwy 1/2 city ). Drive home same
distance....no problems...no light. Get home...truck sits maybe 45 minutes.
Had to drive to a friend's house to help him move something...about 20 miles
all highway..runs fine, no light. Same thing coming home. Run out to the
store close by, still no light. Crank the truck back up to go home from the
store...it trips the light. Check the code.....yup you guessed it... P0601.
Well....since I ended up knowing the guy I bought the truck from ( dealer )
he threw in a 12k/12 month bumper to bumper for free w/ $50
deductible.HOWEVER..the ECM is still covered by the manufacturer ( 8 years /
80k miles ) according to the '95 EPA mandate, because the PCM is considered
a major emissions control component.
I'm going to call my dealer tomorrow and see if he can wangle me a rental
and get the truck looked at.
I just hate other people wrenching on my vehicles.
I sincerely hope this isn't an indication of things to come with the
Dakota...
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