I have recently purchased a 99 Dakota 4x4 318 V8 5 Spd (the only way to go)
and I have noticed what seems to me to be two small problems. Maybe some of
the other owners have seen/experienced these and could shed some light?
1. Fluctuating Idle speed
When I de-clutch and let off the gas to coast, the engine decreases in RPM
until it hits about 800 - 900 RPM (slightly higher than at stand-still, but
normal). As a I continue coasting though, the idle rpm starts fluctuating
up and down. It really gets bad as I pass through the 45 - 35 mph range,
where the idle speed bounces between 400 - 900 RPM. This can also occur
when I am doing close quarter maneuvers and am not going very fast, but am
constantly de-clutching. I have never seen this behavior before in a
standard. I took it to the dealer, but they can't find anything wrong with
it - all of the components are working fine, so they didn't do anything.
Does this sound normal to anyone else? The RPM fluctuations are driving me
nuts, because it can so bad that I get to stalling the engine when the RPM
is around 400 and I engage the clutch. The fluctuation do eventually stop
when I come to a stand-still and return to a normal idle of about 700 rpm.
2. Cruise Control
My new truck is also equipped with cruise control. When I'm barreling down
the highway and set the cruise control it immediately accelerates the truck
another 3-4 mph over where I was. I then press the coast button to reduce
my speed, but within a matter of minutes it creeps back up another couple of
MPH. This has got to be the worst cruise control I've seen - it has about a
+/- 5 mph range before it cuts in/cuts out. Anyone else have this problem?
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