Hesitation and stalling

freakinoldguy · #1 09-02-2009, 07:36 PM

Hi folks,

I've got a problem. I own an 88 Dakota 4x4 with the 3.9 litre TBI engine. I've noticed that when I'm accelerating I'm getting hesitation and the last couple of days I've stalled out going down the hill from my place.

I ran the codes for the engine and got a 3-3 the ac relay circut, which is odd since I don't have AC. Other than that nothing comes up except 5-5 end of error codes.

I've replaced the fuel pump, egr valve, TPS and MAP sensors along with a complete tuneup.

I'm kind of wondering if it has anything to do with amount of fuel in the tank, since I'm down to a little less than 1/4 of a tank. Does anyone know if the fuel pump intake goes to the bottom of the tank or if it sits up higher?

Other than the fuel question, I've got no idea as to what would be causing the problem without showing up in the error codes. So any ideas would be a big help.

Thanks in advance

F.O.G.

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95_318SLT · #2 09-03-2009, 02:35 AM

The pump could be going out, or the fuel filter could be clogged. I would definatley start there. Check the fuel pressure at the engine.

pashadowops · #3 09-03-2009, 03:37 PM

Taking the age of the truck into consideration and that its TBI, could it be a dry-rotted vacuum hose? I had similar issues with my escort and it turned out to be several feet of dry-rotted vacuum hose.

freakinoldguy · #4 09-03-2009, 11:26 PM

Forgot to mention that we changed out the fuel pump and filter about 3 months ago.

But thanks for the input and I'll check the vaccum hoses and the pressure at the carb.

I'm also wondering if I've got crap in the tank thats blocking the intake? I got a friend who owns a garage to do a scan on it about a year ago and the only thing that showed up was that the distributor was weak, but the mechanic who did it says they usually just die and not act up before they go, so I shouldn't worry to much about it, I wonder if thats the problem?

F.O.G

fishlessman · #5 09-04-2009, 12:41 PM

my 89 has the same setup as yours, when there is only three or four gallons in the tank it stalls out when going down hills or when braking. i think its sludge in the tank, maybe on an intake screen in the tank. been doing it for years, i just fill it when it first starts to happen. the good thing is there is always enough gas to get to the station. vac hoses are still good on my truck, its low milage and even the radiator hoses, belts, plugs are all origional, i think its more likely a build up in the tank