i have an 89 dakota 4x4 3.9 and i posted a couple of weeks ago about electrical gremlins. well the truck just got bac from the garage where they replaced the fuel pump and it runs, not very well but it runs.

i thought it might be a vaccum leak but the gauge read late ignition timing, so i checked the timing with the coolant temp sensor unplugged and could not find the mark no matter how much i rotated the distributor back and forth. i checked that the rotor button was aligned with no 1 cyl. twice and it is. when i plugged the coolant temp sensor back in the line appeared at 5 degrees btdc except every third rev or so it would disappear for one rev. i adjusted the idle solonoid but the idle did not changed. checked the coil wires and grey with black stripe was still grounded and black with grey stripe had 12 volts, the opposite of what the haynes manual says. the engine still overheats from the late timing. i also checked the power for the o2 sensor ( dark green with black stripe ) and there was no power, started the truck and unplugged it and nothing changed with the way it ran.

everything seems to work in reverse, i dont know if the dakotas have a limp home mode but this is what it seems like. so far ive changed the cap, button, wires, injectors, plugs, idle solonoid, distributor, throttle position sensor, fuel filter, coil, computer and alternator. ive also made many adjustments but everything stays the same. good thing i have a spare 88 dakota ( broken frame ).

i love my dakota and we have been to many bad places together without a problem , so now that i have a slide in camper on the back i would like to get it working properly. thanks in advance for ahy help.