Hello, I am new to this forum and also am a somewhat new dakota owner. I appreciate any help I can get. I own a 1988 dakota with a 3.9L and a 5spd.

The Problem: I was driving the other day and the truck's engine just flat out died. I tow roped it home and ran the codes and came up with code 11 and 16. I replaced distributor pick up (code 11) and the code went away but I am still getting code 16 or loss of battery voltage. I put a voltmeter on the coil and found out that it is not seeing any voltage with the key on or cranking. I have a spare computer and swapped it in just to take a wild stab at it and the same code 16 appeared.

Also, I traced the (+) coil wire back to a solenoid on the driver side fenderwell. The solenoid had four wires going to it: 2 blue, red, and a green. After probing I found out that 2 blue wire had 12 volts going to them while the coil wire (green) and a red wire were reading nothing. Being a smart-a&# I jumped 12 volts from one of the blue wires to the coil wire in the relay and toasted a computer. Luckily I have a spare, but otherwise does anyone know what the four wires going to this relay do? Other than a bad relay, what could cause this problem?

Thanks for any advice, I am on a mission to either get this truck running or die trying.

 

bad fusible link to the relay?

 

I completely forgot about those. Thanks.

Does anyone know which wires are supposed to be energized? Currently there are 2 blue wires with 12 volts. The red wire and the coil wire are not. So basically my question is do all 4 wires need to be energized coming out of the relay?

Sorry if these questions sound basic, I am just trying to understand how this truck is wired.

 

That's the ASD (Auto Shut Down) Relay. There should be power to the red wire at all times. You may have a burnt-up fusible link. If you're lucky, it may be becauseof old age, but it's probably because something downstream of the ASD is shorted to ground. Nearly everything on the engine is powered up by the ASD, so it may be tough to find the problem. Look for bare wires that could be shorting to the body or engine. Here is a(probably incomplete) list of things that are powered by the ASD; Coil, Fuel Pump, Fuel Injectors, Oxygen Sensor. There may be others.

Replace the fusible link with one of the same color (from your neighborhood Dodge dealer, if he has one). My Haynes manual shows a 20 gauge orange fusible link upstream of the ASD, but there is also a 22 gauge white wire that may be a fusible link. The manual does not list any white fusible links, but that may just be an oversight.

I would check the coil, first. Sometimes they short to the case, internally. Next on the list would be the fuel pump. Is it 20 years old, too? It's a lot harder to check than the coil.

Good luck.

 

Is it possible to replace the in-line fusible link with a more conventional plastic horse shoe shaped fuse by simply splicing in spade connectors and plugging the fuse in? If it is, is there anywhere that lists what type of current a factory fusible link is designated to fail at given either its gauge or color designation?

Thanks again for any information

 

Check out this link http://www.knizefamily.net/minimopar...cal-links.html. They have a formula for determining what size "Maxi-Fuse" you can use to replace the fusible link. If your burnt-up fusible link is white, go 30 amp Maxi-Fuse. If it's the orange link, you need a 40 amp Maxi. You should be able to find the in-line Maxi-Fuse holders in most auto parts stores. Get one that is weather-proof. I'd buy several of the fuses of the size you need, because you're probably going to burnone of them up when you turn on the ignition.

Disconnect the ground cable from your battery. Solder the fuse-holder to the fat wire that feeds the fusible links, on one end, and to the normal wire beyond the fusible link, on the other end. Tape the connections very well.

I'd try disconnecting the positive wire from the coil, then turn on the ignition switch (Don't let the wire touch the body). If your new Maxi-Fuse blows, it's probably not the coil that is the problem. If it doesn't blow, try it again after hooking the wire back up to the coil. If it blows now, you need a coil.

I think I need to replace all my fusible links with Maxi-Fuses!