I bought this dakota a while back and it's my only vehicle as of right now, and when i'm at a stop light it'll try to die on me and when i'm driving it'll not want to accelerate sometimes and when i push in the clutch and let out, i'll resume normal driving for a little while, this happened before, but not as bad. I know there may be a few threads out there for this already and i was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction.

1994 Dakota
-2wd
-120,xxx miles
-3.9 V6

I also have gas issues, i know this truck should be getting about 20mpg and i'm getting maybe 12ish. I tend to do a lot of "weekend driving" here and there, but i was wondering what it may be, i had my mechanic look at it and it's throwing a code but i forgot what the code was. I do remember it saying something about too lean or too rich of a mixture, if anyone could, could you tell me what i should do to fix the milage and my idling issues.

Thanks for your time

 

You can get the code for us and we can help a bit more with that.


1st Gen Dakota Codes

Also, your truck will probably more realistically get 15-18mpg than 20.

 

Mine was doing that, It turned out to be the TPS. Only about $40 for my 93 V6. Also I would replace the fuel filter, mine got clogged and killed my fuel pump which was a pain to replace!!!

 

I have had an issue with mine for the last several months that I can't seem to figure out. When I start it, it runs rough at a very low rpm, like 200-400 and after several seconds it will just die. So I turn it off and restart it and it fires right up like nothing is wrong. I would say it does this only when the engine is cold, but thats not entirely true. It only does this in the morning after sitting overnight. But when I leave work for lunch several hours later, engine is definitely cold, but it starts perfectly. Also starts perfectly in the evening when I leave to go home, once again after sitting several hours.

I have recently replaced the starter, O2 sensor, IAC, coolant temp sensor. Fuel filter and pump last spring. Plugs last summer. TPS last fall. Air filter is clean, its a K&N. I have used several injector cleaners including SeaFoam and Lucas. Battery/alternator etc test perfectly, have tested multiple times at different stores. No trouble codes. I am stumped, and so are the guys at my favorite auto parts stores. I really dont want to spend $100/hr on labor to take it in but I am getting close to that point, and I am hoping someone here has had this problem and solved it or know someone who does.

'93, 2wd, 3.9L V6, manual. 158k mi

 

Just a thought but you may want to remove the throttle body and clean it very good. They build up gunk on the bottom side( facing into the intake). The butterflies could be sticking after sitting all night then after you drive it they become free until it sits for a long period of time(overnight). I took mine off my v8 and cleaned it very good and now i dont have the rough idle that i once had. Also if your motor has an egr valve that to could be causing your problems. A bad o2 sensor can act all kinds if stupid to. Your catalytic converter could be clogged also. Like buick said get the code so when can narrow down the possibilities for you. It could be as simple as a stinking pcv valve.

 

I had rough engine performance, where the truck would jerk when you eased off the gas to cruise to a lower speed. It eventually threw a code that the O2 sensor was reporting a lean condition. Due to the age and miles of my truck and being the original sensor, I replaced the sensor with a junkyard one cheap to see if that did the trick. It did.

Just a thought since you explained you recall having a rich/lean condition code being thrown.

 

well i have a 95 with the 5.2 and mine would do something similar. Every time i tried to start mine it would stumble at very low rpm for a second or two then die and when i started it again it would start normal. I even had my truck to stall out coasting to a stop sign once. I removed the throttle body and cleaned it very well along with the IAC. It helped some but didn't fix the hard starting. This past weekend i cut the catalytic converter out for better performance from the new mopar pcm. After i got it cut out i held it up to the sun and could only see 2 little pin holes of light it was stopped up so bad.ever since then the truck has started perfectly every time. If you have emissions where you live you will need to replace yours instead of just cutting it out. Also if you have to replace it they make universal high flow cats and they are better and cheaper than OEM replacement. Just letting you know what fixed my problems. Hope this helps.

 

Update... Have checked for codes multiple times and none. Replaced pcv, distributor cap and rotor, cleaned out egr with brake cleaner. All those parts were dirty and/or corroded so definitely needed them anyways. Checked throttle body too, it still looked clean since I last did that a year or 2 ago. My acceleration has improved a lot and I have a new top speed, not sure what though cuz I ran out of room at 105. But still same starting issues as described above.
JR318- thanks for the help, I went and had my cat checked out and they said its fine (should be, its less than 2yrs old) BUT my muffler is bad. Getting a new one on the 18th so will update then.

 

i found out my code, it is "P 0253" System Rich, Idle Adap at lean limit, so.. what should i do.. and also, my engine has started to knock when it idles, how can i fix that as well?"

 

P codes on a 94 do not make sense.... that didn't come out til 96.