Strange problem. The truck will start just fine, and you can let it idle all you want and it will rev up just fine. But if you drive it, within a mile and a half it will start to bog down. It will barely accelerate, and if you put it into neutral, it won't rev up, it will bog down, like instead of vroooom, it goes vruuuuuuh. Turn it off for a moment and start it up again, and it revs right up just fine and will drive for maybe 1/10 or a quarter mile, then it bogs back down again.

The coil was pouring out oily liquid, so I replaced that.

I got these codes by turning the key 3 times:
12-battery disconnected recently
24-tps over 4.96V REPLACED TSP
11-No ignition reference signal detected during cranking (bad Hall effect *whatever that is) OR loss of camshaft sensor (timing belt skipped a tooth or loss of crankshaft sensor)
35-cooling fan relay circuit open or shorted
55-end of codes.

It was running great, then one day started acting up. It has a new fuel filter under the driver's side of the bed. Is there some other place one could be?

I doubt the timing belt skipped a tooth because it will fire right up and run just fine for a while. Something's happening to it after it's run under load for a while.

Anyone have a problem like this before, or have any ideas what could be the problem here?

I've posted as much as I can on the problem here. My father in law says to just replace the brain (secm, or whatever they call it), but that's kind of pricey.


Any ideas or help would surely be very appreciated.

 

Did you reset the PCM after you did the few fixes?

Have you check your fuel pressure during the non running or poor running times?

 

Thank you for the replay. Sorry, I'm so old school it's not funny. Give me a carburator with a regular distributor with points and condensor and I'm good to go. I'll have to look in my pdf files I got from here to see where the pcm is, and how to check it. Not sure how to check the fuel pressure, though. But what would making it change pressure only when the engine has been under load for a while? This is all new to me.

 

DING DING we have a winner code 11 distributor pickup
may have broken wire or something along that line... pull cap n rotor, and you'll see it. not very pricey,, Dodges with carburetors and electronic ignition had these go bad once in a while too. the one in your Dakota will be a bit easier to change though, if you have a short stubby phillips screwdriver you may not even have to loosen the distributor let alone remove it like you had to on the carbd engines, to replace it

 

Bill, I have a question for you. A bit personal, so I apologize if i'm "digging" a bit.
Did you; 1) work for OMC Outboards (Evinrude, Johnson; also built Lawn Boys back in the day) and 2) did you teach drafting, blueprint reading, CAD and such at a Jr. College in Chicago Heights, IL? If you're the same guy I knew I had a couple of your classes in the mid 1980s..... the guy that was coordinator of that department, had the same name as you. this guy drove a big 2 tone Dodge Van back in the day, that had a hitch reciever on both ends, used the front mount for launching his boats...

 

Sounds like the fuel pump. It's building enough pressure to keep the engine running at idle but not enough to supply it at throttle. To verify, the next time it starts acting up while driving, pull over and let it idle to see if the problem straightens out on it's own.

 

Volaredon, I'm from Rome, Ga, not the same guy, but I like what you're saying about the distributor. I'll try that this AM. bwdakrt, I've done that, it won't work again unless I turn off the ignition. Then it fires right up.

Thanks, guys, I'll give it a shot and holler back.

Gonna replace the pick up assembly, too.

 

there are only 2 times a Code 11 will come up; 1) if you check codes after having had the battery unhooked and havent yet attemped to crank the starter yet or 2) a problem with the dist pickup

I had it happen to me once on my 97 fullsize Dodge but that one acted a lil different.
It had been cutting out a bit recently, which I thought was a lil weird; one day I pulled up to the gas pump shut it off and it would not start once I got gas. I, and another customer at the gas station pushed it to the side of the parking lot away from the pumps and I called for a ride; I went home and got my scanner and plugged it in; yup Code 11. I figured I would be changing the dist pickup in that parking lot. but since I had gone home and let it sit a while, it started up (surprisingly) so I went to the parts store (didnt shut it off there) picked up the part then drove home and replaced it and never had that problem again with that truck.

I doubt your issue is the computer (not saying it "couldn't" be though just doubtful)

I can see bkwdart's line of thought too but a dying fuel pump wont throw that code....

 

New pick up assembly, cap, rotor, runs smoother, but still bogs down. It has a sputter, or maybe it stumbles a bit while it's idling.
How do I reset the pcm?

 

Oh yeah, I have an old dwell tach, and because I had to remove the dist to change the pickup, I want to time the engine. Where do I hook it up? It has only a red clip and a black clip. (used it on my '55 chevy short bed and my '66 belvedere and '66 mustang back in the '70s, so yeah, it's old)