94 Dak reg cab 2w 3.9 v6 excellent condition new purchase within the month, very good deal no rust, not much driving on it yet. Want to get it right before I start taking trips with it. I can't work on it at will due to physical problems so if you offer help please don't be insulted if I don't get on it right away.

The tranny was overfull and I had the oil changed. That helped but it did not fix everything. I'm looking for the gas peddle to make the machine respond instantly so that it moves as my foot moves. I do not know if that is possible in these things it is my first Dakota.

So according to the faq's I adjusted the TV cable at the throttle body. It seemed to be about 2-4mm too far out so I lined it up as described and since then the idle has gone way up when in P or N and it idles funny in gear with the brakes on. The tranny has started to run weird not shifting like it was just before I did this adjustment. I know "Doc it hurts when I do this" "So don't do that". yuk yuk yuk
I want this adjusted according to spec so it runs as designed not set just so it runs. I don't like to constantly fiddle with motors. They're fun when its necessary or its a project.
Anyway a new hiccup happened on the highway today. It started losing power at 65mph and went down to 55mph and it seemed the peddle had no effect on it, almost as if it were suffocating either lacking air or flooding IDK. It has a new filter and EGR. I had to get on and off the HWY stopping several times to do errands and it was not wanting to accelerate to get back on and it started to try to backfire and chug a bit.

I figure I should do both ends of that cable adjustment but it looks really tight underneath even if I drive up on the wheel stands I have.

I'd like any feedback on how hard the adjustment at the tranny end of the TV cable is and if these problems sound familiar. Is it really as simple as me putting the TV cable back where it was? :-/

 

I don't think you need to do anything to the TV cable underneath, but it sounds like you've "adjusted" it to the point where there's no slack in the cable at idle. Make sure that when you push down on the cable with your finger at idle position, that the cable deflects a bit before it starts to open the throttle. There needs to be a little slack.

Hard to tell what else is wrong, could be a bad fuel pump, IAC needing cleaning, or a screwy MAP sensor. The bogging at highway speeds would suggest a weak fuel pump.

 

I never said but its an automatic.
I figure I removed the slack you mention. I installed a new pump when I bought it and had to readjust it once. I think it may need adjustment again to get the gauge working correctly. It hasn't dropped much and it only went to half when it was over half full. Now its almost 300miles on this tank (22ga) I'm thinking it should be dropping by now.

The issues that made me adjust it was how it wasn't responding to my gas peddle and not shifting correctly. It never felt right enough that I could just drive and ignore it because when I did it would always get my attention by not down shifting or not up shifting at critical moments.

Thanks

 

So I pressed the button and released the slack I had removed from the TV (throttle valve) cable and it moves a bit now. I started it up and it idles at 1800 then drops to 1200 cycling between 1200 and 800 constantly without stopping. Almost as if someone is pressing and releasing the gas. This is new. I tried to put some cable back but I couldn't and it did not change anything as I tried.
I checked the other day when you posted, Brian in Tuscon and there are no codes. Well 12 and 55 only.

EDIT
Just took it for a drive to see how the adjustment worked. It shifted much better. It did well on the Hwy. Nothing caught my attention. When I got back checked the tranny fluid it was good. What I noticed is that it was stuck at a high idle when I parked it and let it run for a while it never idled down. ?any ideas?
EDIT2
I forgot to mention the loud clicking or tapping noise coming from the upper end. I expect its something to do with valves. I am hoping it is like my old VW and just needs the oil changed.

EDIT3 Brian, Seems you may have beeen right about the fuel pump/losing power on the Hwy connection. I ran out of gas today after driving about a mile and a half. So I had low fuel level in the tank when that problem occurred on the Hwy.

 

Update. I reset the TV cable to where it had been and the gas peddle seems better connected to the feel of the power going to the wheels. Still it hates hills.
The Gas gauge moved today with 60 miles into a full tank it has gone down to almost 1/4 tank from half. That's strange as it never moved at all on the last tank full. I suspect this means it is the wiring or the gauge itself and not the float or reading.

 

the gas gauges on the fuel pumps on these trucks was never the most dependable ones... I am about to put the 3rd fuel pump in my 93 for that very reason... til I can get to it I have ben using my trip meter though the low fuel lite always coms on about the same time every tank and remains dependable for there being about the same amount left in the tank each time it comes on

 

Thanks. The thing dropped down to lighting the low tank indicator now with only 65 miles on the full tank. I might have a go at it in a while Jimmyjimjim has a neat bed lifting method I think would be easier than both ways I tried the two times I went after it. Gotta figure its the wiring. when I feel up to it I'll look up the fix.