Which is a disappointment because now I don't know when I get a new code that could spare me a headache. I'm assuming I can still get new codes that I can read but I wont know when they happen. Alternatorman mentioned in one of his vids that only 10-15% of the FRM installations wont work. Naturally, I'm a part of that group.

 

Check it every so often then.

There's codes that DON'T set the light on.

RwP

 

Yeah, about all I can do. Hope I don’t burn the light out.

Why would there be a code that doesn’t set the light on. Are these Dakotas masochists or something?

Thanks for all your thoughts and help throughout this thread, Ralph. This has been going on for a long time and you have given me lots of advice. I sincerely appreciate your help. I now look forward to the next thing to break down.

 

Codes that set the light on are those that can cause big driveability problems, or that screw up emissions.

There are other codes that DON'T set the codes on. Such as codes 11 or 12, for instance.

For instance, see the attached page from my 1988's manual.

RwP

 

Maybe I can check for codes once a month or something. First day of each month as a reminder.

 

She lives!

 

That's a pretty color combination, I think.

RwP

 

Yeah, I always liked that color combo. Got some dings n scratches typical of a 27 year old vehicle but not too bad. Burgundy on roof is fading. I remember picking it out. Bought it on September 6. As I was buying it they were rolling in their new 1994 Dodge Rams with that new cool looking style with the pronounced fenders and optional Cummins diesel. Gorgeous trucks back then. Anyway, they had eight '93 Dakotas left on the lot. Five of them were V6s. Three were V8s. There was never any question I wanted the 318. That was the only burgundy/gold combo and really stood out so it was a no brainer decision. I believe the majority of '93 Dakotas were the V6.

 

Hi Ralph, I have been reading this thread and you really know your stuff. I do my own repairs because money is tight. My truck started cutting off for no reason. I discovered that if I wiggled the 3rd ECM from the firewall it would start back up. My truck has 3 ECM's in a row, a black one, a white one, and than another black one. Each have 32 pins, 3 rows 11/10/11. This worked for months and now it stopped. I was sitting at a stoplight yesterday and it cutoff. No matter what I did, I was only able to get it to run one time for 5 seconds. Needless to say we towed it home. I wanted to follow your advice and I wanted to replace the connectors because they are dirty and 2 clips that keep them plugged together are broken. Do you know what kind of pin puller I would need? Is there a difference between the black boxes and the white boxes? They both hold 32 pins in a 11/10/11 pattern. I can take pictures if you want. Thank you so much for just giving me your time and help, anything is appreciated.

Best Regards,

Hollan
p.s. I really don't know if they are PCM, ECM, EMU, wiring harness, junction box, or something else. I only know they are 3 boxes with a lot of colorful wires going into them located on the inside passenger wall in the engine compartment. I learn as I go along and I am sure you know exactly what they are.

 

Gibbs, I don't know what your make model and year is. In my case, I was unable to find the pin puller I needed. The field manual I got from Ralph indicated which puller I needed but I'll be damned if I could find it. You might have better luck. What I can say is I trashed my connector pulling the wires out. Busted most of the retainer tabs. Found a replacement connector on Ebay. Made my own tools (outlined previously in this thread) to remove the pins from the replacement. It worked. Might be worth your effort to go back in this thread to see what I did. Perhaps it would be useful for you.

In the end, it was my PCM that was shot...or so it appears.