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Hi everyone I purchased a Dodge Dakota Excuse the trash
about a year ago and have been plagued with problems ever since. It's a 1992 with a 318. I don't think its the original motor because it has the newer style coil on it. The wiring harness has been patched and looks Frankensteinish, I put a new fuel pump in it just to find out the harness at the pump was corroded. It has Gibson headers, an orange stock style intake(maybe just painted) 3" single turbo muffler for exhaust. It's been lowered and cut to hell. It's does smoke but only if it idles for awhile. It almost sounds like it has a upgraded cam, but feels more like a misfire when driving. If I press the gas pedal hard it snaps and pops when the rpms drop. I drive it every now and then for short trips to the dump and stumbles and shakes and if I stomp it, sometimes it'll make it back home but when I slow down to turn in it cuts off. It'll start back up but I have to keep pumping the gas pedal. Then soon as I get it in gear it cuts off. Got it back home and it started with no problem. Has brand new computer too. I did notice the cap had a little corrosion on the inside I scraped a little off with a razor and didn't seem to help. Plugs look good and wires too. I'm lost now. Maybe a weak failing coil? Faulty cap? Anybody else have these issues?
This is a customized non-standard truck; it has a PDU where the factory windshield washer tank was, it has an aftermarket fuse block up on the firewall, it doesn't have the battery where the factory battery is, and there's some kind of module there on the inner fender where the battery went (that I can't read in the pics).
But.
I'd start with the basics - compression test, leakdown test, new wires, plugs, cap, and rotor. All to keep your cousin and mine, Justin Case, happy so he doesn't call Senator Murphy (he who makes the laws). Also fuel pressure and volume in case the problem is that the truck is not getting quite enough fuel.
Be SURE to verify no exhaust leaks upstream of the O2 sensor(s), so that it doesn't think it's overly lean and enriches it too much.
EDIT: Also, do the "Open throttle body and peek at the plenum" test to see if it's possibly got a bad plenum gasket. How's the PCV system run?
The battery is mounted in the bed, the little box where the battery was supposed to be is a ballast for some HID's On one side and a cold air box on the other side. The vacuum is ran off the intake to the to the valve cover and the other ones are plugged off. I'm tracking some wires down now from the harness on top of the trans that are just hanging. But I do see wires from the O2 sensor
When I open the throttle body what am I looking for? And I definitely got alot of work to do, I see at least 5 wires just cut and hanging. And the truck doesn't go into overdrive. So I'm guessing some of those wires run to something on the transmission. 😵
Look down into the plenum, see if the bottom is oily and dirty or not.
If it is, good chance the plenum gasket is blown (sucked?) and needs to be replaced.
Pro tip: Take the tips of the bolts, and hit them with a grinder to shorten them a tiny bit. They're PERFECT length, which means that there's no real clamping against the gasket, which means that the gasket will fail again. Or buy some just the slightest bit shorter (probably without the turned down nipple on the end).
I'd also recommend picking up a copy of the 1992 Factory Service Manual so you can see what's SUPPOSED to be wired where, so you can figure out what's different.
Paper copies can be had on Ebay; Bishko reprints and has the FSM on CD.
However, for the transmission, you can get by with the download link to a 1995 FSM in the FAQ posting (about 30-40% of the way down). Also, grab the proper parts list. You'll thank me for it later.
11-08-2019 | 12:07 PM
Random misfire!!!
