Our 1992 Dodge Dakota 4x4 318 V-8 automatic with 204k miles has developed some problems and we need help. First off, when we start it and put it in gear it dies but after fully warmed up (20 minutes later) it does not die. Second, when coming to a stop it might surge and try to die or it will stall when trying to pull out from a stop. Then sometimes it will not stall when leaving a stop but it will squal tires and jerk real hard through 1st and 2nd gears. We know that the linkage is off slightly on the gear indicator on the dash and the truck will not fully engage in low 1. Once we are on the highway it runs great! We have already changed plugs and wires, tranny fluid and filter, tps, and tps connector, oil and filter, some vacuum hoses, brakes, and flushed coolant. There is no check engine light on and it does not throw any codes. Any ideas??

 

Sounds like the IAC(Idle air control valve) on the back of the TB(throttle body). Could be TPS(throttle positoin sensor), but that usually causes a surge at highway speeds.

You could remove it and clean it(per the how to in the DIY section) and see if it helps. If you decide to change it instead, what ever you do don't buy a cheap one from Autozone or the like. And you'll also want to clean out the whole it installs into on the TB. Clean the whole TB for that matter.

 

Could also be an EGR valve, although most of the time they throw a code, at least in my experience.