New here and cant figure out what is going on with my 98 Durango.

shifting from 2-3 it shifts at 3k rpms or higher.

Also, at speeds in the 60+ mph or driving up a steep grade it sounds as if the engine ticks or clicks, nonuniform at that. It flutters when that happens as well.

Any help is appreciated, thank you.

 

Sounds like a Output Transmission sensor, drivers side 3/4 the way down. When you replace it a little fluid will come out so watch out. Or it could be the TV cable needs adjustment.

Tick could be because you need better gas, try a different gas station and a better octane then you currently use. And get new Champion Copper plugs (yes the cheap ones) and gap at .040 before install.

 

When I bought a new set the other day, (no clue why, considering I just changed them 2 months ago and only been 1500 miles) The manager at Advance started laughing at me, all the other guys up there know better than to use those platinum plugs, I start laughing as well, walked out, he was trying to convince me so hard that the Platinum plugs are the best. I told him what factory says to use, he replied with, "I know but no one buys that cheap crap"

Why are managers always the stupidest of the employees?! Needless to say, I don't listen to that manager...

 

You should take this out of the service manual to him:

For the 4.7L because the head is aluminum:

CAUTION: The 4.7L V–8 engine is equipped with
copper core ground electrode spark plugs. They
must be replaced with the same type/number spark
plug as the original. If another spark plug is substituted,
pre-ignition will result.


Now for the 3.9L, 5.2L, 5.9L:

The reason is a simple basic reason, engines are built with many slight variations, and with these variations come slight variations. The engine was built using the OEM spark plug, and the ignition system was built to run in every engine off that production line regardless of variation. The engine was simply designed to run that plug! In part, they are ment to run and always will run, this is why I always recommend the owners first go back to OEM to find a problem, then further diagnose the issue if needed.

Now you get some parts store clerk that even could be certified, not a mechanical engineer mind you, just some run of the mill parts store clerk, and they now think they become smarter then those simple over educated simple engineer......At least they think!!! And with this they think their "special" plug will work better in your truck then that OEM crap will/what that stupid overpaid engineer built, but has no actual information showing actual testing results, in fact shows absolutely nothing other then some literature.

See he is correct with one statement; the new plugs kick the *** off the old cheap plugs and will outlast them time and time again. However the part he fails to comprehend is the simple design flaw, that is that the motor was never designed to ignite fuel/air ratio with the new type Platinum/Other plugs in the way that the plug was designed to fire. Nor was the ignition built in any way to run them.

Now the newer engines are actually designed to run the new plugs, and thus the reason for their use. I have literally seen Autolite plugs not even fire in a Chrysler engine, even though the cross reference. See this isn't rocket science!

See those people are the people I LOVE to get a hold of and set em straight. You see that **** grin wipe right off their faces when they finally comprehend what is truth and what is distilled in them from a spark plug sales man, and I'm a type of person that will lead em in hook and sinker then tighten it up and real em in! I love to see them make an *** of their selves in front of their co-workers.....


Now what I am talking about is an OEM engine, not a performance or modified engine. Those engines are subjected to change and further discussion.