Since yesterday I've noticed my truck idle bounces around from 500-800rpm. And sometimes it dips down below 500rpm causing it to shut off. This is getting really frustrating especially when braking in traffic.

I don't know how many times I had to turn the ignition to start the truck after it dies in traffic.

Any help appreciated. Thanks!

 

have you recently, changed or cleaned your battery terminals? i know when you switch batteries the engine computer has to reset and get everything (idle) back to where it was, this happened to me when i changed the battery , idled up and down for the 1st day and finally reset, don't know if a loose terminal would have anything to do with it either, just a thought

 

I had a similar issue. Turned out to be corroded terminals on the mass air flow sensor. Used some contact cleaner on it as I repeatedly installed and replaced the connector, then added some dialectic grease and all is well.

What happened to mine was the seal went bad allowing moisture into the terminal connector. The grease will help it from corroding again.

By the way - are you getting any error codes?

 

yes! I did change out my battery the day before! but the terminals were cleaned out and tightened. I even took the battery plastic mount out, cleaned it out and repainted it.

Today it seemed to work fine. No idle problems but I'll keep monitoring it.

Also another question which just popped into my mind, at the bottom of the battery mount there was a round plastic peice in the center which had wires attached to it. What is that?

And on the left side of the battery there is a small plastic cylinder with a hose attached to it. I'm also wondering what that peice is.

 

The thing in the bottom of the try is a battery temperature sensor.

Bad/dirty battery connections can also cause issues. I'd be suspect of this since you just changed the battery.

 

I had the same issue with my Durango when I first got it. It kept shutting off on me at red lights, and when I was on the highway the rpm would fluctuate and jump up to 4000 at random moments.

Look into the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS), the Idle Air Control (IAC) valve, or the MAP sensor. I checked those in that order and replaced each one, only to have my TPS spring break, so it wasn't setting back to it's default location. In other words, I spent money on the TPS, only to have it not work and pay $100 to have someone look at it and switch it back with my old one.

I replaced the IAC and MAP sensor at the same time so it's hard to say which one was the sure fix, however, at the very least you should take out the IAC valve and clean it out. Mine had quite a bit of carbon on it. The TPS tells the car how much you are opening the throttle by pressing on the gas pedal and reacts accordingly. If you are only having issues while idling, I would try replacing that part last.

Let me know if you try any of these and they work out! Individually the parts aren't terribly-priced and they shouldn't be too hard to replace on your own so long as the screws aren't in there too tight. Youtube videos online specifically for the Dakota/Durango engines.

 

I fixed the same issue on my 99 Durango (181,610 miles) last weekend by replacing: the AIC, PCV, distributor cap, rotor, and camshaft/pick up coil. Now it starts strong and runs like a champ. All those parts had a lot of carbon build up and corrosion.