Hey guys,

I'm hoping that this site has someone talented enough to give me a hand.

I have a 2001 Durango, and I am having some issues. the check engine light came on and I am getting a P0171 Fuel Sys Lean code.

I also was getting a heavy exhaust smell even in the car, although it hasnt been as bad lately. also, as I let the engine run I noticed the ground behind the car was black with soot.

while looking under the hood, I did notice that one of the fuel injector wires appear to be "chewed" up. possibly breaking circuit.

my main question is this... Could the fuel injector wire be the cause? because I am trying to figure out whether to fix it of cut my losses and move on since it is beginning to nickle and dime me.

thanks for any help.

 

If you have an obvious wiring issue, why not fix it and see if that IS the problem?

 

I know... and your right. but I just paid $280 for a diagnosis of.." It might be a cracked intake manifold" and I am sick of dumping money. so I was asking here and if I got an answer like " definitely cant be that" then I am just trading it in as is and moving on.

 

If you have an obvious problem with a component of the fuel system you need to start there. It's not hard to solder and/or tape up some wires. It could also be an o2 sensor giving a bad reading and messing up the mixture. It would really help to know what engine you have too.

 

your soot is because the computer thinks its running lean so its dumping extra fuel into the engine causing it to actually run rich. I would start by fixing the wires on the fuel injectors as that could definitely contribute the this problem, however my money would be on an exhaust leak (possibly around or before the oxygen sensor) since you are smelling raw exhaust smell inside the cabin