Just bought a really clean 2000 Durango from the Front Range region of Colorado. 238k miles
Zero rust. Sure, some hail dents, But for a 21 YO it's about as clean as it gets. I bought it for a gofer type vehicle, and when the roads get nasty enough to keep the 'good' car in the garage.

Bought it knowing the AC didn't work, or power windows/locks. .The Passenger rear glass was open... because someone took the regulator out.

Got that part figured out today; Main plug was not connected fully on the driver's door, and the motor in the Drivers front door is shot. I had some broke cable regulators laying around from previous jeep fixes, so swapped a good motor onto that regulator. Ordered the passenger rear, plus a spare single switch just to have on hand.
Pretty sure the only reason the AC doesn't work is because of a leak. so will figure out later where that's leaking. Then see what's good, and what's bad. Compressor is 'free' to turn by hand.

It drove home from Colorado the 400 miles perfectly fine. Rock solid, 40 plus oil pressure, voltage right at 14, and temp was around 190 the whole time. Shifted solid, Except one time in cruise, it downshifted for a hill, as expected, but when it topped the hill and resumed flat ground, it didn't shift back to OD. I kicked the cruise off, and it immediately shifted back into 4th gear. Next few hills did it again, but later in the trip, that problem seemed to go away.
Would the command to go into OD be a vacuum signal, or an electronic signal from the TCM?

Yesterday, took the wife for an introductory ride, as it's going to be her's.
I just happened to look down at the speedo running about 60 mph, when it dropped to zero, and i lost engine power. It was only a second or so, and i figured the engine had died. but was surprised it was still idling, and about the time I hit the gas again, the speedo was back up operational. Ran flawlessly the rest of the ride home.

Today, wife was out driving it, when it did it again, this time it died completely. She coasted to a stop, and immediately tried to re start it. It would just crank. So she let it sit for a minute or two, then, it fired right up.
Did it again about 5 miles later. Wait a minute or 2, and it would fire right up. She finally got out to where i was working on the farm, so i took it out trying to replicate what she experienced. Couldn't make it die at all
Oh, each time it died for her, the speedo was dead.
Truck has brand new battery, and cable ends, But i'll start checking all the grounds.

One tidbit. Truck has 33 inch tires, and there's either a really out of balance one, or there's one that's egg shaped on the rear axle. Pretty good 'body boom' starting about 60 mph. Could the vehicle speed sensor (is it on the rear axle?) be getting shook enough to be going bad to cause this problem? I'm not too sure it's that, as the speedo is rock solid until it just quits.
Any of this sound familiar? Advice on where to start? Those 33's are going to be traded for wheels/tires presently on a jeep liberty. 265/70/16's Don't need that kind of rubber for a daily bomber.. plus, it buzzes the fender w/0 a lift.

Anyway, just about all the forums i've searched with 'speedo quits, engine dies, but restarts/ all is good for awhile' seems to be a dying PCM
My daughter has a rolled and totaled 2000 Durango, she kept. It does have the v8, I'm not sure if it's the 5.9 or 5.2 though. If it is the 5.9, I'll snag it 'just to see' I don't know if when a vehicle is rolled, is there a permanent shut down code stored? I guess I'll find out! LOL

 

What engine/trans do you have in your 'new' 'Rango?

Essentially, something gets hot, and stops working. Let it sit for a bit, it cools, and things work again, for a while...... Sometimes it's the PCM, sometimes it is some other sensor. Look for what you aren't getting when it won't start. Does the fuel pump prime? Are you getting spark? Is the pump running while cranking??

 

agree with the heat causing issues
Problem is, it's such a short interval, there's hardly any chance of the big 'aha' moment.

It's a 5.9 4x4.. i haven't gotten that deep into it yet, so one of the 'RE' trans.

The big elephant in the room is the speedo and tach sweep to zero during this. It's always died going down the road at speed.. and seems perfectly normal power wise, smoothness, up until it dies. Just like someone turned the switch off. When the engine fires up, everything is online again.

Which brings me to this;
It's a 'dangle' from under the steering column. I took the panel off to see where it led off to, and both wires are tapped into the biggest two wires going up the steering column. The Red one, and the Blue one. It's definitely aftermarket 'something'. Does anybody recognize that gizmo? The darker inner circle appears to be a velcro patch.
Disregard the 2 red wires. That's the previous owners doing, to run the fog lamps off a toggle switch.
One guy says it may be some sort of aftermarket stereo thingy.
Another says it may be a cell phone thingy..
Another has no idea
I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the 'security' of the vehicle. There is a sticker on the side glass 'Protected by xYz security systems'...

 

Does the tach flutter when it's cranking and not starting? My first guess there would be crank sensor if it's not moving.

 

will watch for that 'next time'.
It's been a 'crank, but no start' for only a couple times, and only briefly. Will instruct whoever is driving it to keep an eye on that part.

 

That gizmo hanging down under the dash..
remnants of previous owner's remote start? Besides the blue and red wire being tapped into, the yellow wire also has been cut, and been patched back together with a splice. I'm going to solder in a proper splice to eliminate any issues 4 crimp splices may be causing.
Today is about 70 degrees, about 20 cooler than the day it was acting up. I just got home from a 40 mile 'thrashing' to get it to die. Ran flawlessly.
As I suspected, The speedo DOES work when engine is shut down, and the key is in 'run'.
So i'm thinking a bad fuel pump, filters even CPS won't effect speedo function.

 

This morning, engine started perfectly normal. Maybe 2 whole revolutions. The tach didn't budge until the pcm went from 'start' to 'run'. Less than half a second after it fired up.
Pretty much the same as every Chrysler in that generation I've ever owned.

 

Been running it with an Actron scanner/reader. Just to see if and when it dies, it loses communication with vehicle..


Is it supposed to run all the time, even with the key 'off'? Every vehicle i've had it plugged into always shuts it down with the key.

 

With the key off you'll likely still have power, but no communication with the ecu.

 

yep! i see that now. It's been awhile since I've needed to use one.