My truck has been hesitating and sputtering when accelerating from a stop when in gear. Revs drop sharply at tip-in, then pick up. Are there any known Ram-specific issues which would account for this, or just the usual suspects?

Any help appreciated!

 

do you have access to a timing light?

 

Not at this time. I know the timing should be 10 degrees BTDC, though. The distributor cap and rotor have wear, however. I will replace them, then see if I can get hold of a light.

 

heres a tip on chrysler dist caps. if the cap has a vent, plug the vent with JB-weld. this keeps the moisture out. took me 5 years to figure it out. be sure the system doesnt passes vacuum thru the cap. i dont think chrysler caps do that. but some systems might.

 

Changed out the cap and rotor and the engine is a lot peppier, but the rpm drop is still there on tip-in. Looking around for a light.

 

Would a code 37 cause this issue?

 

Heard that a bad TPS could cause both this and the no-OD problem I'm having with the truck.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

 

I have a 91 FSM and quoting from it, "The Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) is mounted on the throttle body below the MAP sensor. The TPS is connected to the throttle blade shaft. The TPS is a variable resistor that provides the engine controller with an input signal (voltage) that represents throttle blade position. As the position of the throttle blade changes, the resistance of the TPS changes. The engine controller supplies approximately 5 volts to the TPS. The TPS output voltage is an input signal to the engine controller. The signal represents the throttle blade position. The input signal voltage from the TPS varies in an approximate range of from 1 volt at minimum throttle opening (idle) to 4 volts at WOT. Along with inputs from other sensors, the engine controller uses the TPS input to determine current engine operating conditions and adjust fuel injector pulse width and ignition timing."

A stumble could be TPS related but I would check the simple items like ignition timing with the coolant temp sensor disconnected, idle speed properly setup on the ISC (idle speed control) and kickdown linkage adjusted properly. These items are common and don't cost a thing to check. You can do free tool rental for a timing light and tachometer from AutoZone and Oreilly's to name a few. Invest in a FSM too. You can get them for a fair price if you shop around on Ebay.

 

I checked eBay as suggested for an FSM and am not prepared to pay $90-$100 at this time for a bound book. Any experience with the CD-ROM version? $30 is far more do-able.

 

I work for AZ and we don't rent 'em, at least not anymore.

How are the idle speed and kickdown adjusted on this year model? Looking online I can only find 2nd Gen and later instructions. Downloadable instructions all seem to be malware. Links welcome!