Sorry i didn't explain MAF but someone beat me to it anyway. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSuL5...eature=related
your coil puts out like 24,000 volts ( depending ) and sends it through the wire to the cap and then through the top of the rotor and then back to the cap and then through the plug wire to the top of the plug.
Long way to go and many different contact points which arc the voltage.
Im sure you knew this from school, but another reader may benefit from the explanation. So anyway, the biggest place for voltage/current drop is in the cap and rotor as there IS an arc and carbon build up.
Want to F with a buddy? take a pencil and draw cicles around the cap INSIDE, the graphite will scatter the spark to all cylinders.
the wires also have a graphite core for the current to travel. the wires will break down over time and loose the power given to the plugs.
wires are not gold and should be replaced every 50K.
A couple hundred bucks for a tune up will save you in the long run. dont skimp on parts and think you have it all covered.

dude rt, diggin the new sig!

also i run premium and seafoam about every 8th tank or so just to try and clean out some of the gunk and buildup... its helped me, but also buying quality gas (shell vs ****ty safeway/kingsoopers gas) makes a difference for me...

really i would change the o2's by the sounds of it something is causing it to think it's running rich/lean and I guess higher octane fuel helps the truck out. Btw, when using seafoam in the vacuum line it can clean up the o2's so thats worth a shot before forking out the price for them.

I agree with you on the tune up but do you think the problem's I am experiencing are related to the ignition system?
I am not saying it is not but I feel it is unlikely because of the time when it does not happen.

Are you sure that this truck and engine have a MAF sensor? I have tried to do a search for it and looked in the Chilton's manual and the only thing I have found is an answer to that very question being that there is no MAF.

I will get some seafoam next time I am home when I replace the one O2 sensor I am going to replace. I don't see how using that stuff in the vacuum line would clean this O2 sensor as it is in the exhaust before the catalytic converter. Yeah I am not sure why the premium fuel does make a difference, my best guess is it has something to do with the 10% ethanol in the mid-grade fuel that changes the readings in the O2 sensor, but that is just a guess.

the E10 is in all grades of fuel. But if it runs better on premium and it's not throwing a code, the MAF and O2's would also be the 2 spots i'd look. I think the MAF is part of the throttle body assembly?

Hmmmmm,,,,,, you are right, it has a MAP sensor, same but different.
Measures manifold absolute pressure.

MAP = manifold absolute pressure. measures the vacuum of the intake manifold, rather than the amount of air going through it.

Technically: you are right!
Vacuum or lack of, not air flow.
The MAP sensor monitors the intake manifold pressure changes, relative to to engine loads and speed. This would be a state of vacuum or no vacuum.
The vacuum is converted into a voltage output. The PCM uses the MAP sensor to control your timing and i think,,,,,not sure about this one,,,, injectors, (could be wrong on that one too)

OK well after reading some of the reply's I now realize that I should have explained more on my first post. I take full blame for any and all misunderstanding and for putting some of the answers down the wrong path. So excuse me while I back way up, further than I need to go but... well read on if you please. Like I said way back about 18 years ago I had this Mercury Lynx XR3 or something any way it was the sporty version of a lynx. :o After a couple of years of owning that car something strange started happening in the winter, the car ran for crap. Well I think a bottle of Heat in the tank will clear this up. Well the Heat helps but does not fix the problem. This problem goes on for a while and after some time I notice that if I use a certain gas station the problem get better. As long as that car had Amaco fuel in the tank it ran great in the winter, it didn't matter what grade fuel was used just as long as it was Amaco. A couple of years later I take that car to a shop and tell them what its doing and I ask them to fix it, well $400 later the car runs great.

Then I owned two Dodge vehicles after that first was a 95 Stratus (cool car) then a 95 Dakota. I had almost no problems with either of those vehicles both ran great for the time I had them, no matter what brand of fuel or grade of fuel was in the tank.

Then 2.5 years ago I buy my dream truck (well almost) a used but in excellent condition Dodge Dakota Quad Cab. Its been my favorite body style since they came out.

Some time not long after I buy the truck the engine acts up, its kinda like there is water in the fuel, it's hesitation, rough idle, poor power, and this does not just happen at idle or slow speeds but at all speeds. So once again I think water in the fuel Heat to the rescue. Bad Idea this time that only makes it worse, well I wait till there is a half tank then fill with mid-grade fuel with 10% ethanol and another bottle of heat, really bad idea.

After a short while I notice a few things.
1 how to stop the engine from acting up like that and it works best at slower speeds, If I drop the gear shift in the auto trans down to 1 and gun the engine while I am driving the problem clears up for an extended period of time.

2 if I put anything in the tank including Heat or any alcohol based injector cleaners or any ethanol based fuels the truck will start running like crap again.

3 if I only use low grade or premium fuel with out ethanol the truck runs much better and the weird hesitation and stalling ALMOST goes away but it still happens occasionally. And slightly more often with low grade fuel.:confused:

I am sorry if you misunderstood me earlier, but I don't think the fuel has anything to do with what is wrong with the truck. BUT it is a strange factor and to me it is a clue, I just don't know where to go from here.

You have given me some great ideas on where to go next and except for the MAF or MAP I have thought of them all but its the possibilites of them that come up short. There is one or two simple malfunctions going on other wise there would be a check engine light and a code. This problem ALMOST goes away there are times it only happens twice a month and other times 3 times a week . Since I drive semi the Dakota is used infrequently so that might be the reason it has never gotten worse but I don't know.

When I asked the question I was hoping some one has had this exact problem and could say "yeah fix..." but I looks like I am SOL there so again thank you for the suggestions. I will keep at it until I fix whatever is wrong so please any more suggestions are appreciated. I will research them and see if I fell that is a possibility but under stand I am going to fix one thing at a time if possible so I know what the solution was.

Sorry for being long winded:rolleyes:

Jared