oddball stumbling problems/power loss
Thread Starter
|
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
oddball stumbling problems/power loss
I'm getting somewhat random power loss and stumbling while driving a 1999 Dakota with a manual trans. No codes in the PCM. Sometimes when you floor it it will take off like a bat outta hell. Other times, it will almost stall... pause almost 1 full second, then take off. Occasionally it will sputter and backfire when giving it a good push on the gas pedal. Other times it will slowly accelerate until about 30 mph then wake up and fly.
Here's whats been done. New cap, rotor, wires, plugs, coil, rear ABS sensor and IAC motor... needed these anyway. The crank position sensor was recently replaced as well. I've heard that perhaps the truck needs to have a Timing Relearn performed. My buddy has a 97 Neon and he said when he replaced his crank sensor he had to do a Relearn on it because it was running all crazy like this until he did. Do Dakotas have a relearn function on them? It does kinda seem like the timing is out of whack. I hooked up a fuel pressure gauge and went for a drive. Idle = 46 PSI, full throttle = 45 PSI, so that shouldnt be a problem.
My next step is to hook up my laptop to it and see what the O2 sensors are reading while under full throttle, i should be able to read the spark advance too. Any idea what I should be looking for in the spark advance while under full throttle? I'm thinking somewhere around 10 degrees BTDC.
The plug wires have been routed to elimimate that cross fire issue.
Any ideas would be cool.
Here's whats been done. New cap, rotor, wires, plugs, coil, rear ABS sensor and IAC motor... needed these anyway. The crank position sensor was recently replaced as well. I've heard that perhaps the truck needs to have a Timing Relearn performed. My buddy has a 97 Neon and he said when he replaced his crank sensor he had to do a Relearn on it because it was running all crazy like this until he did. Do Dakotas have a relearn function on them? It does kinda seem like the timing is out of whack. I hooked up a fuel pressure gauge and went for a drive. Idle = 46 PSI, full throttle = 45 PSI, so that shouldnt be a problem.
My next step is to hook up my laptop to it and see what the O2 sensors are reading while under full throttle, i should be able to read the spark advance too. Any idea what I should be looking for in the spark advance while under full throttle? I'm thinking somewhere around 10 degrees BTDC.
The plug wires have been routed to elimimate that cross fire issue.
Any ideas would be cool.
Thread Starter
|
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
I'll take a look at it tomorrow. Shifting is fine so far. I'll see what the O2 is doing at full throttle as well. Might just replace it anyway. I've found a bunch of posts about people having similiar problems, and replacing the O2 sensor even without an O2 code.
Record Breaker
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,007
Likes: 2
From: Willow Street, PA
when I got mine it would buck and drive like crap a good amount of the time and drive normal sometimes and randomly throw codes...I took it back to the dealer and they found out that the ECM was fried as well as the TPS from when they steam cleaned the engine...could possibly be it...