Ive got a yellow check engine light on my 99 dakota...I went to autozone to have it diagnosed..its a cylinder 6 misfire....I had the same problem a few months back, so I bought all new plugs...First new set it has ever had in its life and it was apparent when i changed them....but now its the same problem, and there is no way it can be the plugs. Wires dont look cracked, so would that be a distributor problem?

 

What engine?

It could be the cap, rotor, or wires. Have you ever changed them? Wires can look good but the insulation does break down over time.

 

318. Ive never changed the wires, and they never have..this truck was driven off the lot by my grandpa, then sold to dad, now me...so i know the complete history lol. I guess the cheapest start would be changing the wires?

 

Change the plugs, cap &, rotor.
Might want to get the fuel-injectors cleaned also,
Check the color of the plugs,.. That can tell you
quite a bit.
99? mines a 99-318. It's getting old. Think about how old those wires are!
Run the truck in the dark with the hood open. Get as close as you can to those
wires. I would bet even money your gonna see a light show.

 

plugs have been changed, not even three months ago. and yeah...she has some age to her, hell the only reason I went ahead and bought it was because I know what its been through, and that they took care of it...but its almost to 165k miles, bout time to do some maintenance. Ill check it out here in a bit, let it get a little darker first. thanks

 

With that many miles on it if its never been done then it needs to be!!! I changed my plugs,wires,cap and rotor on my truck at 83,000 miles and even then it was time at that point. I spent 65.00 on everything when I did my 318 and it did help out.

 

318 is what ive got...im picking up the rotor cap and wires this thursday when i get my check...and thats the easy part, haha...if that doesnt turn the check engine off I dont know what will...im more worried about my mysterious antifreeze leak, It looks like its coming from the thermostat housing..so im getting a new thermostat and the gasket and hoping that will fix that problem...gotta love high mileage trucks!

 

I never use the thermo gasket I always use rtv hasnt failed me yet, plus buy one tube for the price of the gasket and get more than one use from it.

 

You need to download the service manual from this forum and get a Haynes repair manual and do some reading on service needs tune ups get to know the Dakota inside and out it helps.

Know your Dakota they are great Trucks.

Ask away we will help you.

 

We've got a Haynes manual, I was just confused as to why it was the same exact cylinder...but its a pretty cheap fix to get cap, rotor, and wires..so im goign to go for that...then get the thermostat..ill try that rtv, im open for pretty much anything at this point...and that gasket is a pain to get to, without taking other parts off.