Hey everyone, I've decided to join the site been looking here for awhile. I purchased my 2001 Dodge dakota as a work truck quad cab last year and it has been great. Iv'e noticed a problem when starting the truck it hestiates a few seconds then starts right up. This only happens when the truck sits for about an hour or when it cools down. When the truck is completely cold it starts up right away. Has anyone had this problem with there dakota? The engine is a 4.7 and the truck has about 230,000km other than that the truck runs like new and no other problems. Also the fuel pressure is good on the truck. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

Welcome to the forum..

You could have a bad fuel pressure regulator. Taking too long to start after the truck sits overnight or after sitting for a while is a sign the pressure regulator could be failing. It is a common problem on Dakota fuel pumps, usually happens around 125,000 miles.

How is the fuel pressure when you shut down the engine but leave the test gauge connected to the fuel rail? If the pressure on the test gauge falls below 30 psi within 5 minutes of turning the engine off, the fuel pressure regulator is bad. The regulator is an internal part of the fuel pump and the only way to fix the problem is to replace the fuel pump assembly.

Jimmy

 

I am sorry but I am going to respectfully disagree with Jimmy's post. I have the exact same issue with my truck and I have been chasing it for over a year. My truck has a new fuel pump which means it has a new fuel pressure regulator - new filter - new check valve. This didn't solve my problem.
Also, if you are losing fuel pressure as you have described - and again, like me - it could be a leak somewhere - either an injector - fuel rail, or the fuel line itself.
Unfortuanately with mine as is the case with most shops - you tell them you are loosing fuel pressure and they automatically blame the fuel pump...
There is a thread here somewhere where someone did some troubleshooting and found it to be a leaking injector. I will try to find it and post it for you.

 

There are a lot of different reasons and causes for the OP's slow start problem with his truck. A bad fuel pressure regulator is only one of the possible causes. Unfortunately it is a fairly common problem too and is one of the first things to check.

Jimmy

 

Here is some more discussion on the same issue...
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...s-later-2.html