Hello all,
My first post...I have a Dodge Dakota 5 speed manual 2 wd pickup which seems to have a problem in hot, humid weather (I live in Richmond, VA where that is a chronic May - September problem). No problems starting at all. But when I shift up from 3rd or 4th gear, no response from the throttle at all. I continually lose power no matter how much gas I give it. It really DOES seem to be related to how hot and/or humid the ambient temp is. Have taken it in to have to my local mechanic to put on the "electronic brain" which indicates a possible vacuum leak but I have checked all the hoses, etc. Everything is as it should be. Even cleaned the gaskets around the tank filler.
Any thoughts would be welcome. Have NOT replaced much of anything since I bought the truck a few years ago, but would like to avoid the "shotgun" approach to replacing everything that could be wrong. As for taking it it to a dealer, forget it...I might as well buy a new truck.

Paul
Richmond, VA

 

Could a hose be clogged?
And I understand that hot, and humid weather. I live south of you in Chesapeake.

 

What year is your truck so I can move this to the appropriate sub-forum?

 

Sorry...it's a 2001

 

first we know only the year a 2001 soooo?

what engine and miles are on it

to me it sounds like the MAP sensor but it could be an O2 sensor also

some reading for you

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAP_sensor

http://www.standardbrand.com/upload/...AP-SENSORS.PDF

 

Any codes? Run by Autozone or O'Reillys and have them plug it in, takes 5 minutes and saves the trouble of shotgunning it if it is something simple.

 

How has the fuel mileage been? Have you looked at the plugs lately? Are they indicating rich or lean?

My Ultragage said my IAT was indicating 154 degrees yesterday with a 95 ambient. The hotter it gets, the PCM will lean out the fuel curve a little for the less dense air.

 

Could be clogged converters. Also when your engine heats up the vacuum changes a bit which could cause it to run poorly when warmed up. Vacuum leaks can cause weird problems

 

Sorry, I was out of town so could not answer questions til now. My 2001 Dakota 2 wd has about 90K miles, and I am so far from an Auto Zone or Advance that I can't get it there. Did have a local repair shop put it on the computer gizmo and it did show a vacuum leak or at least that is what he told me. He could find any hose problem. He did note some grunge around the gas filler (?gasket) which he cleaned {he said that any air getting into the system could cause this fault code}. He cleaned this; the "trouble light" never went off but I continued to drive it without any real problem IN THE COOLER WEATHER. Have not changed the plugs or air filter recently. Starts right up - no problem. It just seems to happen when it is hot and humid as hell which is from May to September in this damn city. No stumbling or misfires but when you get it up to about 40-45 mph in this weather, you can push the accelerator to the floor and you don't get an ounce more power. I am not an automotive guru by any stretch of the imagination but it seems that the air/fuel mixture is not being adjusted as it should be. Sorry, I don't know what an MAP sensor is? Yes, certainly I can replace the plugs and the air filter, blah, blah, (and I certainly will) but I CANNOT afford to take the truck to a dealership or otherwise ($50 just to connect the sensor) and I don't want to just throw money at a problem.

 

Oh, by the way, it is the 6 cylinder 2 door, 2 wd Dodge Dakota.