Bought a 2001 Dakota with 4.7 auto 176k about a month ago, wife was driving it last week and started to overheat on the highway, she pulled over and turned it off, wouldn't start back up. Towed it home and haven't been able to figure out what's wrong. Replaced plugs, camshaft and crankshaft sensors, iac, both upstream o2 sensors, and the thermostat. Cranks for about 30 seconds before turning over (sometimes), won't hold a steady idle, and sounds like its misfiring

Any advice helps!!

 

Welcome to the forum!

Try the key dance to check for any codes if you haven't already.

Starting key off, turn the key to RUN (not start), off, run, off and then leave in run.

Any codes should display in the odometer window.

With your mileage and the overheat, it may be a blown head gasket.

 

How hot did it get ?

 

No codes with the key dance and it never completely overheated. The temp climbed rapidly and it was shut down almost immediately. Changed all fluids and didn't see any coolant in the oil or oil in coolant. How difficult is it to change a head gasket? Seems like that's the next step...

 

Assuming that's the problem then it can be quite a bit of work. There are three timing chains in the 4.7 so you'll be dealing with all that.

Do you have a shop manual? If not, you can get one here:

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...-download.html

You need to convert it to a .pdf but the utility is free.

 

was able to get it running for about 5 min, exhaust had a 'sweet' smell, checked the oil and there's 'too much cream in the coffee'. thinking blown head gasket is the problem. Thanks for the help!! Talked to my local mechanic and he won't do head gaskets on a 4.7 because they are all aluminum. Time to decide to replace the engine or just the gasket myself.

 

Wow! He won't do them because they're all aluminum? There are a lot of cars out there with all aluminum engines nowadays.

Read up on the manual. Make sure you line up a good machine shop that can go through the heads and surface them if needed. While you're in there definitely replace the timing chains.

If you can find out what side failed you could get by with changing just the one. Check the plugs. If one is "steam cleaned" then you might have found it.

I have to ask, when you said to much "cream" where were you looking? Some "cream" under the oil fill cap is normal in colder weather.

 

I pulled the dipstick and it looks like its running a latte for oil.

 

I would really advise changing both sides If you have the heads off. The other can't be far behind.

 

Yeah, change both.