I got a 97 dakota in on a package deal the other day. Boy said he was driving it and it just shut down and wouldnt restart. Said it didnt have spark, so he put a new coil on it and it didnt fix it so he wanted it gone. I wasnt too worried about it just figuring it would be a crank or cam sensor.
Got it home and started messing with it and put a crank sensor in it and still no luck. Tested the crank and cam sensor and they both showed good. ASD relay is working as it should also.
Not getting spark from the coil. I got the 12 volts coming to the coil but I am not getting the grounding signal from the PCM. My brother figured it was a computer, so I got a matching numbers computer from the junkyard and put in it. (I know not supposed to do this, but its gonna be rough truck for a year, then derby truck to finish it off) anyhow, Still doing the same thing. I have been racking my brain trying to figure out what it could be. Been testing voltages to all wires coming/leaving pcm and everything is checking out good. I just have no signal coming from the computer for the coil ground.

So Finally admitting defeat and coming online for help. Really dont want to haul for junk,
So anyone have any type of ideas what this could be?

 

Trace the wires back and check if it split somewhere. Try checking the cap and rotor as well

 

What engine?


Could be the Distributor Pickup Coil inside the Distributor if bad no spark how to test don't know 00DakDan may know this or the wire may be broken inside.

 

9 times out of 10 its the computer..crank sensor srnds out a/c volts to computer. When the crank sensor goes bad it will send a spike to computer and fry the return signal side of computer. ...I have put 100s of computers in for this problem...I get them out of texas...Autocomp is there name I think.....usually runs 350.00. They overnight it..already programmed

 

Its a 3.9 automatic 4x4. Sorry forgot that.

How is the voltage from the cam sensor/distributor pick up signal supposed to act? Cause right now I have a little over 5 volts at all times. Isnt it supposed to be intermittent 5 volts signal coming back to computer?

I tried 3 different computers off running trucks that are the same numbers and years and everything matches. I cant see the sense in buying a new computer when I only gave $200 for the truck. I bought it in a package deal to just beat the snot out of it. If I cant get it going soon it will be crusher bound.

 

Ended up being the sensor in the distributor. The pin inside backed out and chewed away at the magnet until it wouldn't work anymore. Had a spare sensor here and changed it out and runs like a charm for having 265,000 miles on it.

 

You are welcome

 

Just did that in our ram weird that it wasnt throwing a code for it. Our ram was and after I changed it runs like a champ... I do wanna smack a dodge engineer for putting the disturber way in the back like that!!

 

Mine wasn't throwing a code either. Glad you got yours fixed up also.
I've worked on worse ones than these magnums so I was used to climbing back in the engine like that. But agree poor design.