Again, my luck has caught up with me on the "I've never seen one like that before" problem. All of my vehicles seem to be some sort of special thing, and apparently my truck is no different.

I've been fighting the illustrious P0300/1/3/5 misfire code... without a misfire. I do not get a code around town, or light highway driving. Only when I run 70+ mph does it begin to (slowly) throw the codes. (It sometimes does at 65, but not often) It'll start out usually with 3 or 5, set pending on the others, followed by the opposite of whichever started, then finally 1. Unless I do a few days of in-town driving, then they eventually fall back to pending and the light goes out.

At no point do I feel a misfire, even if I run the truck to 95mph. I've done a lot of searching and slowly going through options.

Already done:
Wires
Cap
Rotor
Autolite 3923s
Coil pack
Cleaned TB/New IAC
Checked Intake while the TB was off. (no oil, just light carbon)
Checked for vacuum leaks
PCV
Air filter
Camshaft Position Sensor (replaced today, haven't checked if it helped).

Todo:
Crankshaft Position Sensor.

NOW we reach my problem, I was going to replace the CMP/CKP as a pair, get the CKP out aaaand, there's my problem. My CKP has a completely different connector than I've ever seen, and during my studies all CKPs on Dakotas/Rams are all the same... So where did this doohickey come from?

Here's a few images after pulling the sensor:
http://imgur.com/a/rci8U

There's also an image of some damage (smacking the teeth of the flexplate I assume) likely from missing the rubber grommet in the bellhousing. You can see the connection is a DT04-3P, there's no splices in the line for this connector, it was manufactured that way. In my googling around, all I can find are suppliers of the plug, not the sensor, and the stamp on the sensor itself seems useless for searching as well.

I thought maybe there was an adapter on the harness... Nope. The opposing connector leads right into the factory harness bundle, so it wasn't spliced in either, and no adapter to remove.

You can imagine my sorrow on having to put the old one back in with how much of a pain it is to get out....

Question to you guys... Anyone else have the same connector and can source this sensor?

Comparing it to a new BWD, the wires are the same and can theoretically splice this odd connector to a new sensor, but I'd rather not jank things.

 

That damage is probably what's causing the mis-reads as the converter teeth zing by and it's picking them up as fluctuations instead of reading the actual crank tone ring. BTW it's easy as pie to pull the sensor if you go through the passenger inner fender with a 1/2" socket. You can get a direct sight line between the head and firewall. If I have to guess, the thrust bearing has some looseness in it and it's letting the crank walk forward under load- it's a common thing, especially with trans swaps. I know quite a few people that have completely wiped out the bearing unknowingly and it took the crank with it. Easiest way to tell is take the belt off and try to pull the crank fore/aft via the front pulley. Spec is .050" but after .150-.200 is when it gets dangerous.

That's definitely not a factory connection nor one I remotely recognize.

 

Wish there was a way to page TNTech as he would be the best to know. Aside of going to a dealer yourself. You should complete your vehicle profile or add to your signature- which year and motor is this on?

 

Looks like the connector was most popular with DSM's - (Chry / Mitsu partnership) and the dodge Stealth/Stratus. Cummins had a similar but different connector.

 

I went in through the fenderwell. It required a 1/2" for me instead of a 10mm. I also couldn't use a socket, had to use a wrench, there was something overhanging the upper bolt that blocked even the box-end of a wrench, had to work at it with the open-end. Might have been smart of me to mention it's a 3.9L V6... 1998 Dakota Sport Auto 42RE.

I did order a belt today as the one that's on it is cracked and worn. I can gently pull on it to see if there's any play after removing the belt.

 

thanks, i forgot that it was 1/2" (as noted in other documentation), i'm used to all the other misc 10mm hardware.

I use a socket, what might have been in your way was the trans fill tube or something for the AC. Or could be a dirt dobber next; I have one between my distributor and the block. I know there's also a support rib in there somewhere, along with the HVAC drain.

98 V6 shouldn't be anything special. Mine's an 01. I can't find any reference of that connector in use on the truck platforms, only the sedans.

 

WELL MINE'S OBVIOUSLY SPECIAL (ED.)

I'll likely end up just having to buy the connector kit and wiring it in myself. A quick google of the numbers on the connector brings up plenty of results for the plug. I just didn't want to buy a new sensor just to have to hack a new connector on it. Before I get into all that, however, I'm going to see how well the new camshaft sensor does, and check for crankwalk. It's not any major issue as of yet, my ancient cracking belt shows no abnormal wear, nor screech under pressure (if the crank moved forward, it'd make a sound rubbing the side of the pulley). Like how a bad thrust bearing does with a manual. Only sound the belt makes is cold start in the morning for a few seconds, as old belts do. Maybe the old belt is all my troubles... Something something stiff spot, reading slowdown, something else.

Similar note, I dealt with in a 1992 Buick Century station wagon, the damper pulley ring walked off the rubber filler by .375" and kept cutting belts until I figured it out.

 

Go talk to a dealer. Walk up with the sensor in hand and say "Find me this POS". Worse case they should be able to find it by VIN.

I don't think I have a CKP harness. Once upon a time I had the sensor end but I couldn't tell you where it is. I know I don't have the harness end.

 

Update: Someone I work with recently had a CKP/CMP code on his 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 and already bought a cam and crank sensor. It was running like crap, and turns out, he took the cam sensor out and it was gunked with carbon. Cleaned that up and his truck runs fine now. So he let me have the crank sensor. (He plans to go ahead and put the new cam sensor in, and I changed that on mine already)

Since I magically got a free CKP... I decided to say screw it and splice it in. Worst comes, I can buy a new sensor and harness.

I think I found my problem upon removal of the old sensor.... When I disconnected the harness the green wire pulled out. So when the previous owner wired in this harness, they didn't crimp it for crap. Maybe this bad connection was the source of my random bank 1 misfire? Who knows yet. I also noted the quality difference in the sensors, old was plastic, new is metal.

I disassembled the harness, recrimped the green wire, put it back together, and spliced it onto the new sensor. Since I was working with a free sensor, I also went ahead and did the crank sensor mod to an extent. I didn't go full out, I only gently cut away ~1/16" of the holes to maybe advance the timing 1 degree, just to help out the ol' girl. Put everything in, reconnected the battery, fired right up (love that rich gas smell after you erase the ECU before it learns better).

However, during idle, about every 30~60 seconds it seemed to have a stumble and drop 200RPM, but immediately come back up. Brought it up to temp, turned it off, cleaned up, then went back out for a test run down the interstate. After parking, it did seem to still have the occasional stumble, but idle only. Driving had absolutely no issues. Hopefully since the battery was unhooked for almost 2 hours (so the ECU is wiped), it simply has to learn all the new sensors and level out the idle. I'll see about driving her hard the next few days to see if the ghost codes come back and report the results.

As always: "fix" one thing, another thing happens... Leaking coolant from the thermostat housing... Sigh, never ending vicious cycle.

 

sounds like it's just relearning the IAC and MAP sensitivities.

It seems odd that the weird connector was spliced onto both sides.