So, I went ahead and installed my new (well, remanufactured) 5.9L V-8 throttle body on my 3.9L V-6 2002 Dakota, and I'm having an issue: the motor races at a really high RPM (like, somewhere around 4,000-6,000!) as soon as I start the engine. I installed a new throttle cable, too. Not an OEM one, but one that supposed to be for a 2002 Dakota 5.9L V-8, made by ATP. I checked ATP's website and the seller I bought it from on eBay sent me the right one. It's got the correct ATP part number (Y-1348) on the box and ATP lists that as fitting (among other Dakota/Durango motors) a 2002 Dakota 5.9L V-8, but it doesn't seem that when the throttle cable is installed and attached to both the throttle body and accelerator pedal, it's allowing the spring to return the bracket against the screw/stop, and so the butterfly valves in the throttle body are open slightly and that's what's causing the engine to race so high. Anyone have any ideas? I'm not really sure why this is happening (well, I'm thinking the cable is a bit too short). The throttle pedal also feels like it doesn't have as much travel as it should, so...

Any ideas/suggestions? I really don't want to put my 3.9L throttle body back on, but I may have to.

Anyone have a good condition OEM 5.9L throttle cable they'd be willing to sell?

Thanks!

 

Cable is too short. Will the original cable fit on there??

 

Unfortunately, no. The way the throttle cables attach to the two different throttle bodies is different. The 3.9L throttle body has kind of a ball stud sticking out the cable snaps onto. The 5.9L throttle body has more of a disc-shaped thing that the throttle cable slides onto (pull the cable towards the front of the vehicle to install; push it towards the firewall to remove). I've heard some people adapted the 3.9L cable to somehow attach to the 5.9L throttle body, but I don't have the time or mechanical ability to do that (OK; I'm lying - I'm just too lazy to do that, LOL!). I need to find an OEM 5.9L throttle cable at a junkyard, I guess.

On a side note, my stupid throttle valve cable came apart yesterday while I was doing all this; a spring came out of the plastic part that has the clip you remove in order to adjust the cable. I put it back together as best I could, but I don't trust it. That's OK, though - I already have a brand-new Mopar replacement cable sitting here that I bought from RockAuto about two weeks ago, because my transmission doesn't exactly shift perfectly, and I think the problem is mainly that cable. I just don't feel like getting under the truck today, and I have to go to work, this evening (my sister is going to drive me to work; I'm a tractor-trailer driver).