Hey guys, I just bought my first Dodge and I have been having issues trouble shooting a hesitation problem. It is a 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 2wd with a 3.9 liter engine, automatic. I bought the truck from my employer and his mechanics had already done a tune up including: plugs, wires, cap and rotor. I just put an engine temperature sensor and throttle position sensor in it. The hesitation happens during easy acceleration and is accompanied by a popping noise in the engine. When it starts to do this I just shove the pedal to the floor and away I go, with no hesitation. I also borrowed a Genesis scan tool from work to see if there were any trouble codes but there were none. I have read a lot of different suggestions on several sites but really can't afford to try them all. I really like the truck and would like to get this taken care of. The truck only has 170,000kms on it so I am sure that I can get several more years out of it. If anyone could give me some suggestions I would really appreciate it. Oh and the truck worked fine before it was parked for a couple months, ever since it has acted bad. Thanks! Jason

 

popping ? run a compression test to check for major problems such as valves or cracked heads, etc.

do you think your problem is pinging... does a V6 have the dreaded belly pan/plenum plate too ?

 

Im thinking the V6 might have the same setup as our 8's. My nieghbor has one and the upper part of his manifold looks exactly like mine, just a little smaller. I havent looked close though becaus i really dont like the guy to much, was just be nieghborly one day. I would say take that TB off and look down the intake with the mirror and flashlight. If its like the V8, ur gonna see oil meaning that damn plenum. It sure sounds like it.

 

Sure does http://www.hughesengines.com/Index/p...4&partid=22078

Dave

 

That was what I was afraid of. I have read a lot about this problem, why hasn't dodge done a recall on this issue? I have driven mostly Toyota's for the last 15 years so I haven't seen the inside of many engines. I just couldn't resist buying this truck, love the looks of it. Well I will take the TB off first thing in the morning, check it out and post back. Thanks.

Oh and dhvaughan I would say it is more of a popping sound. It is so strange because I can punch it and the truck works 100%. I also did a search of the forums and found one about the cat and o2 sensors being the problem. I also found one that said fuel pump. I will have to wait until next week to check fuel pressure. Also I have read that some guys are getting 50 psi on fuel pressure but the haynes manual calls for 35 to 45, isn't 50 high?

 

They did a TSB on it in 2000. Why didnt Toyota fix it's problems?

 

Actually I think toyota is fixing there problems but I was more a less asking if they had done a recall on the plenum issue. So the tsb is pretty much like a recall right? I know that companies can't recall everything but it seems like a lot of people have the same issue. Again I really like the truck so don't be offended by the toyota comment. Trust me they have there issues as well. I will check it out in the morning. So I am looking for oil deposit's on the inside of the manifold towards the back of the engine? Is that correct? Thanks again for the quick responses.

 

A TSB is a Technical Service Bulletin, which just tells u that this is a known problem and tells u what dodge wants u to do about it. U still have to pay for it though, I think there was no recall because its not a safety issue, which almost all recalls are, and its a lot cheeper for dodge to just acknowldge the issue and tell the mechanics how to fix it. They also dont see it has harming the overall vehicle image or following. Just my opinion though

 

Cool thanks, that is what I thought. I actually checked for oil in the intake today and didn't see any, so that is a relief. I also cleaned the throttle body up, the IAC and checked the wire routing. I did notice a couple of the wires were touching and tried my best to separate them. I just took the truck for another test drive, while recording all sensor info. with a scan tool and it didn't hesitate at all. This has got to be the strangest issue, comes and goes. Now would any of you guys suggest changing just the fuel filter or the whole fuel pump. All of the local parts dealers (Napa, Carquest, etc.) say that it is a non service-able part, however I found a site online that sells them. Would the pump itself be wore out already? Thanks again.

 

Have u checked the pressure in the fuel line, I would do that before droping the tank, the fuel filter is part of the pump on most dodge vehicles. I take it this is not the first time the truck ran good (no hesitating). How bad was the TB. If it was gummed up real bad, that could have added to the hesitation.