This morning on my way to work I was coasting to an intersection and I noticed my RPM drop to next to nothing, then rise back up, then drop and rise until it finally cut out all together and I had to wrestle the truck without power steering to a side street.

I tried to start it back up, I would turn the key, it would crank, but it wouldn't turn over. I checked the battery connections and it looked fine (problem in the past). I tried it a few times over the course of an hour or so and progressively it got further along and sounded like it wanted to start back up - it would crank, then turn over and die immediately, then crank, turn over, idle extremely rough for 5 seconds then die. I was forced to leave it and have my roommate pick me up on the way to work where I eventually called a shop to pick it up and look at it (which is where I stand right now, I don't think they got to it today).

I've had some exhaust issues recently, I'm not sure if they are factors or not. I seemed to have a broken baffle in my flowmaster, which would be audible at idle and at certain RPM. Then sometime last week after starting my truck up after work the exhaust was about 2x louder, I'm assuming it developed a hole somewhere in the piping.

When I called the shop they said they had a Durango in there recently with similar symptoms (they hadn't seem the truck yet, just from what I described) and the girl said it was a bad ignition coil.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

The truck has about 155k miles on it.

EDIT: I should note that when I was on the side street and trying to start it, it wasn't responding to me stepping on the accelerator at all. I cannot recall if I heard the fuel pump each time I tried to start it up.

 

this is the same problem i am having let me know wht you find out

 

I don't know much on this subject but hope this helps a bit...

Flowchart for vehicles that don't start/run: http://www.ifitjams.com/starting.htm
Is your fuel pump turning on? should hear it when the key is turned to <on>
Test your coil, check plugs+wires.

 

The shop called today, they said the fuel pump went. 1998 with 155k miles, and I don't think its ever been changed. I didn't get the truck back today, hopefully tomorrow.

 

If you're having them install a new one make sure it's a good brand.
Either OEM (pricey) or as forum members here suggest, Delphi.
AC Delco seems to have a good rep with fuel pumps as well.
Don't go the cheap route (airtex, walbro,etc.) unless you wanna keep buying fuel pumps every now and then.

 

I would recommend a AcDelco fuel pump. Part number for your truck is a MU2047. That is the fuel pump/module. Walk in price at a local auto parts shop is about $310.00 but you can talk the guy down to 250 usually. Carter fuel pumps aren't bad either, they are owned by federal-mogul. I'm skeptic on Delphi pumps however (GM's bailout company.) That may be some of the guys' preference but then again its a personal preference...But if the fuel pump is indeed your problem, that is the route I would go. Hope it helps.

 

got mine running yesterday was the wires to the crank sensor they shorted against the back of the head

 

Thanks for the recommendations, although I really had no time to wait to do research and shop around too much. The shop called me up and told me it was the fuel pump, The lady said it would be $340 for the pump and 2 hours of labor. I said I'd call her back, so I ended up calling Autozone, Advanced, and NAPA, then called the shop back to ask if I could supply my own and she said that's fine, I just won't have their warranty for the work. I ended up going with a Carter pump from NAPA which happened to be $100 less than if I used the shops. I picked the truck up today, and it seems fine (besides the fact that when I brought the truck in my CEL was on and when I went to leave it was off and the ABS and BRAKE lights were on... the guy said they didn't touch anything but he got his scanner and it ended up being a broken wire to my speed sensor which he fixed on the spot. My CEL code happens to be P0720 Output Speed Sensor Error. So when I left all lights were off until about a minute down the road and the CEL came back on.)

 

Whats the code now?

 

Same code. My guess is its the actual sensor that's going, but that's just a guess. I'm pretty sure I've had it replaced already in the past. It's not affected my speedometer as far as I can tell, so I've been ignoring it.