hey guys/gals...

First time dodge owner. just bought a pretty clean 98 1500 SLT. love the truck so far..

when i first got it, the next morning i warmed it up for about 15 mins cause it was cold. jumped in, threw it in reverse and stalled.. fired her back up, threw in reverse and bam, same thing.. got out the driveway after gas/breaking it to keep it going.. went for echeck and passed minus gas cap not pressurizing. they gave me a new one and i was on my way..

went to work, when i went to leave after work i pulled up and showed the guys the new truck and as it sat there and idled it started to chug a little like it was gonna die.. i shut her down, fired her back up and it idled good. i took off went home and found that the guy before me didnt put a gasket between the TB and air filter housing.. got one, threw it on and all was fine, no more dying in reverse..

but i still have the problem of it wanting to die pretty much as it sits and idles for awhile. im not sure if it would be connected, but every time i start the truck i watch the rpm's because one day i noticed they will fluctuate up and down right after start up and will even its self out to a steady idle..

now here is the opinions part... does it sound like maybe a dirty MAF and/or idle control valve? i think i will start with those this weekend and see if it helps the idle.. i really only notice the idle problem after i let it sit and idle for a few minutes. i dont want to call it a miss, its more like it just wants to die but its struggling not too.

thanks in advance!

 

Check your idle air motor mine did the exact same thing when it was bad, make sure your battery is in good shape to, if the computer has anything other than 12.6 volts it goes haywire, it also could be the throttle position sensor

 

Clean the throttle body first. That's free, and will prolly solve your issue.

Don't forget to disconnect the battery while you are doing so. Computer will need to re-learn how to idle the truck. (not necessarily a bad thing....)

Welcome to DF.

 

Remove Battery negative cables. Check IAC. Remove it and clean. Do not twist the pintel (end of IAC). Clean out port. Reinstall IAC. Reconnect battery. Start it and run for a bit. It will take a few minutes for PCM to relearn. See if that fixes it.

Also check plenum.


(HeyYou the ninja...)

 

thats what i meant, not IAC valve. sorry ive had fords for the last 8 yrs (dont beat me up too badly, same one for 8 yrs and added another last year).

but yeah, battery is good and strong.. i just figured w/134k that it could probably use a idle air motor, (hey, got it right that time, ha) or a good cleaning if possible. but i think i'll just pay the $40 for a new one.

thanks, great forum so far. tons of info.. gonna go back to looking around. think i'll like it here

 

wow, just saw all the responses already... damn you guys are on it... thanks to everyone so far.. i will pull the TB and clean it up.. i'll just replace the idle air motor, not too expensive plus i got a couple bucks left from the truck budget.. ill check the plenum while im down there... and i will make sure i pull the cable.

thanks again.

 

good call on the TPS. ill check the voltage. does anyone know what the range is for a good one? if not i'll do some searching on here or in the haynes.

 

TPS is basically a potentiometer. Disconnect it and put an ohmmeter on it, Turn shaft and verify that the resitance changes steadily.

In case you are not aware, there is a free download service manual and parts manual in the FAQ/DIY section. Did I mention "free?"

 

Awesome. Thanks a bunch. Found that .pdf last night. Much appreciated guys.

 

Here is some pics of the truck, just uploaded to PB figured I'd post them