Hello again all,

My '00 3500 has got some wierd things going on. I've still got a cyl. 5 misfire at low RPM but my local shop said it dissappears at any speed above idle. They said they don't know for sure what it is. They said it could be a worn distributor or it could be electrical but they don't want to start throwing new parts in when they don't know exactly what's wrong. That's part of my problem and any help on that would be great. Second thing. Just today after starting it up, I had it in neutral. I revved it a little, not alot just a little tap on the pedal. I heard the increase in RPM but after letting off the pedal it stayed at that higher speed and was up and down a little bit. I thought maybe the pedal was stuck but I sort of pulled it foreward with my foot and it didn't help. I shut it off and started back up and it was fine. I have noticed this before when backing up. I gave it a little gas but when I let off I kept moving at that higher speed and RPM. I don't know much about working on cars but is it maybe the IAC or the TPS going bad? Or is it maybe just the linkage getting stuck? Any help or ideas would be great.

Thanks alot,
Bill

 

Considering the misfire and the stuck pedal I too would be thinking about replacing the TPS. Both symptoms can be a direct result of having something wrong with the TPS.

 

Interesting. Another note on the "sticky pedal" situation. I live off of a 45 MPH road so I slow down quite a bit to make the turn without rolling. When brakeing, there seems to be a flare up right near the end. It's like a little spike in RPM. It happens with my foot still on the brake. I don't know if this makes sense but I guess that's sort of why I was thinking it could be the IAC. Would you suggest changing the TPS first and if it continues look to the IAC next?

Thanks for the quick response,
Bill

 

First I would clean the IAC since it's pretty much free to do, then if that doesn't solve the problem I would replace the TPS.

IAC cleaning is described in a post by stev here: https://dodgeforum.com/forum/dodge-r...n-the-iac.html

 

For the misfire that is random and difficult to trace due to electrical, check out this TSB http://dodgeram.info/tsb/1998/18-48-98.htm

My van had this problem when I got it. Even though the issue was for a previous few years, anyone who re-routes the ignition wires or tosses out the wire looms will have what this TSB talks about.

Also, with the ignition wires, make sure there is no oil residue on them.

The cap-n-rotor needs to be of copper/brass contacts. The aluminum pits and corrodes within a few weeks.

Yes, clean the IAC and the IAC ports in the TB. This should take care of any idle surges and prevents the IAC from sticking which mimics a sticky pedal at idle.

Like Alloro mentioned, the TPS can be an issue as well. The TPS is basically a potentiometer on a spring coil. It can become contaminated and corrode on the inside. My TPS did this awhile back too.

 

I already did the TSB for routing with the exception of the three looms for the wire from the ignition coil to the cap. I'm going to order them in the next few days hopefully. Cleaning the IAC might have solved the sticky problem but I'm not sure. I'll have to check and see if I notice any difference these next few days. The van still seems to idle rough though.
My plan is chase the threads and use some Deep Creep like you mentioned before, get the looms and possibly replace the TPS and IAC. I'm also trying to find the bearing for the distributor so I can try replacing that before I sink $150 into a new distributor. I might post some photos too so you can tell me what I did wrong.

Although maybe I should change the name of this thread to Help me with my F*%&$d up van... I have also noticed when starting the van the instrument cluster has the security indicator but it never illuminates... Do I just not have it and it's in the cluster anyway? or is there something else wrong? I have keyless entry but it's only lock and unlock. The key itself is the old style black triangle type.

Thanks,
Bill

 

There's no factory security in these vans. The same cluster is likely used in other models that do have a factory security system.