Not really sure where to post, but the Stratus superseded the Spirit, so it makes sense to post here.


I have a 1991 Dodge Spirit 2.5L. It purrs as it should. But lately, while driving, the RPM gauge instantly drops to zero. The car remains running but I lose control of the accelerator. It is as if I let up on the gas to allow the car to gradually slow down. No matter what I do, I have no control. This goes on for up to 10 seconds. Then all of a sudden the RPM returns to normal and all control of the car is back.

It's really strange. Almost as if a UFO is hovering over me for 10 seconds and then vanishes. All other gauges operate normally when this happens. No Check Engine light. No Fault Codes.

Last year I replaced the plugs, wires, coil, distributor pickup, cap, and rotor. They all came from Autozone if that means anything. This problem just started a few months ago. I can remember in a friend's Ford Explorer I was driving, it would suddenly lose most of its power and then return. It turned out that a plug wire was letting out spark which was grounding against metal. Also, I have heard of a ground wire being off causing problems. But it seems like it would cause gauges to go wacko.

Hopefully someone in these forums has met with this weird issue and figure it out. I am truly baffled.

 

Can't say I'm familiar with the workings of the Spirit, and that 2.5 isn't the same 2.5 that the newer (95-00) ones had. It sounds like the symptoms I had when I lost the Cam and Crank position sensors. But it could also be a drop in fuel pressure, fowled wire or plug, or number of other things. Not sure how much electrical control the computer takes of the engine in that time. odbI didn't check anywhere near as much as odbII, so a code may not be thrown there for things that would be thrown in a newer car.

 

Thanks for the reply. The car basically has a throttle sensor, IAC, MAP, all supporting a throttle body injector. Basically you can unplug every one of them and the car will operate in LIMP mode letting you drive it. So it leads me to think that they aren't causing the problem.

I did unplug each and every one and the idle changed a little but still ran fine. Yesterday, I was approaching a stop sign and the problem showed up in full force. The RPM gauge suddenly dropped to zero, the car was still running but slowing down dramatically, and then just died. I whirled it over and it wouldn't start. I tried for a whole minute and then it finally fired right up as if nothing was wrong. I drove away.

I did notice the check engine came on slightly right before the car died. But a code never got stored. What puzzles me is that the coil, cap, rotor, plugs, wires and all related are fairly new. While I had the car running, I accidentally touched the metal part of the coil and got a good shock. I'm not sure if you are supposed to be able to get shocked just by touching the outside part of the coil.

 

Same problem w/ my 1990 Dodge Daytona. I replaced the wires and cap etc a few months ago but this just started happening.. ANy other ideas?

 

Months later and I am still batlling this problem. I actually let the car set for a few months out of fear it would kick the bucket somewhere. Now I am back to trying to get this problem solved. The main keyword here is electrical. When the stall strikes, the rpm gauge drops quickly to flat zero and all ability to accelerate is gone. The fuel will not increase with pedal pressure one bit. I read where if a crankshaft sensor or hall effect goes haywire, the ecu may think the engine has stopped and therefore will stop sending fuel to the engine. But I don't know if that would be a clear case of an engine shutting completely off or not. If so, then that is NOT the problem because the engine technically runs during the stall. Its just like letting your foot off the gas to pull the engine back down to idle. Its EXACTLY like this. But the rpm gauge may swing back up after a second or it might last for several seconds before you gain control again. Some freaking thing is malfunctioning and no one can figure out what.

 

Hi again saw your post and i wanted to let you know what i found. My daytona finally died when my mechanic was right there. He said the ignition coil seemed really hot to him. So he replaced it and,,,, sure enough, that was it. It has been fine since. Have you tried that yet? The coil is not very expensive. 25$ maybe? Good luck and let us know how you made out...

 

I really appreciate you taking the time to reply. I haven't tried that. I had actually replaced it not long before the problem showed up. But we all know about the hit and miss experiences with buying parts these days. It could be bad. I'll try that since you mentioned it. Someone else mentioned it could be the ASD relay or circuit. I am not so sure about it. I'll try the coil first and see. I'll definitely let you know what I find out!! Thanks again. Joe

 

SOLVED!

It was the coil. Apparently that one I got from Autozone was junk. Seems to be a trend with that company. But I bought the latest one somewhere else. Anyway, I drove the car everywhere this week and never had the issue anymore.

So I have to thank you for taking the time to help a fellow out.

THANKS!!

 

I'd get your money back from Autozone!! lol
I'm glad it worked out for you too! What a weird problem,, I would never expect a coil to fail....
Happy motoring!

 

I know its been awhile. But for the sake of helping others, I figured out the problem eventually. It turned out to be the computer. Apparently it was beginning to go haywire little by little until it finally went. Ordered a good used one. Installed it. And well over a year later, no problems.

I know my previous post stated it was the coil. But eventually the problem came back. Now I can install any of the coils and they all work. A nerve racking problem it was.