OK this is a strange problem,but the 1996 Dodge Dakota has a serious problem. It has a miss all the time,but the outside temp determines exactly how bad it runs.Like last week it was in the upper 60's and it ran really good,just a little stumble at ldle,other than that it ran ok.Today it's in the upper 30's and it won't even idle,and shakes the whole truck like it has a plugwire off of it.
It ran OK back in the summer,and I started noticing this as it got colder.Also all the electronics in the dash quit,none of the gauges work,but that is another problem.Maybe!
I ran the codes on it and it says "random multiple misfire" and that is all.OK Like I didn't know that.
this is affected by the outside temp only,runs the same whether the engine is warm,cold,whatever doesn't really matter.But the warmer it is outside the better it runs.
I have replaced the plugs,wires,cap,rotor,and all the obvious easy things,but nothing seems to help.
Since it doesn't have water in the oil,and doesn't get hot,and doesn't miss if it's warm,I don't think it's a head gasket/cracked head.Doesn't smoke,or use any oil anytime.But it has nearly 250k on it.
This thing is driving me nutso,please help

 

for the gauges chech the fuses sounds likeyou may have one blown.youve changed the plugs wires cap and rotor scene ityour problum started? b/c mult. missfire uselly means it time for tune up. chech the coil.but imo itsounds like the wires are bad colder the temp the higher the res. in the wire.

 

you can also tyr posting in the 2gen dakota forum

 

I did check all the fuses,the gauges were working,the headlight switch had gone bad and I had changed it,as I was backing out of the garage they were working,and I wnt from reverse to 1st and it lunged a little and the gauges all quit.I pulled the cluster out and didn't see anything obvious as far as as a burnt spot or broken wire or anything prolly just toasted the circut.

I have changed all those things trying to get this thing to run right,but then again new isn't always good,so maybe I'll check them again.I would think though that as the engine compartment warmed up it would start to run better even if the wires were bad.