Dodge - Avenger :: 1996 - Shakes At Red Lights - Runs Little Rough?
Nov 2, 2014
I bought an avenger that runs a little rough and I am trying to figure out if I have a fuel and air problem or a broken motor mount. In neutral or any other gear the car does not shake. In drive it shakes horrendously. Watching the engine as the car is put in drive the engine moves towards you a about 3 or so inches. Now with throttling the car takes a while to accelerate even after I stomp it on the highway to merge. On home roads I can let off the gas and the car will sustain itself at 25 to 30 mph. 1st gear is not very responsive. All other gears seem to be ok with acceleration. I am trying to find a good starting point.
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2008 Dodge Avenger SXT Sedan GEMA 2.4L DOHC I4 / 4 speed automatic75,000 miles Moderately well taken care of (oil change every 3,000 miles, mostly follows recommended maintenance in owner's manual)
Symptoms:
*Car runs and drives fine while the car is in constant motion and decelerating.
*Rough and Slow Idle at a stop on the brakes with car in Drive. Engine speed will drop below ~400 RPM, then "kick" up to ~1,200 RPM, settle back to 'normal' idle ~800 RPM, repeat. I have suggested she put the car in Neutral at a stop to see if that changes anything, but I don't have feedback from her yet. One instance of seeing a puff of smoke from under the hood while the car was doing the above.
*When pulling away from a stop, the car will hesitate; that is the accelerator will be pressed but the throttle response will be delayed.
*When pulling away from a stop acceleration will be inconsistent; instead of rrrrrRRRRRRRRRR, it's more like rrrrRRRRrrrrrRRRRrrrrrRRRRR
*Couple instances where the car just shut off while she was parallel parking (low engine speed).
*One instance where the car did not start on first attempt. Started fine on second attempt.
*No Check Engine Light. The codes have been run.
Shop Visits (at an independent garage recommended by her roommate who's been going there for 5+ years, good reviews on yelp, and always busy):
*First visit: told her they put in a bottle of fuel system cleaner and to use a tank of high octane gas. That didn't really work.
*Second visit: cleaned the throttle body. That was 3 days ago, so far no conclusion either way.
Other repairs:
*The battery was checked (at O'Reilly) and replaced after the starting incident mentioned above. (5 year old car, seems about right).
*2 nights ago I told her to put in a bottle of HEET to get water out of the fuel system (California uses ethanol blend) and a bottle of Gumout Fuel System Cleaner and to fill up with premium gas (based on items below). Be sure to run that tank down to almost empty.
Things I could think of:
*Crankshaft/camshaft position sensor failing.
*Alternator failing (because this problem doesn't seem to exist at higher RPM's)
Research online: It seems that a number of people have similar problems with Chrysler products with this and the previous generation 2.4L engine but no clear conclusive repair. Some of the items mentioned:
*Idle Air Control (IAC)
*Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valve
*New sparks plugs and wires. (not replaced but should be)
*New timing belt. Timing belt is one tooth off.
*Water in the Fuel System (hence, HEET)
*Dirty/Clogged Fuel System Component (hence, fuel system cleaner)
*Failing Fuel Pump
*Dirty/Clogged Air Filter (replaced per maintenance manual)
*Low Oil Pressure/Failing Oil Pump
*Additionally, there are no recalls against her VIN.
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I have a 02 Dodge Dakota 4.7 liter that is killing me. No codes and no check engine light. From a cold start it starts fine but then runs rough. If I let it run for a few minutes, turn it off and try to restart it, it is very hard to start. Also, if I have it running and rev the engine above 3k rpm and let go of the gas it dies. It will idle without holding the gas pedal down but will die after a rev. Fuel pressure and volume are right in spec. Have good compression, spark and injector pulse on all cylinders. I thought maybe a crank or cam position sensor, but either of those would usually throw some type of code. I thought IAC but it seems to be functioning properly.
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96 civic 120K miles, stock, automatic.
In March I was running low on fuel, maybe 1 gallon left in the tank. It took a few cranks and on the last try i gave it a little gas and it started, albeit very rocky for about 1 minute of driving, filled up immediately and 2 freeway miles later, no real issues. I live in LA so very low ambient temperature is not a problem.
April through May, starting was a little rocky, it was inconsistently rocky too, sometimes there was no problem. Usually it's weak, stuttering, sometimes just cranking but I seem to get it to start. I stopped giving the pedal gas because I read that's bad (I own a vintage bike, so it's news to me). I don't drive that far and figured I'd try some Seafoam and some freeway miles would clean out any debris. Worked for that tank a bit for the next tank before the problem came back.
Still getting the rough starts, but now when I give the car gas as I pull out sometimes it doesn't accelerate for 15-30 seconds, maybe 25 yards then it drive like normal. No dying at all but getting worse with starting up.
I've tried turning the key (not turning the engine over) 5 times and cranking on the 6th and it seems to work. I thought maybe it's the fuel pump or fuel filter but read it could be an ignition coil/ spark plug/ spark plug wire issue. Two different ball games.
My MPG is not really droppingI had a new fuel filter put in in February as routine maintenance (thing was on so tight had to bring it to a shop so no rookie mistakes there). Timing belt &water pump replaced 6,000 miles ago
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My 2002 Dakota with a 3.9 (200,000 miles)has a problem that I cannot seem to cure.When I start the engine it never hesitates....it starts without a problem. No excess cranking...it fires up as it always did.It does run a bit rough as if ONE cylinder is missing every few revolutions. If I let it idle in the driveway for five minutes it will clear up and run fine. But if I take off right away the following will happen.I put it in gear (automatic) and for the first mile or two it runs as though the plug wires (More than one) are wet and arcing. I can barely get above 25mph. it will spit and sputter for that first mile or two.
Then suddenly it will clear up and surge....probably because I have loaded the system with excess fuel......and after it clears up , I have no other problems with it weather I'm on a long trip or a short one. If I stop for more than 15minutes, I have to go thru all this again.I've had vehicles that acted like this after a hard rain because the plug wires were old and arcing...that's why I use that as a description.I also noticed that the other day right at the end of a big downpour it took at least 5 miles to clear up.
Before this rainstorm I had replaced the plugs, wires, rotor and cap, while inside the shop so everything should have been bone dry except for all the humidity from the storm. After starting I checked for any arcing while in the dark shop and even moved a few wires that were touching and no arcing was seen from the cap, wires or coil. I also changed out all those parts 6 months ago when I did a major tune up, but it ran fine untill about two months ago.
When this started two months ago is was just a rare occurrence and my mechanic thought that I had gotten some gas with water in it. He had me run a few bottles of injector cleaner it the next few fill-ups and I've run a few bottles of heet through it also. In the last two weeks it has been doing this every time I start up. When this did start showing up it would show a code of a random misfire and the engine light would come on even though I felt no signs of a misfire myself. The light would stay on for a day or two then go back off. A few days later it was back on.I thought that I fixed the problem because the light stayed off for a month.
So it has been only the last two weeks that it bucks and kicks so bad at a startup, but you would think that an engine misfire would show up and the engine light come on. By the way the light does work. Now, I never get a engine light on, and he found no codes in the history. I have my own scanner, but his can do so much more. I never find any codes also. My mechanic ran some diagnostic's and found an up-stream 0,2 sensor bad so we replaced that.
Yesterday I dropped the tank, pulled the pump and cleaned the tank real good. The only filter is the sock on the pump and that was clean. I refilled with fresh gas and I still have the same problem. So I think that we can eliminate water in the fuel, plugs, wires, rotor, and cap. My next thought is the cam sensor in the distributor.
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I had a 2010 Dodge Avenger and going down I averaged about 70-75mph and got about 30 mph, coming back I bumped my speed up to about 79-83 and saw the gas mileage dip a bit. So how do you know what speed (Avg) wise while on the freeway to drive to maximize your fuel consumption? Also, what can you do while driving to maximize it? Going down I didn't have any windows open due to some rain and didn't run my AC just vent air. Coming back had the window open a bit and some vent air.
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3.0, SOHC engine...car started for coolant system leak check. Idle jumped to. 3000 RPMs. Shut car off...disconnected throttle cable from throttle body. Started car again, engine ran normally, no coolant leak found. Reconnected accelertor cable to throttle body. Tried starting car again, started rough then died after a few seconds. Changed fuel filter...disconnected fuel line to fuel rail and lots of comes out. MFI solenoid inside car clicks several times after engine dies. Engine tries to run, but wont, after it dies. ECU bad? Other issue?
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2010 2.4L Dodge Avenger SXT... Last month my car started overheating while I was idling but was fine otherwise. About a week later my cars check engine light and my electronic throttle control light came on. I took it to an auto store immediately and did the diagnosis on it. It came up with P2181 Cooling system performance with no reported fixes. Few days later it started overheating while driving. It only took two or three blocks before in the red. Decided to go to the local dealership (didn't want to go there but car is still under warranty) and they said since my boyfriend had messed with it trying to see what was wrong it wasn't under warranty. They said the wrong kind of coolant was in and that i needed to replace my thermostat/ So we changed out the two thermostat and drained/replace new coolant. It is still is over heating.
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Already replaced the starter relay will not crank from the key but even when I jump the starter the car still wont start and the switch is in the on position I checked all the fuses and replaced the ecm ....
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I got new brakes put on a few months ago month (semi-metalic)... Any way anytime I drive and it is raining, when my car comes to a to a complete stop, and I hit the gas to shift into second gear my car sort of stutters like it doesn't want to shift but then it does.
I took it to two mechanics MULTIPLE times who even drove it in the rain and they couldn't find a single thing wrong. they hooked the transmission up to the computer and noticed nothing.
It has happened multiple times and its both been raining. Could it be the tires aren't gripping the road and that's why my cars shifting funny, like the tires aren't caught up?
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I have a 2010 dodge avenger sxt replaced fans but won't turn I connected everything back together still nothing....
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When you press on the accelerator the car feels very sluggish it only has 61,000 miles
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I have a 2008 dodge avenger that stalls without warning while I am driving. It happens without any warning signs, happens when I am driving and also when I stop the car. The dealer can't find a thing wrong with it. What's wrong with it? It starts right up after this happens and they tell me my vin number isn't part of a recall for a problem that I have read that other people have with their 2008 avengers.
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I bought a used 2009 Dodge Avenger and it did not have an owners manual with it and was wondering how do you reset the "change oil" warning light. The old way of turning on the ignition and pumping the gas pedal does not work on this model.
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I have a 1997 Dodge Avenger ES that reads code P0743 Torque Converter Clutch Solenoid. I've replaced the transmission control module, and filter. I've called the Dodge dealership and asked if the new transmission control module needs to be programmed. The service department said "Possibly" I said "Well it's shifting better than before. If there wasn't any firmware on it what would it do?" He said "My guess it that the car wouldn't shift." I asked if the Torque Converter Clutch Solenoid visible once you remove the filter. He said "I'm not sure." Clearly, my car isn't going there. Then asked to be transfer to the Parts department to see if there was a part called Torque converter clutch solenoid. That answer was "No" there isn't a part listed called "Torque Converter Clutch Solenoid". What should I do or try?
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Check engine light computer scan indicates intake manifold runner control valve stuck open. Will it damage the car to drive it in this condition and what does fixing it entail?
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So my 96 Dodge Dakota's instrument lights went out a couple days ago, I thought it was just a fuse, so naturally I check all the fuses. Come to find out they're all fine, I replaced a few to see if maybe it was just an old fuse. Still nothing. Then last night I noticed that the instrument lights came on between off and on for the lights. So I assume its a wiring problem. Then as I drove down the road I hit a bump and all the lights went off then kicked back on. Needless to say I can't drive around with lights that won't stay on. Where should I check for the cause of this problem?
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So I have a 96 Dodge Dakota SLT 3.9 4WD. Anyway, it idles relatively smoothly at about 700 RPM in drive or neutral, but if I'm in a moving gear and need to stop, the idle is extremely rough. Usually, the RPM's will drop to near 0 within about 20 seconds of coming to a stop. It will typically recover and continue with rough idling and near stalling a few times, but within a minute or two it stalls. A few additional details: it starts right up again after falling, it doesn't make any difference if I start it cold and drive immediately or drive it for an hour before coming to a stop, the same thing happens. Anything that looked suspicious to me has been changed (drive belt, spark plugs & wires, distributor cap & rotor, pcv valve, idle air control valve, and, of course, the air freshener).
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My pickup runs smooth 95% of the time. It runs rough at red lights and when pulling away from stops. It seems to happen more when the A/C is on.
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My 2001 V70 24T runs smooth when cold as it warms up it runs rough with delayed acceleration reaction ....
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This problem has been getting worse over the last 2 years. When the car starts it idles fine at about 1000 RPM. As soon as it warms up, it starts to idle rough, between 500 and 750 RPM. It almost quits running. As soon as you give the car some gas it runs just fine. About 3 weeks ago I got a "Engine Lean" check engine light error. I reset the system and have not gotten the error again. Since then I have: changed the MAF cleaned the EGR (made sure it closes completely and ohm out the coils in the actuator) changed the O2 meter on the exhaust manifold cleaned out the throttle body Ohmed out the air idle controller. What I should check next. I was planning to check the fuel pressure in case it is a fuel system problem. It is a 1999 ....
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