My dad has a 2001 Dodge Dakota extended cab with a 3.9L v6 (standard transmission). It will start and run for a while and it will die, if you turn the key it will start up again but will eventually die. He has changed the spark plugs & wires, the distributor cap & rotor, the MAP sensor, and the throttle valve sensor. It still does the same thing.
View 1 RepliesEvery time it rains and I forget and leave the truck outside instead of inside the garage, it will not start. It is a 2001 Dodge Dakota pickup truck. It tries to start but will not fire. I have to sit around and wait for a few dry days and full sun - which is hard to find around here other than August and September. I have had it towed to several different mechanics for review. They have all done the same thing - can't find anything wrong so they leave it sit around the lot for two or three weeks until the sun shines then charge me a hundred bucks or so for their diagnostic time and a jump start. Every once in a while out of shear frustration, I have it towed to a new mechanic or one of the previous ones but still get the same results. Does fine in the winter with snow, but it has even done it on occasion when going through a car wash - which I know longer do as I am too old to be pushing a pickup out of a car wash.
View 3 RepliesSo, my oil light comes on after startup like usual then shuts off. Anywhere from 2-5 minutes of the vehicle running light comes back on and does not shut off unless I restart the vehicle. Have changed oil pressure switch and oil pressure is reading in the normal range..
05 dakota with 175000 kilometres
I have a 2002 Dakota 5.9l r/t. Always started and ran fine. It sat most of the winter approx 2 months. Now will not start but cranks/turns. Has new battery, newer full tune up and tried starting fluid.
View 2 RepliesI have a 89 dodge dakota and it starts sometimes and other times it don't start at all. When it does start and runs for a few min it will randomly die and when I try to start it after it dies it wont start back up. Me and my dad just fixed the starter relay yesterday and it started every time after that, now today it wont start. New coil, fuel pump, and fuel filter are new.
View 5 RepliesMy brake pedal goes almost to the floor when I'm braking.I replaced the rotors, pads, shoes, power booster and the master cylinder 3 times.Had it bled twice and I still have a soft pedal, but now it firms up a bit as I pump the brakes.
View 7 Repliesi have a 96 slt v8 dakota im trying to fix myself. it wont start. put new batt. new starter motor. it just clicks engine wont turn everything in truck is working but when i turn the key to start its just clicks and my radio losses power. so i took out radio and still wont start...
View 2 RepliesI've got a '93 Dakota that wouldn't start this morning after a cold snap, it used to fit just fine in any temp. It's cranking strong, can smell gas, and it's getting spark (used an inline tester). Battery had a full charge. Lay night the windchill got down to -40 Fahrenheit.
View 4 RepliesThis is an ongoing problem that has lasted for several weeks now -- I’m completely flummoxed and at a loss. It goes something like this:
My truck (2000 Dodge Dakota, 2.5L, 5-speed) has developed -- for lack of a better term -- a high-pitched whining squeal, which only occurs after I put it in gear and actually start moving (if I leave it idling in neutral, when starting it after letting it sit overnight, the sound usually does not appear at all). After about three or four minutes of driving time, the sound will show up, but there’s an odd twist: the sound is most apparent, and really loud, when the truck is at idle, such as when at a stop sign or traffic signal; when I put it in gear and take off, the noise will drop in pitch and, depending on how hard I’m pressing on the accelerator, it sometimes disappears altogether.
When I take off, every time I shift gears the sound returns -- only for as long as I step on the clutch and back off the gas, and when I step on the accelerator again the noise falls in pitch and vanishes. It does this off-and-on thing through all the gears, and after reaching the desired road speed (and I’ve reduced pressure on the gas pedal) the sound returns and is constant. Also, if I shut the truck off and wait just a few minutes, and then fire it back up, the sound will be gone, but will return after a short while, exactly as related above. It’s worth noting that, during all this irritating misadventure, the engine has run exactly as it always has -- there’s been no discernible impact on performance.
Now, some considerations. The noise is louder and more strident when the ambient temperature is lower, such as in the morning. Later in the day, when the temperature rises, the sound becomes erratic and somewhat unpredictable, and is much lower in volume, and it will even stop abruptly and then reappear later.
Many people have suggested that it could be the belt or a pulley, maybe. I replaced both tensioners and even installed a new, shorter belt to bypass the A/C compressor (to eliminate it as the possible culprit), but the noise remains. I was skeptical of all that because -- and please correct me if I’m wrong -- a shot pulley making such a horrible racket should get louder as engine speed increases, not drop in pitch and disappear. In fact, the noise seems to have no relation to engine RPM; if anything, it seems tied somehow to intake manifold pressure (the sound vanishes when the truck is accelerating, which is when intake manifold pressure goes down, or so is my understanding), or throttle position, or something else entirely. The vacuum system? The noise seems mechanical to me, not like escaping air (or, well, vacuum) . . . but what do I know?
2001 Dakota: With the Ignition "ON" (engine running or not)any lights that are ON blink off and on. if the Ignition switch is in the "OFF" or "accessories" positions they work normally. It can be just the dome lights, the Park lights or all of the lights. It some times takes 10 to 15 minutes for this to begin, but once it starts, it is continuous. I have checked the switches, the relays, and every connection I can find. I unplugged the connector from the dash to the chassis and it stopped. I ASSume that means it is probably not the "Central Timing Module," otherwise the problem would continue. I don't know what could be in that circuit that would overload the system only with the Ignition ON.
View 3 RepliesDriving home and headlights start to go off/on, now they only go on for 1 sec every 15 or so and getting worse. There is a buzzing/clicking noise coming from behind both headlamps all the time, cant find relay, also dome light blinks constantly.
View 1 Replies97 Dodge Dakota Sport V8. Has spark, turns over, won't fire.
View 1 Replies1999 Dodge Dakota
3.6 liter w/air conditioning
I'm pretty sure I made a mess of things. My Serpentine belt was all cracked and making noises while idling and driving. It was time to replace it. It's a long story, but my auto mechanic told me to drive my truck for a week and then give him a call. Well.... I didn't do that. My battery went dead and I charged it up and it lasted a month. Yesterday, it wouldn't start so I bought a Serpentine belt and installed it. As far as I know, I didn't damage anything while I was working on it.
The battery was still dead and I charged it, however, the key was turned on while I was charging it. I don't know how I did that, but I did.
The problem I'm having is that the engine is now idling at 2000 RPM. I scanned it and there are no codes or pending codes.
Today, I went out and drew a diagram of how the belt is routed and it's the same as the diagram under the hood. I had a friend take a look at it and he agrees that I put it on correctly.
I have had this truck in 3 different shops and none of them could figure it out. The codes say misfire in cyl 2 and 5 bank 1 too lean and primary and secondary circuits malfunctioning for ignition coil. I've replaced the ign coil cap, plugs,plug wires, rotor, pcv, fuel pump, pick up coil, cat, o2 sensors and all sensors under the hood. Switched out all vacuum lines, cleaned the IAC and checked the pulse ring. The truck loses all power and either dies or backfires and regains power randomly. If I drive at night, it will stall and keep cranking when trying to restart. Usually have to let it sit for ten minutes for it to turn back over. Last night it backfired and stalled every 50 ft for over a mile. During the day, it revs up and down at idle by about 100 rpms.
View 6 RepliesHave a 2002 Dodge Dakota automatic. This winter when temps. dropped into lows 10s and zero degree weather, the Dodge truck would start,but would not come out of park gear. Have replaced interlock solenoid and brake light switch. Still have same problem when Temperature drops into low 10s &below. Otherwise,everything ok. (not using ER brake).
View 5 RepliesI have a 2003 Dodge Dakota. A couple of years ago I was driving along and the radio just cut out, with no problems prior. I didn't go over train tracks or anything that would jar it, etc. It continued to not work for the next 6-8 months or so, but would occasionally cut in and out. After a period of time the radio suddenly began working again. The radio continued to work for a year or more. A month ago, I'm driving down the road and it again, cuts out. But now I can somewhat hear the radio amid the static. The best way to describe it is what happens to the reception when traveling under high voltage wires. Antenna is secure.
View 1 RepliesThe parking lights come on, the turn signal lights work, the interior lights and high beams work. Could it just be a fuse or two? Dodge Dakota 4WD 2002 ...
View 3 RepliesSo 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?
View 2 RepliesOnly started happening within the last month. 1994 V8 Dakota. When its warmer out, half the time I turn the key and nothing happens, doesn't even crank over, but if I tap the gas then turn the key, it starts right up. What this could be?
View 2 RepliesMy buddy has been telling me that his 2000 dodge Dakota v8 sport is burning 4 quarts of oil a day. Note that he only drives roughly 25 miles a day. The truck is claimed to have no oil leak whatsoever and this happens around 2500 miles after every oil change. I find it very hard to believe.
View 19 RepliesGasoline backs up in the filler neck while pumping. I've disconnected the vent tube on the filler neck and disconnected the hose going to the canister next to the fuel tank. I've let the engine run during fill up, but this does not change things. Violently shaking the truck while cursing only provides entertainment to other motorist at the pump. I gave up my career as an auto mechanic in the 80's when cars were being made out of metal.
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