Dodge - Stratus :: 2006 - Rough Idling When At Stop Light
May 3, 2013
I have a 2006 Dodge Stratus with approximately 104,000 miles on it (most highway) and I'm at my wit's end trying to figure out my rough idling situation. When I was at stop light, I would notice a rougher than normal idling but not to the point where stalling would occur. The timing belt was just replaced a year and a half ago and I thought maybe something was wrong with the alternator??? I took it into the shop and they replaced my engine mounts, replaced spark plugs, and did a fuel injector cleaning....? Well not exactly....now the idling is 10x worse to where my entire steering wheel is shaking when I'm stopped at a stop light! The car itself just sounds rough.
No check engine light is on and the idling isn't nearly as bad as when I park the car....a part of me wants to throw in the towel and say it is what it is, but I just have a feeling that something's just not right.
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Today I went and test drove a used 2006 Dodge Stratus SXT from a private party. Everything about the car was great except it had a bit of a rough idle; there was a slight sputtering noise when not in motion, and the car itself vibrated very slightly. It didn't bother me too much while I was driving because it accelerated and shifted fine and the engine sounded very strong, otherwise.
When the test drive was over I pointed out the noise to the owner, and he admitted that he had mis-timed the timing belt slightly which was causing the sputtering (he is a mechanic and replaced it himself). I was worried about this, but I did some research when I got home and learned that this model of Stratus has a non-interference engine.
My question is this: should that timing belt be a deal breaker for me? Will this cause major mechanical issues down the road? I know it will reduce power but I only really need the car to commute, so I don't mind if I'm not toe-to-toe with a Challenger. I'm just worried it will eventually cause a costly problem.
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I have a '99 Dodge Stratus V6 with 125,000 miles. When I turn on the car, I can hear a hum when idling. When I start driving, I cannot hear the hum anymore (but maybe it's drowned out by other noises the car makes, or just the engine). It gets higher pitched as it slows down to idle, and a bit lower pitched if I step on the gas lightly. It has been slowly getting louder over the last few months. What could this be due to?
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I have a 99 Dodge Stratus 4 cyl 2.4L, automatic.
It has been idling rough for a few months now. It feels just like it is misfiring. Tach confirms quick dip in rpm then return to normal idle. It has never actually stalled, just a quick rpm dip and subsequent shuddering, then recovers for a few seconds.
Also runs very rough, at 47-48 mph under light "cruising" load. Sounds crazy, but it does (did, see below) not happen at 45 or 50, just in the 47-48 mph range. Again, it feels like bad misfiring, with the car losing a lot of power and shuddering until I accelerate/decelerate away from this speed range.
NOW, over the last few days, the rough riding has gotten a lot worse, and occurs at all speeds. It is worse under load (mild acceleration, hills). Still feels like misfiring. Loss of power makes it hard to maintain speed up hills, at any speed. Also, today for the first time in its life the car backfired while trying to accelerate up a hill from a stop, at a speed of about 15 mph.
When idling, I can occasionally smell gas.
So, the coils are 2 years old, spark plug wires are 2 years old, spark plugs are 2 weeks old and air filter is 4 days old. Check engine light is NOT on and there are no error codes as of yesterday. Fluids are all good, except I am about the kick the stupid thing until it bleeds. Parts store suggested Idle Air Control Valve, but I am dubious, as this now happens at all speed.
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I have an 02 dodge stratus coupe with about 133,000 miles on it. Since January, when the outside temp is over 42 degrees, it starts rough, and the check engine light comes on. It then chugs and sputters and has diminished power until the engine temp reaches its normal spot on the gauge. But the check engine light stays on. If it is raining or damp, the problem is worse. It feels like it might stall, but never does.It doesn't sound like it is coming from the engine, but rather under the car, maybe the exhaust system. It is not so much a noise, as it feels as though I am driving over a light washboard dirt road. It's worse in the morning than when I come out from work.If the temp drops back under about 38 degrees, the problem and the light go away.I usually get about 28 mpg. In Jan and Feb I averaged 27mpg, but it has now dropped to about 22.I need to get my radiator flushed, as I do every winter, but don't know if this is related.
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My boyfriend just bought a '06 Dodge Stratus with only 30,000 miles on it. We noticed a noise today when driving in the country where it is quieter. It's kind of a hum that lasts about 2-3 seconds and it occurs every 28 seconds on the dot while driving 35 mph -- about .3 miles. It seems to come from the right side in the front, but I know that can be misleading. It happens a few seconds sooner when driving faster. It doesn't happen at all when idling or revving still in the driveway. It doesn't seem to change anything when it happens (steering, braking, no vibration, hesitation -- nothing). It also doesn't make any difference if we are going up or down hills, foot on the accelerator or coasting, braking or accelerating.
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My daughter's 2005 Dodge Stratus (2.7 I think) is giving an unusual problem on an intermittent basis. Sometimes when she cranks the car, the check engine and oil lights will stay on. She can put the car in gear and the car will move but the steering wheel will not turn. It's like it's in a locked position - it's not just being hard to turn, it won't turn at all. There's a sufficient amount of power steering fluid in the pump reservoir.
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I have a 2004 Dodge Stratus (165,000 Miles). The check engine light has been on for at least eight months. I took it to have it checked out and the mechanic said ''there is a very small crack in the exhaust line''. Well, now if I turn the car on cold, it shakes all over and sometimes will turn off. It smells like straight exhaust.
Yesterday I started the car and the check engine light flashed for a good minute, then stayed on. Also, when I get out from a normal drive, you can smell gas. Plain ole gas.
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My car has 103000 miles on it and the timing belt was replaced several hundred miles ago. After the service I noticed it had a bit of a rough idle and a very slight sputtering noise, but still no check engine light. Was the timing belt put on wrong? The engine is non-interference, by the way.
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I have a 1993 Dodge Stealth (3.0 V6 SOHC) that has been idling a little rough, especially when the a/c is on. It was suggested to me that a dirty throttle body could be the cause, so I cleaned it. After I did that it ran great with the exception of idling around 1000 RPM instead of the usual 300, then the next day driving home from work (ran fine on the way TO work) whenever I tried to coast or engine break my engine began to shudder and run really rough! what could be happening?
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1995 dodge neon... When I turn the car off, it burps, or bubbles air into the overfill tank. Car now also overheats when idling or in stop and go traffic. Temperature goes down when running heater.Not sure if it is the water pump or an issue with the radiator.
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It's not that it won't start, but it accelerates like crap when it gets "cold" out. What do I mean by "cold"? Apparently 60F or less. During May and June my van worked great. Now, just with a bit of nip in the air, she doesn't drive the same.
Symptoms:- When in Drive, the van lurches while idling.- Accelerating from a stop is VERY slow and risks stalling every so often. I could literally floor the accelerator and she'll go a couple MPH.- Between 1 and 45MPH the van will occasionally buck. Meaning the acceleration will either dip or spike so the drive isn't "smooth".- If it's real cold, when accelerating from a stop (or rolling stop) something goes "pop", almost like a mini-backfire.
Van is a Dodge Ram Van B250 1988. V8
During May and June she drove like a dream (well, as much as a 1988 Van that probably needs some extra care). I missed the smooth driving. And come Winter I know I'm it's going to take the van forever to get up to 50MPH on the highway.
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My GX470 idles rough when I'm in "drive" and at a stop. If I drop it into park or neutral it is fine. The 470 has about 98K on it and everything else is great. Looking for a solution to get this smooth again.
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Just picked up my 2004 Prius from the Toyota dealer body shop. The driver's side was scraped by someone who wanted to be in my lane. Fortunately, we were only going 35 mph. The rear door skin had to be replaced, and most of the side had to be prepped and painted. There are a few silly mistakes: they forgot to replace the driver's door plug, forgot to replace a lower clip, and smudged a tiny area new paint on the bumper. I brought that to their attention and they are going to take care of it... they have to order the plug and clip.
However, as soon as that conversation was complete, it was time for them to close shop. I sat in my Prius, started it, and the check engine light was on. Wasn't on when I dropped it off for the repairs. Also, on the way home, I noticed the engine wasn't turning off when I came to a complete stop (even though the animation says it was off). At idle, the engine is also rough. Looked at the charge bars, and well, there were only two bars showing.
I thought perhaps, though it's not done this before without the animation screen showing it, the engine was on merely to recharge the traction battery. On the way home, the traction battery returned to full charge (green), but the engine still was not turning off when the vehicle was at a complete stop... not was it turning off when coasting... and when arriving home, even with the car in park... and still idling rough. All the while, the animation on the screen is indicating the engine should be off.
When I replaced the traction battery three years ago, I also replaced the 12v with an yellow top Optima. I wouldn't think the Optima is already going bad. I also do not believe in coincidence. I wonder if perhaps some bad fumes have tainted the MAF, or who knows.
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I have a 99 Dodge Stratus w/ +191K miles. Recently the gas light would come on and the needle would drop down to "E" then go back up to where it started...regardless of how much gas is in the tank. Once the tank drops below half a tank, the light stays on and the needle goes all the way down to "E". I have no way of knowing how much gas is in the tank and I have to judge it by mileage. What's going on?? Is this an easy (inexpensive) fix??
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My 2002 Dodge Stratus shudders only for a few seconds when I start the car (sometimes). What this could be?
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I got into a fender bender and now part of my bumper is rubbing against my tire. I want to bend it back but have been unsuccessful in doing so.
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I have a 1999 Dodge Stratus in which I am having fuel injector issues with. A few weeks ago I replaced the #4 fuel injector with a new one and now the #4 fuel injector has failed again. What can cause this to happen?
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I am having issues with my everyday driver as of late. I developed a misfire and replaced, plugs, coils, plug wires. Misfire persisted so we replaced, injectors, fuel rail. The misfire still was there and getting worse so we checked the engine mechanically for any burnt or bent valves and it checked out fine. We completed a compression test and all cylinders tested within 5 psi of each other. We finally replaced the ECU and Cam Sensor and the problem still is here. We do not know what else to do. I have narrowed down the misfire to cylinder one. The injector is not firing on this cylinder. I know this because when you unplug it there is no change in the engines behavior. As stated earlier, injectors are new, but i switched them out just to make sure it was a bad injector. I tested the lead and the voltage was appriopiate.
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A few months back on a really hot day my horn randomly started honking while driving. I pulled the fuse as a quick fix and brought it into a body shop. They initially thought it was something to do with the airbag part and ordered one, but ended up making new bushings instead. The center of the steering wheel was a bit off-center and the left side was pretty sensitive but it worked for a couple weeks. When it started happening again I used a couple pieces of gorilla tape to dampen the vibration and that worked for about a month and a half but last week it started happening again. Now it's only during right turns and when it gets bumped just so. Applying light pressure to the left side of the steering wheel seems to work but sure makes my commute a pain. My first instinct is to take the air bag module out and reattach it but I'm worried about messing with the airbag.
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My daughter has a dodge stratus 2001 with about 150,000 miles she has had it for about 2 years. She has had it over heat a couple of times and has had it repaired simply fixing a radiator hose. It overheated again and it was almost empty of antifreeze. She has been filling up and checking the radiator level and fills it as needed, which could be daily or now only weekly. She took it to a mechanic who thought it was a blown valve-cover gasket and basically said the car repair would be more than the car is worth. I have a feeling the car did not get really checked out. She didn't really know this guy and took it there because it was close to her. She is still driving it, but only short distances and always stops before it over heats. She really cannot afford another car for a least another year.
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