1999 Durango 5.9L Engine Malfunction Questino???

From : bobmct

Q: gentlemen; my d with 120k miles has started doing something strange and i dont know what might be causing it. before i bring it to the dealer i thought i would try asking here. its been running quite well. however about 1-2 weeks ago it started cranking very slowly. i thought it might be the battery so ive been carrying around a self-contained jumper pack. however heres how the symptoms usually go i try to crank it and it barely or does not turn over. sounds like its coming up on the compression cycle and stops cranking. however when i connect the jumper pack it then seems to turn over normally then starts. once started is wont continue running. if i heal & toe it i can keep the revs up sufficient to keep it running. but when i shift into drive it will stall. but this time it cranks over just fine and usually starts. then when i back down my driveway into the road and stop to change direction it stalls. another restart. i drive 1 mile to the corner of my street and it stalls. another start on its own power and the engine starts but when i come to the next stop sign... it stalls. obviously i cannot drive this car like this. does anyone have any ideas relative to this problem when it runs... it runs great. but not this time. i will be eagerly awaiting any and all replies. thank you bob m .

Replies:

From : bobmct

edward l. dowdy wrote trade it for a prius! i couldnt help myself! now if i could only do something about the god-awful gas mileage.... bob excellent suggestion. now care to lend me $$$$$. bob .

From : geekboy

gentlemen; my d with 120k miles has started doing something strange and i dont know what might be causing it. before i bring it to the dealer i thought i would try asking here. its been running quite well. however about 1-2 weeks ago it started cranking very slowly. i thought it might be the battery so ive been carrying around a self-contained jumper pack. however heres how the symptoms usually go i try to crank it and it barely or does not turn over. sounds like its coming up on the compression cycle and stops cranking. however when i connect the jumper pack it then seems to turn over normally then starts. once started is wont continue running. if i heal & toe it i can keep the revs up sufficient to keep it running. but when i shift into drive it will stall. but this time it cranks over just fine and usually starts. then when i back down my driveway into the road and stop to change direction it stalls. another restart. i drive 1 mile to the corner of my street and it stalls. another start on its own power and the engine starts but when i come to the next stop sign... it stalls. obviously i cannot drive this car like this. does anyone have any ideas relative to this problem when it runs... it runs great. but not this time. i will be eagerly awaiting any and all replies. try disconnecting the battery while it is running. if it dies then it is the alternator thank you bob m *** posted via a free usenet account from http//www.tera.com *** .

From : scott s

could be simply the battery is ending its life cycle. if this is the original battery you are puhing 6 years which is good. hmm pull the old battery cable trick when running puts your electronics in a risk of frying. no battery means no buffer in you charging circuit a spike can put undue stress in the circuit = smoke. a simple volt meter accros the terminals will show if you alternator is working + 14 volts should be the average push to the battery. gentlemen; my d with 120k miles has started doing something strange and i dont know what might be causing it. before i bring it to the dealer i thought i would try asking here. its been running quite well. however about 1-2 weeks ago it started cranking very slowly. i thought it might be the battery so ive been carrying around a self-contained jumper pack. however heres how the symptoms usually go i try to crank it and it barely or does not turn over. sounds like its coming up on the compression cycle and stops cranking. however when i connect the jumper pack it then seems to turn over normally then starts. once started is wont continue running. if i heal & toe it i can keep the revs up sufficient to keep it running. but when i shift into drive it will stall. but this time it cranks over just fine and usually starts. then when i back down my driveway into the road and stop to change direction it stalls. another restart. i drive 1 mile to the corner of my street and it stalls. another start on its own power and the engine starts but when i come to the next stop sign... it stalls. obviously i cannot drive this car like this. does anyone have any ideas relative to this problem when it runs... it runs great. but not this time. i will be eagerly awaiting any and all replies. try disconnecting the battery while it is running. if it dies then it is the alternator thank you bob m *** posted via a free usenet account from http//www.tera.com *** .

From : bobmct

bobmct wrote gentlemen; my d with 120k miles has started doing something strange and i dont know what might be causing it. before i bring it to the dealer i thought i would try asking here. its been running quite well. however about 1-2 weeks ago it started cranking very slowly. i thought it might be the battery so ive been carrying around a self-contained jumper pack. however heres how the symptoms usually go i try to crank it and it barely or does not turn over. sounds like its coming up on the compression cycle and stops cranking. however when i connect the jumper pack it then seems to turn over normally then starts. once started is wont continue running. if i heal & toe it i can keep the revs up sufficient to keep it running. but when i shift into drive it will stall. but this time it cranks over just fine and usually starts. then when i back down my driveway into the road and stop to change direction it stalls. another restart. i drive 1 mile to the corner of my street and it stalls. another start on its own power and the engine starts but when i come to the next stop sign... it stalls. obviously i cannot drive this car like this. does anyone have any ideas relative to this problem when it runs... it runs great. but not this time. i will be eagerly awaiting any and all replies. thank you bob m gentlemen - some additional progress information... taking your advise i suspected the battery and/or charge system. the battery being 3 years it was replaced once old was replaced this morning and the alternator seems to be pushing 14+ volts just fine. none the less i replaced the battery and once connected the underhood light came on bright and shiney. ok i said. after securing the cables i went inside and swithed on the ignition. nada! not even an odometer reading. out of frustration i then connected my jumper pack again and turned the starter switch again. this time it started. any other ideas as to where to look thanks bob .

From : ed

i would not disconnect the battery while the engine is running as this will most likely damage many electronic components like the various computers which can be very costly to replace. gentlemen; my d with 120k miles has started doing something strange and i dont know what might be causing it. before i bring it to the dealer i thought i would try asking here. its been running quite well. however about 1-2 weeks ago it started cranking very slowly. i thought it might be the battery so ive been carrying around a self-contained jumper pack. however heres how the symptoms usually go i try to crank it and it barely or does not turn over. sounds like its coming up on the compression cycle and stops cranking. however when i connect the jumper pack it then seems to turn over normally then starts. once started is wont continue running. if i heal & toe it i can keep the revs up sufficient to keep it running. but when i shift into drive it will stall. but this time it cranks over just fine and usually starts. then when i back down my driveway into the road and stop to change direction it stalls. another restart. i drive 1 mile to the corner of my street and it stalls. another start on its own power and the engine starts but when i come to the next stop sign... it stalls. obviously i cannot drive this car like this. does anyone have any ideas relative to this problem when it runs... it runs great. but not this time. i will be eagerly awaiting any and all replies. try disconnecting the battery while it is running. if it dies then it is the alternator thank you bob m *** posted via a free usenet account from http//www.tera.com *** .

From : richard

if you put in a new charged battery & had to jump it your battery must be bad or you hooked it up backwords. my d with 120k miles has started doing something strange and i dont know what might be causing it. before i bring it to the dealer i thought i would try asking here. its been running quite well. however about 1-2 weeks ago it started cranking very slowly. i thought it might be the battery so ive been carrying around a self-contained jumper pack. however heres how the symptoms usually go i try to crank it and it barely or does not turn over. sounds like its coming up on the compression cycle and stops cranking. however when i connect the jumper pack it then seems to turn over normally then starts. once started is wont continue running. if i heal & toe it i can keep the revs up sufficient to keep it running. but when i shift into drive it will stall. but this time it cranks over just fine and usually starts. then when i back down my driveway into the road and stop to change direction it stalls. another restart. i drive 1 mile to the corner of my street and it stalls. another start on its own power and the engine starts but when i come to the next stop sign... it stalls. obviously i cannot drive this car like this. does anyone have any ideas relative to this problem when it runs... it runs great. but not this time. i will be eagerly awaiting any and all replies. thank you bob m gentlemen - some additional progress information... taking your advise i suspected the battery and/or charge system. the battery being 3 years it was replaced once old was replaced this morning and the alternator seems to be pushing 14+ volts just fine. none the less i replaced the battery and once connected the underhood light came on bright and shiney. ok i said. after securing the cables i went inside and swithed on the ignition. nada! not even an odometer reading. out of frustration i then connected my jumper pack again and turned the starter switch again. this time it started. any other ideas as to where to look thanks bob .

From : roy

bobmct wrote none the less i replaced the battery and once connected the underhood light came on bright and shiney. ok i said. after securing the cables i went inside and swithed on the ignition. nada! not even an odometer reading. out of frustration i then connected my jumper pack again and turned the starter switch again. this time it started. any other ideas as to where to look thanks bob was the battery you installed fully charged has anybody checked the starter draw if the new battery was fully charged and ya need 2 batteries to start this thing you either have a bad cable or your starter is on its ass imo. roy .

From : bob

bobmct wrote bobmct wrote gentlemen; my d with 120k miles has started doing something strange and i dont know what might be causing it. before i bring it to the dealer i thought i would try asking here. its been running quite well. however about 1-2 weeks ago it started cranking very slowly. i thought it might be the battery so ive been carrying around a self-contained jumper pack. however heres how the symptoms usually go i try to crank it and it barely or does not turn over. sounds like its coming up on the compression cycle and stops cranking. however when i connect the jumper pack it then seems to turn over normally then starts. once started is wont continue running. if i heal & toe it i can keep the revs up sufficient to keep it running. but when i shift into drive it will stall. but this time it cranks over just fine and usually starts. then when i back down my driveway into the road and stop to change direction it stalls. another restart. i drive 1 mile to the corner of my street and it stalls. another start on its own power and the engine starts but when i come to the next stop sign... it stalls. obviously i cannot drive this car like this. does anyone have any ideas relative to this problem when it runs... it runs great. but not this time.

From : fred aston

im with .bob on this one. sure the starter diagnoses explains the double supply needed to start the vehicle but it doesnt account for the stalling. degraded wiring would explain that simptom as well as the starting issues. let me know how you make out. fred bobmct wrote bobmct wrote gentlemen; my d with 120k miles has started doing something strange and i dont know what might be causing it. before i bring it to the dealer i thought i would try asking here. its been running quite well. however about 1-2 weeks ago it started cranking very slowly. i thought it might be the battery so ive been carrying around a self-contained jumper pack. however heres how the symptoms usually go i try to crank it and it barely or does not turn over. sounds like its coming up on the compression cycle and stops cranking. however when i connect the jumper pack it then seems to turn over normally then starts. once started is wont continue running. if i heal & toe it i can keep the revs up sufficient to keep it running. but when i shift into drive it will stall. but this time it cranks over just fine and usually starts. then when i back down my driveway into the road and stop to change direction it stalls. another restart. i drive 1 mile to the corner of my street and it stalls. another start on its own power and the engine starts but when i come to the next stop sign... it stalls. obviously i cannot drive this car like this. does anyone have any ideas relative to this problem when it runs... it runs great. but not this time. i will be eagerly awaiting any and all replies. thank you bob m gentlemen - some additional progress information... taking your advise i suspected the battery and/or charge system. the battery being 3 years it was replaced once old was replaced this morning and the alternator seems to be pushing 14+ volts just fine. none the less i replaced the battery and once connected the underhood light came on bright and shiney. ok i said. after securing the cables i went inside and swithed on the ignition. nada! not even an odometer reading. out of frustration i then connected my jumper pack again and turned the starter switch again. this time it started. any other ideas as to where to look thanks bob anything that decreased the amperage to the starter and ignition system will cause these synmptoms. bad battery is the first place to look. but since your battery was only 3 years old and the synptoms conitue thats not it. check all your cables and connections. its common for a battery cable to corrode beneath the insulation especially the neg cable. try stripping back a few inches and see what it looks like. also check all your ground connections. take them apart clean and re-install. -- .bob arrived 2006 fxdi red. 1997 hd fxdwg - turbocharged stolen 11/26/05 in denver 1hd1gel10vy3200010 co license j5822z 2001 dodge dakota qc 5.9/4x4/3.92 1966 mustang coupe - daily driver 1965 ffr cobra - 427w efi damn fast. .

From : bobmct

engine in it. also in my bonneville i could easily get 420 plus miles on an 18 gallon tank. this is what i would like to get out of the 20 gallons in my dakota. my question is how do i do it one solution is to change the gearing in the transmission. but this is not a good idea because of the time it would take to do so and the expense to have it done. my next alternative would be to put a different transmission in the dakota from a similar vehicle thats been geared differently. something like a durango. i dont know for sure but im thinking the durango is geared more for highway driving than for higher towing capacitylike my dakota if not all of them. basically what i want is a transmission that is geared more for highway than for pulling. i dont figure ill ever be pulling more than 2 tonsboth in bed and towed much anymore and i believe most transmissions can handle that easily as long as you take it easy and increase your speed gradually. i would appreciate any valid input you may have to offer on this. thanks in advance. you ask a good question. the thing that you would possible benifit from the most is maybe a taller rear axle ratio as you have od now and a different tranny is not going to help much. also your dakota is a lot less areodynamic than your car and front wheel drives have less power loss in drive train too so it will never do as well. a few tips remove or lower tail gate on highway run stock tyrp tire of 75 or 83 profile with smooth tread at or near max pressure as this will reduce rolling resistance. also change lubes in tranny and rear axle ans fresh changes can improve mpg a fractio or more if they were overdue servicing. waht axle ratio do you have in truck now ----------------- the snoman www.thesnoman.com . 222 319009 9snkg.11$kh.611@.ntplx.net fred aston wrote im with .bob on this one. sure the starter diagnoses explains the double supply needed to start the vehicle but it doesnt account for the stalling. degraded wiring would explain that simptom as well as the starting issues. let me know how you make out. fred bobmct wrote bobmct wrote gentlemen; my d with 120k miles has started doing something strange and i dont know what might be causing it. before i bring it to the dealer i thought i would try asking here. its been running quite well. however about 1-2 weeks ago it started cranking very slowly. i thought it might be the battery so ive been carrying around a self-contained jumper pack. however heres how the symptoms usually go i try to crank it and it barely or does not turn over. sounds like its coming up on the compression cycle and stops cranking. however when i connect the jumper pack it then seems to turn over normally then starts. once started is wont continue running. if i heal & toe it i can keep the revs up sufficient to keep it running. but when i shift into drive it will stall. but this time it cranks over just fine and usually starts. then when i back down my driveway into the road and stop to change direction it stalls. another restart. i drive 1 mile to the corner of my street and it stalls. another start on its own power and the engine starts but when i come to the next stop sign... it stalls. obviously i cannot drive this car like this. does anyone have any ideas relative to this problem when it runs... it runs great. but not this time. i will be eagerly awaiting any and all replies. thank you bob m gentlemen - some additional progress information... taking your advise i suspected the battery and/or charge system. the battery being 3 years it was replaced once old was replaced this morning and the alternator seems to be pushing 14+ volts just fine. none the less i replaced the battery and once connected the underhood light came on bright and shiney. ok i said. after securing the cables i went inside and swithed on the ignition. nada! not even an odometer reading. out of frustration i then connected my jumper pack again and turned the starter switch again. this time it started. any other ideas as to where to look thanks bob anything that decreased the amperage to the starter and ignition system will cause these synmptoms. bad battery is the first place to look. but since your battery was only 3 years old and the synptoms conitue thats not it. check all your cables and connections. its common for a battery cable to corrode beneath the insulation especially the neg cable. try stripping back a few inches and see what it looks like. also check all your ground connections. take them apart clean and re-install. -- .bob arrived 2006 fxdi red. 1997 hd fxdwg - turbocharged stolen 11/26/05 in denver 1hd1gel10vy3200010 co license j5822z 2001 dodge dakota qc 5.9/4x4/3.92 1966 mustang coupe - daily driver 1965 ffr cobra - 427w efi damn fast. well heres the follow up i ha

From : edward l dowdy

trade it for a prius! i couldnt help myself! now if i could only do something about the god-awful gas mileage.... bob .