318 has me baffled....

From : leroy

Q: 92 dakota 318 magnum mpfi at 210k miles a pristine little extend cab pickup - never had a valve cover off. im 67yo and this will probably be my final vehicle. truck runs and idles perfectly until it will suddenly begin missing at highway speed neutral throttle. it feels like one of the old carbureted vehicles felt when just beginning to run out of gas. it misses and surges but it doesnt quit on the side of the road and it will still idle perfectly. it will continue to run that way until i clear it. clear it means kicking it into passing gear and let it turn on up to around 4 grand then slow back down. after that everything is fine and it runs perfectly until it does it again. it may be 10 miles may be 200 miles but it always comes back. if it is missing when i park it at night it will be missing the next day. it remembers it over night. to date i have changed out.. plugs the old ones were perfect rot button cap wires tps o2 sensor egr valve idle speed motor. swapped the main computer with my brothers 92 318. no help. swapped back. it is storing no codes. codes read 55 every time i check it. im baffled. any suggestions will be much appreciated. leroy .

Replies:

From : john heinecke

i had the same problem with my 96 dakota 318. the dealership found it right away. i believe it was the #4 and #7 plug wires were too close together. they moved them and it hasnt happened since. they were new wires the mechanic at the dealership told me it was common with the 318. 92 dakota 318 magnum mpfi at 210k miles a pristine little extend cab pickup - never had a valve cover off. im 67yo and this will probably be my final vehicle. truck runs and idles perfectly until it will suddenly begin missing at highway speed neutral throttle. it feels like one of the old carbureted vehicles felt when just beginning to run out of gas. it misses and surges but it doesnt quit on the side of the road and it will still idle perfectly. it will continue to run that way until i clear it. clear it means kicking it into passing gear and let it turn on up to around 4 grand then slow back down. after that everything is fine and it runs perfectly until it does it again. it may be 10 miles may be 200 miles but it always comes back. if it is missing when i park it at night it will be missing the next day. it remembers it over night. to date i have changed out.. plugs the old ones were perfect rot button cap wires tps o2 sensor egr valve idle speed motor. swapped the main computer with my brothers 92 318. no help. swapped back. it is storing no codes. codes read 55 every time i check it. im baffled. any suggestions will be much appreciated. leroy .

From : denny

i had the same problem with my 96 dakota 318. the dealership found it right away. i believe it was the #4 and #7 plug wires were too close together. they moved them and it hasnt happened since. they were new wires the mechanic at the dealership told me it was common with the 318. another thing to check is the distributor drive gear for being worn. it will have similar symptoms to what you just described. it used to be a fairly common repair. denny 92 dakota 318 magnum mpfi at 210k miles a pristine little extend cab pickup - never had a valve cover off. im 67yo and this will probably be my final vehicle. truck runs and idles perfectly until it will suddenly begin missing at highway speed neutral throttle. it feels like one of the old carbureted vehicles felt when just beginning to run out of gas. it misses and surges but it doesnt quit on the side of the road and it will still idle perfectly. it will continue to run that way until i clear it. clear it means kicking it into passing gear and let it turn on up to around 4 grand then slow back down. after that everything is fine and it runs perfectly until it does it again. it may be 10 miles may be 200 miles but it always comes back. if it is missing when i park it at night it will be missing the next day. it remembers it over night. to date i have changed out.. plugs the old ones were perfect rot button cap wires tps o2 sensor egr valve idle speed motor. swapped the main computer with my brothers 92 318. no help. swapped back. it is storing no codes. codes read 55 every time i check it. im baffled. any suggestions will be much appreciated. leroy .

From : leroy

on thu 15 mar 2007 174001 -0400 denny wddodge@woh.rr.com wrote i had the same problem with my 96 dakota 318. the dealership found it right away. i believe it was the #4 and #7 plug wires were too close together. they moved them and it hasnt happened since. they were new wires the mechanic at the dealership told me it was common with the 318. another thing to check is the distributor drive gear for being worn. it will have similar symptoms to what you just described. it used to be a fairly common repair. denny i felt of the distributer shaft and found no play in the bushing. had not considered the drive gear. will check that and the plug wire routing. was there not a tsb on the wires 92 dakota 318 magnum mpfi at 210k miles a pristine little extend cab pickup - never had a valve cover off. im 67yo and this will probably be my final vehicle. truck runs and idles perfectly until it will suddenly begin missing at highway speed neutral throttle. it feels like one of the old carbureted vehicles felt when just beginning to run out of gas. it misses and surges but it doesnt quit on the side of the road and it will still idle perfectly. it will continue to run that way until i clear it. clear it means kicking it into passing gear and let it turn on up to around 4 grand then slow back down. after that everything is fine and it runs perfectly until it does it again. it may be 10 miles may be 200 miles but it always comes back. if it is missing when i park it at night it will be missing the next day. it remembers it over night. to date i have changed out.. plugs the old ones were perfect rot button cap wires tps o2 sensor egr valve idle speed motor. swapped the main computer with my brothers 92 318. no help. swapped back. it is storing no codes. codes read 55 every time i check it. im baffled. any suggestions will be much appreciated. leroy leroy .

From : denny

on thu 15 mar 2007 174001 -0400 denny wddodge@woh.rr.com wrote i had the same problem with my 96 dakota 318. the dealership found it right away. i believe it was the #4 and #7 plug wires were too close together. they moved them and it hasnt happened since. they were new wires the mechanic at the dealership told me it was common with the 318. another thing to check is the distributor drive gear for being worn. it will have similar symptoms to what you just described. it used to be a fairly common repair. denny i felt of the distributer shaft and found no play in the bushing. had not considered the drive gear. will check that and the plug wire routing. was there not a tsb on the wires here is the tsb on the drive gear... followed by the plug wire tsb. the p/w tsb is for a 95 but the wire routing should be the same. no 18-08-93 rev. a subject engine buck surge or noise - oil pump drive gear wear date nov. 26 1993 this bulletin supersedes technical service bulletin 18-08-93 issued on 6/18/93 which should be removed from your files. this bulletin adds cautions to the procedure which are highlighted with **asterisks** and printed in red. symptom/condition vehicle exhibits warm engine surging light bucking or cold engine lack of power or burst spark knock. engine noises light knock or tapping sound at rear of engine may also be experienced with no driveability complaint. these conditions may be caused by excessive oil pump drive gear wear. diagnosis remove the distributor cap and grasp the rotor and using a rotational motion check the total clockwise/counter-clockwise movement at the rotor tip. if the rotor tip movement is 5.0 mm 3/16 or more proceed with the following repair procedure. parts required quantity part no. description 1 53020546 oil pump drive gear 1 01737725 block bushing repair procedure this bulletin involves replacing the oil pump drive gear with a revised part and the drive gear block bushing. 1.. remove distributor and distributor/oil pump drive gear block bushing as outlined in the appropriate service manual. **note tool number c-3052 distributor drive shaft bushing puller must be used to remove distributor/oil pump drive gear and tool number c 3053 distributor drive shaft bushing driver/burnisher must be used to install the new distributor/oil pump drive gear bushing.** 2.. install new drive gear block bushing p/n 01737725 and revised oil pump drive gear p/n 53020546 as outlined in the appropriate service manual. **note the correct position for the distributor/oil pump drive gear bushlng is shown below.**see illustration 3.. change engine oil and filter. 4.. perform the required distributor indexing procedure as outlined in the appropriate service manual or use the alternate procedure outlined in steps 5-9. alternate distributor indexing procedure 5.. connect a voltmeter to the distributor sensor connector by removing the end seal and carefully back probing the connector. connect the positive lead to the sensor output pin pin 3 either a tan wire with a yellow tracer or a gray wire depending on vehicle application. connect the negative lead to the sensor ground pin pin 2 a black wire with a light blue tracer. 6.. rotate the engine clockwise as viewed from the front until the number one mark piston top tdc compression on the vibration damper should line up with the zero degree tdc mark on the timing chain case cover. 7.. continue to rotate the engine slowly clockwise until the v6 or v8 mark depending on engine type lines up with the zero degree tdc mark on the timing chain case cover. the v8 mark is 17.5after tdc and the v6 mark is 147 after tdc. note do not rotate the engine counter clockwise. if the engine is rotated beyond the mark return to step 6 and repeat the procedure. 8.. with the distributor clamp bolt loose and the ignition switch in the on position rotate the distributor slightly in either direction until the voltmeter switches between the sensor transition point of 0 and 5 volts. 9.. adjust the distributor as close as possible to either side of this transition point and tighten the distributor clamp bolt to 170-230 in. lbs. 19-26 nm. policy reimbursable within the provisions of the warranty. and the plug wire tsb.... no 18-48-98 subject ignition system cross fire/secondary ignition wire induction date dec. 30 1998 note this information applies to vehicles equipped with a 3.9l 5.2l or 5.9l engine. ab models will be added later new parts required. symptom/condition some vehicles may exhibit one or more of the following a.. spark knock complaints when the vehicle is under load. b.. various single cylinder misfire 1 3 7 especially 5 and/or 8. c.. surge in 4th gear with the electronically modulated converter clutch emcc engaged around 45 mph. d.. perceived torque converter emcc engagement/disengagement around 45 mph. diagnos

From : beekeep

whens the last time you changed the fuel filter it could also be the fuel pump. they usually only last me 100-150k. beekeep on thu 15 mar 2007 150727 -0500 leroy dodgemanfromhell@aol.com wrote 92 dakota 318 magnum mpfi at 210k miles a pristine little extend cab pickup - never had a valve cover off. im 67yo and this will probably be my final vehicle. truck runs and idles perfectly until it will suddenly begin missing at highway speed neutral throttle. it feels like one of the old carbureted vehicles felt when just beginning to run out of gas. it misses and surges but it doesnt quit on the side of the road and it will still idle perfectly. it will continue to run that way until i clear it. clear it means kicking it into passing gear and let it turn on up to around 4 grand then slow back down. after that everything is fine and it runs perfectly until it does it again. it may be 10 miles may be 200 miles but it always comes back. if it is missing when i park it at night it will be missing the next day. it remembers it over night. to date i have changed out.. plugs the old ones were perfect rot button cap wires tps o2 sensor egr valve idle speed motor. swapped the main computer with my brothers 92 318. no help. swapped back. it is storing no codes. codes read 55 every time i check it.

From : stormin mormon

truth is since 96 or so all of them are basically the sameany reader will work connector is the same on all there are some mfg specific codes but they can be found on the internet. i use actron. . 222 332139 45fb1bdd$0$17217$4c368faf@roadrunner.com id be tempted to change the air and fuel filters. and perhaps pull the fuel line off the throttle body and do the crank starter thing and see if youre getting good fuel flow. sounds a bit like a fuel problem to me. my 87 dodge van also a 318 stalled and died repeatedly on me. the air filter was the major problem though it had several other problems. -- christopher a. young you cant shout down a troll. you have to starve them. .. 92 dakota 318 magnum mpfi at 210k miles a pristine little extend cab pickup - never had a valve cover off. im 67yo and this will probably be my final vehicle. truck runs and idles perfectly until it will suddenly begin missing at highway speed neutral throttle. it feels like one of the old carbureted vehicles felt when just beginning to run out of gas. it misses and surges but it doesnt quit on the side of the road and it will still idle perfectly. it will continue to run that way until i clear it. clear it means kicking it into passing gear and let it turn on up to around 4 grand then slow back down. after that everything is fine and it runs perfectly until it does it again. it may be 10 miles may be 200 miles but it always comes back. if it is missing when i park it at night it will be missing the next day. it remembers it over night. to date i have changed out.. plugs the old ones were perfect rot button cap wires tps o2 sensor egr valve idle speed motor. swapped the main computer with my brothers 92 318. no help. swapped back. it is storing no codes. codes read 55 every time i check it. im baffled. any suggestions will be much appreciated. leroy .