For about the last 2 weeks, the "check engine" light has been on my '98 Dodge Ram. Nothing was noted except everyone once in a great while there might be some hesitation like the engine was starved for fuel; it'd clear up after a second or two and I'd go on my way.

Ok, Friday night, I get in to start it and it won't start easily like it usually does. I finally get it started and it won't stay lit. It acts just like when the battery has been discharged. So I charge the battery up and try again. Same symptoms. Battery checked out OK, alternator checked out OK. There is a 2.5 amp current leak somewhere in the system. It's not coming from my stuff since that circuit can be isolated and was and it made no difference. I'll isolate the leaking circuit tonight and report back.

Oh, the "check engine" light went out Friday; don't know if that makes any difference.

The only other thing tha occured is that I just got back Friday night with a '85 Toyota 4Runner. Maybe the Dodge is throwing a jealosy fit, LOL!


OK, any ideas? My bet is that the fuel pump went out again after being replaced only about 13 months ago by the local fawking dealer.

What say the Pirate 4x4 Dodge experts?

Thanks,

Albin

did you ever check what was causing your MIL? even though the light went out the code may still be there. start with what the truck was trying to tell you! granted it might be nothing (rather likely since the MIL went out, so the problem was probably not ongoing) but it's a place to start.

Might check the coil. I had a 98 that I had a hard time to start and keep running, it would konk out when I stopped, but go when I gave it gas, turned out the coil was bad.

Mr. M, no I didn't check out the "check engine" signal because we only have on dealer in town and he sucks real bad. I don't know of any other way to check it. Got any ideas besides the dealer? What's "MIL" mean?

98, how do I check the coil? I would assume it's a resistance check, 0 ohms being bad, TBD ohms being good?

Thanks for the help!

Albin

any of the stupid parts places should be able to pull the code for you. supposedly on a '98 you should also be able to get the codes from a cluster self-test (hold down the trip reset while turning the ignition to run and they should show up in the odometer) or from doing a key on-off-on-off-on-off-on cycle. However on my Dakota i've never gotten this to work. I've got a superchips programmer that also acts as a code reader, so that's what I always use and it works like a charm for that and to correct for tire size.

check out this page (http://dakota-truck.net/CODES/codes.html) for a few other possible methods to pull the codes yourself, and for a trouble code lookup.

Mr. M, thanks, I'll check with my local AutoZone and Advance Auto and see if they can do it.

Anybody with info on the coil, good or bad and how to measure it?

Thanks,

Albin

Well the easy check is to look at it physically. Cracked body? Corroded contacts? Good connections in general? If you're suspecting a coil, take a look at your cap & rotor, too.

If I'm not mistaken, a weak spark will be detectable by the PCM, so the stored codes may tell you something about that.

Personally, I'd check the codes first and see if they're useful. Hopefully they'll point you to either the fuel system or the ignition system. If fuel, I'd check fuel pressure (and hence the pump, regulator and filter) and then injector function (though I'd bet you'd be able to tell if you had a bad injector, from either running on 6 or 7 cylinders or compressing fuel without spark - pulling your plugs should point you in the right direction here), and if ignition I'd start with cap & rotor, and then the coil. A very bad wire from the coil to the cap could also do something like this....

My best guesses, without really knowing much about the truck :D

Autozone decoded the computer. 4 codes: P0132, 0135, 0138 and 0141. All related to the upstream and downstream O2 sensors. There is check you can do to check the sensors, I plan to do that tonight. $70-80 each, :(

I still have to confirm and track down the amperage draw, too.

Thanks

Albin

if you're concerned about the money, don't worry about the downstream O2 at all - it's only function on your truck is to monitor catalytic converter function and trip a MIL if it's seeing inadequate cat function. It wasn't until around '00 or '01 that they started using the downstream O2 to fine-tune engine management (and I don't know for certain - but it may then only relate to emissions-related engine management, in which case it may again be unimportant aside from the MIL).

I checked oxygensensors.com (http://www.oxygensensors.com/) for prices (I can't link directly to a particulary vehicle, sorry), and you're looking at about $53 each there - but it seems you have one upstream for each bank for a total of 3 O2s. I find that rather surprising since the dakota only has one upstream, after the Y. Oh well....

In any case, a bad O2 probably could not be causing this large a problem. Unplug both and see how it runs (it will substitute default values, and should run rich and rather poorly, but should run.). The lean condition you were seeing for the previous few weeks is not unlikely, I don't think (though mine was running rich while the O2 was on it's way out - now that it's out of spec and being ignored my milage went up 1 MPG :D)

OK, I checked both O2 sensors over the week per the FSM. When checking resistance across the two white wires, resistance is supposed to be 4.7 to 7 ohms. Both of mine checked at 5.5-5.6 ohms each. I also checked the no-load amperage rating and got no unusual current draws when everything is shut down.

I'm going to start driving it tonight and see how it does. When I started it up yesterday, the MIL light was off.

Thanks for the help.

Albin