replaced dist, cap, rotor , wires and plugs started truck and it started right up. 3 min later truck died and wont start unless gas peddle is flored,
it sputers and wont hold idle. codes are coolant temp sensor 22, and 54 failure to sync fuel ? HELP PLEASE

What about the fuel pump or filter? Have you replaced them or do you know when they were replaced last? Can you hear the fuel pump start when you turn the key on?

Just a few ideas
Dan

yes you can hear the fuel pump, no i dont knowwhen or if the pump or filter has been changed. thanks for the reply

any one else had major problems ? or am i wasting my time with this truck?

Your fuel pump sounds ok to me. I think code 54 is
the key. You have a pickup plate in the distributor,
it's the black plate down below the rotor. There is
a transistor that gets a signal from the reluctor as
it spins that tells the computer to fire. It's a dealer
item, probably about $62 right now. Also recheck
your plug and wire routing just to be sure. In just
under 15 years with 3 different Daks I've only had
one go out, but when it did, it sounded like what
you described. No, Gen II's are damn fine trucks.

I agree with night driver here. The coolant temp will affect the computer's ability to sync fuel. What this means is simple. When the engine is cold, the system is operated in what is called "batch" fire. It fires the injectors twice per stroke, allowing the extra fuel needed when cold to be delivered, dependent on crankshaft position. Above about 100 deg F. the computer reverts to "sequential" fire, meaning that it follows the firing order, once per revolution per cylinder. Any confusion relating to this programming will affect this performance, and affect fuel delivered. Chrysler has had its share of problems with these distributor mounted units. Ray

ok...great thanks for responding the distributer asmbly is new only 2 weeks tops....i will replace coolent temp sensor , should i clear codes before starting ? that would make sense.... that is done by removing battery connector , right?

Yeah, that's all you do to reset the computer.

Hey, man, you never said anything about the dist.
being changed. That changes everything. Who did
it and was it done correctly? All those dists. are
preset at the factory to TDC. Now it seems that you would not have a problem with the pickup plate.
I suggest you recheck the position of the rotor, as
what you said originally sounded like a timing issue.
Hand set your engine to #1 TDC, firing stroke, and
see where the heck your rotor is in relation to #1
on the cap. Don't run that thing anymore than nec-
essary as you are throwing unburned fuel right at
the catalyst, bestway to ruin it.

as my first post stated,......QUOTE: ("replaced dist, cap, rotor , wires and plugs ")


i did the swap bought new dist from NAPA also have dodge manual from chrysler, checked position of crank markings made sure it on compression of #1 with compression gauge, made sure rotor was lined up with mark on distributer as stated in repair manual. I was a mechanic for 9 years until i got a job offer in the heating and AC field, so i'm not that much of a newbie even though ive been out of the circle for 11
But thanks for pointing the poss prob out , ithink i will change the coolant temp sensor reset the codes and then let you all know the out come... jim

If you have a magnum motor hope you did not use a timing light, you need to set the timing with a 5 volt reference. That year is hard to call, mid year changes and all, the other problem may be a distributer drive gear bushing. The marks, well they are not perfectly accurate, but you also have tons of play, I think you would probably have to check the 5 volt reference, been a couple of years since I did one so don't want to lead you wrong on the color of wires, but if you use a timing light, you are screwed. What gets me is the flooring of the gas pedal, when you do that, it cuts off fuel, but that also makes me think you have the magnum.......

Now, that's strange; the day before christmas a friend of mine asked me to look at his 1993 Dakota 3.9. He also said he replaced the distributor, wires,coil. He also said it started right way,drove the truck 8 miles , continued to run ,worst,cutting out,no power till he finally called the tow truck. When went to his garage the truck had no spark,(you never mentioned that check for this,I assume it does, since it does run.) his truck also displayed code 54. Checked for 12 volts at coil. Had voltage for 3seconds(powered by fuel pump relay.) I had to leave,but plan to go back today,any words of wisdom? Did you get yours running? thanks jim g

i dont have mine running yet. i havn't had alot of time to mess with it due to the holidays.altho the last time i started it when it was cold out it started ok and ran for 15 min then the same thing happened,it died and would only start with gas peddle floored and it would not hold a idle,rather it would not run below aprox 2500 to 3000 rpm.

anything you come up with please let me know any and all info is great to have.

Jim

sorry i didnt answer the other thread

yes it is a magnum not sure what you mean by setting by 5 volt that info would be nice to know....i did not use a timing light just set the dist the way the book stated.

I had a 93 dodge dakota with a magnum 3.9 engine and i had all your troble. I replaced two fuel pumps, one crank senor, plug wires and plugs, the complete distrubuter unit, but still no good, so then i found out that a common problem with that engine is the timing chain and had it replaced with a self tennioning timing chain which corrected all problems.

Quick question, did you check your fuel pump pre-
ssure? It's the little schrader type valve with a black cap on it. Left rail, at the rear. I keep hearing the same thing from some people and it seems some
people don't pay attention to the rule: On a fuel
injected engine you DO NOT EVER have to use the
pedal to start it up. It seems to keep coming back
to fuel delivery to me. There is that wire from the
pcm back to the pump. Also, that little bulb on the
top of the pump assembly is a regulator. Might it not be regulating correctly?

I have a '92 dakota 3.9 fuel injection with your exact problem. In my case the problem was in the fuel tank. There was just the right amount of sludge in there so that when I started it up, it ran for a few minutes before clogging up the screen inside the tank and stalling out.
There are so many factors involving fuel delivery, it sometimes is so hard to find the cause. I agree with previous posts, the code 54 is the key here. The other significant clue is that it starts when you floor the accelerator. In my '92 fuel injected engine you CAN use the pedal to start it up. The computer senses that the pedal is floored and switches over to "sequential" immediately (previous posts explain this). Stick with this truck, it is well worth the effort.

Thats a new one on me, but nice to know. Question
If you do that when the coolant is below 100 F how
does that affect open loop operation. I have had a
serious problem with my '95 for a week now and I
have to go work on it now. Same thing as everyone
else on all forums has posted. I'm not sure if it's crap in the tank or vacuum, will post later. Biff

OK sorry it took so long to get back to you all.

First of all i wanted to thank you all for responding.

The Truck is running...yeah!!!!!!
The repair was both the coolant temp sensor and the coolant temp
switch.

with codes cleared truck started fine and is still running, i'm getting 14
miles to the gallon , not sure if this is ok for the engine or truck but i'm happy with it so far.

the code 54 ( failure to sync ) is no signal from the distributer sensor
since the dist was replaced i asume it was a code left over from before ,due to the fact that it no longer is apearing when the codes are checked.

I agree ..this truck is worth the trouble and time, i love it and plan to keep it for a long while.

Good to hear that. I think we will all remember the coolant temp. sensor from now on. Sorry we were
misleading you about fuel delivery. You never said if you have a 2x or 4x. With a 4x and 5.2 that could be about right for mileage, but not highway only. If you have a 2x thats low. 3.9's get about 17
minimum, 5.2's sgould do 15 mpg.

My 3.9 gets about 13 mpg on the highway. Yes there must be something wrong with it. That's with a 5 speed.

I'm afraid so. If you go very long like that it can affect the Cat. If you have a 2x you should expect
20-22 on the road. 4x should do about 18. check the obvious, plugs, wire resistance, vaccum, and torque on your intake manifold. do the key test to get the codes that have thrown but don't set the light. Only about half the codes set a light. Let us
know what you get.

My cat went on me at 32000 miles.

its a 4x4 automatic

nightrider, I checked the codes and it came up first as 26, according to Haynes 87-96 repair manual for a 3.9 model is that the injector circuit has high resistance. What does this mean? The second code that came up was 25- idle speed control motor drive circuit. I have changed the ASI about 6 months ago. The truck ran fine for about 2 weeks. The truck has about 144k miles on it. I bought it new, and no one I have spoke to seems to know what to do to it. This has been an ongoing problem for over a year. I changed the fuel pump because it went bad, the one I replaced it with went bad after about a year. I replaced the computer 6 months ago, because it went out. The one I replaced it with had a short in it, it lasted two weeks. I hope this is enough info for anyone with help.

Any of you tried the IAC valve or TPS yet? clean them out or replace.

Just a thought....

slantsixness

:)

Hello, Tracy. I see you are new, and I think you have come to the right place, but you have to learn to compose your questions a little better. We need to know all details about your vehicle, there are so many changes year to year. I hate to say this, but I do believe you have spent some money unnecessarily. Has antone ever pulled the codes on your vehicle?? If you have 96 back you can do it. Just put the key in the ignition and turn it on-off-on-off-on within a period of five seconds. After a pause of a few seconds the check engine light will flash the codes. they are 2 digit, from 11 to 63. Short pause between digits, a little longer pause between numbers. If you lets us know what you get, the problem will be a lot clearer. As a wild guess right now, I'm thinking crankshaft position sensor. I don't think fuel pressure is involved here, unless you have the older TBI system. On MPI systems, the pressure regulator\filter is on top of the pump assembly, should be new. Please get those codes, you'll be surprised at how clear it becomes. Biff

i agree, it sounds like the computer is trying to get an accurate setting for the timing . i was leaning twards timing chain. if you used a timing light during tune up it would have thrown everything off.....but codes are very important

Alright guys, help me out. I've got an '88 D100 with the 3.9, and the Ram guys directed me here. Have replaced TB, fuel pump, VSS, and computer (twice), and had a JASPER rebuilt engine installed by the dealer Feb of 04. The same problem, or one near to it, started before the new engine and has continued since. It won't hold an idle, dies/floods to a stall, and dies when coming to a stop at stop sign/signal. HELP! So far 4 or 5 shops (including two Dodge dealers) can't find the problem.

Also, for further info, no codes have shown since I got the truck, and it's an auto 4x2.

Could the timing chain tension problem be the same cause here, could it have slipped past the mechanics?

Does anybody even know of anyplace else that I could try with this problem? Nobody can fix the truck, and as it sits I have too much money in it to give up now, even if it comes to wiating on tax refund and saving up to dump the comp and V6 for a carbureted V8.