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Darryl
Dodge Dakota
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10/04/2006
23:00:31
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 Subject: Dakota won't start
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Well, I have been having this problem for a couple of months. My truck, usually in the morning after a rainstorm or damp morning, will turn over but not start. I'll wait a couple of hours and it will start but idle real rough until it warms up. Do you think maybe it's the distributor cap and rotor or something along those lines? Any suggestions would be really helpful. Also, I park the truck on a slight incline.
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little jer
Dodge Dakota
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10/05/2006
01:27:58
| RE: Dakota won't start
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From my own experience with my Dak and Durango both, when it ran rough until it warmed up it was because the battery was going. Without full voltage the computer will mess up idle and fuel mixture or something. After I got a new batter it ran fine. how old is your battery? does this only happen during damp weather?
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Darryl
Dodge Dakota
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10/05/2006
02:48:03
| RE: Dakota won't start
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Yeah it seems to have plenty of cranking power. It does seem to happen when it's damp or rained the night before. When it does finally start it seems to be running only on like 5 cylinders. All accessories and everything else has enough battery so I don't think it's that.
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Bob Lincoln
Dodge Dakota
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10/05/2006
08:18:20
| RE: Dakota won't start
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Have you done a tuneup lately? How many miles on the dist cap, wires and rotor?
Check battery voltage with a meter before starting, just to eliminate it. Dakotas from early 90s vintage, at least, with tachometers, have a 100mA current draw with the engine off. That can bring the battery down to about 11.8 volts or less overnight.
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little jer
Dodge Dakota
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10/06/2006
01:21:52
| RE: Dakota won't start
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mine had cranking power too. Even when it died it started right back up so I never suspected the battery until one morning it was dead. thought I had left a light on so jumped it and it ran fine but was dead again next day. So I got a new battery and never had problems with rought idling after starting again. Mine would die unless I kept my foot on the gas after it started. It would even die at a stop sign or just driving unless I kept rpms up. after it warmed up ( or charged up for that matter) it ran fine until the next time it got cold. As Bob said, check the battery 1st. Can't hurt. Make sure u let us know what it was after you find out.
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Darryl
Dodge Dakota
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10/06/2006
02:15:32
| RE: Dakota won't start
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I will keep you posted...It's a 200 dakota about 70000 miles on it and I got it at around 26000. The cap rotor or plugs probably haven't been done so I'm going to do them anyway. The battery is original that I know of and I will look into that also. I don't have a meter to test it though. Like I said I will keep you posted. Thanks for the suggestions so far.
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Bob Lincoln
Dodge Dakota
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10/06/2006
09:11:31
| RE: Dakota won't start
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I'd recommend a dist cap and rotor with brass contacts - NAPA has them, Echlin brand. Belden wires are also at NAPA and are at least OEM or better quality. Gave me much smoother idle. They're also very affordable.
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71firebird
Dodge Dakota
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10/06/2006
11:12:56
| RE: Dakota won't start
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I'd get a new battery and see if it helps, it's about time for one anyway if you've still got the factory batt. I've got a 2000 5.9 and one day my wife left the headlights on and we had to jump it off, it cranked and ran but stumpled and wanted to die when I stopped, after driving it for about 40 mins it cleared up. I assumed the batt finally got enough charge from the alternator at that point.
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Darryl
Dodge Dakota
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10/11/2006
10:15:35
| RE: Dakota won't start
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Update
Well, I put in a new distributor cap and rotor over the weekend. There was a crack in it on the top. I also looked at all the connectors to the spark plug wires and one of them was really corroded. The truck still starts and idles real low to the point where it's going to stall. This is fixed when I rev the engine up for the first time and the idle seems to be normal. My next plan is to replace the spark plug wires because of that nasty wire I found.
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daddio
Dodge Dakota
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10/11/2006
10:44:56
| RE: Dakota won't start
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have your battery load tested. a weak battery will cause a rough or low idle on startup until the alt brings the voltage back up.
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Bob Lincoln
Dodge Dakota
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10/12/2006
08:37:25
| RE: Dakota won't start
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Quite true; but replace the known bad wires first, then see how it runs.
These trucks draw 100 mA from the tachometer circuit board with engine off, so if it sits for several days, a good battery can be down into the 10V range.
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Darryl
Dodge Dakota
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10/24/2006
20:55:55
|  RE: Dakota won't start
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Hey guys,
well it's been a couple of weeks and here is what I have done. I replaced the cap and rotor, wires, plugs, PCV valve, and the battery. I had the battery tested at Autozone and they said it was bad. So I thought all was well. It started fine for 2 days and all of sudden this morning when I first started my Dakota the RPM only reached 700 and then putted out and stalled. I tried starting it again and all it did was turn over. It finally started when I pumped the gas pedal but stalled when I let it off. I had to start it up by pumping the pedal again and keep revving the engine up until it finally warmed up and was fine. Also I did smell gas when it started after pumping the pedal but, I think it was because I flooded it out. You guys have been great but I hope someone has some sort of idea what might be the problem. It only happens when I first start it up and when the engine is cold. I put some Techron fuel system cleaner in it tonight and hope that that might solve my problem. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!
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partsmanager
Dodge Dakota
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10/24/2006
21:21:50
| RE: Dakota won't start
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no codes in PCM? does this only happen when cold? starts fine when the truck is hot? if you have a scan tool see what the coolant temp sensor and air temp sensor read when the truck is cold. they could be bad and just not out of range enough to throw a code. if you dont have a scan tool I'd put the coolant sensor in first and try it.
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Chuck
Dodge Dakota
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10/24/2006
21:23:25
| RE: Dakota won't start
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I would look at the AIR motor which controls the idle speed.
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Darryl
Dodge Dakota
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10/25/2006
00:54:45
| RE: Dakota won't start
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No codes (no Check engine light is on). Where would I check for the AIR motor and how would I know that it's bad?
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Kowalski
GenIII
10/25/2006
08:41:33
| RE: Dakota won't start
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Also check for proper charging voltage (around 13.8v), corroded wiring, and bad connections to the battery. It's possible your new battery isn't gatting a good charge if things were good for a couple days before the problem came back. It's also possible for new batteries to be faulty.
I think Chuck means what we usually call IAC (idle air control), but it would be very unlikely to start working properly for 2 days after a new battery install, and then start acting up again. I agree with daddio here (Bob Lincoln made a good point as well); your problem is still likely with the voltage. Coolant sensor not a bad suggestion either if it had been doing this all along, but like the IAC, I don't see how a coolant sensor would work ok for a couple days after a new battery and then start acting up again.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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Bob Lincoln
Dodge Dakota
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10/25/2006
08:46:56
| RE: Dakota won't start
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Darryl, I don't see anywhere in your posts that you ever checked the battery voltage. As I stated, you can have excessive current draw on the battery, which can drag the voltage down overnight. Maybe it still cranks OK, but in my case, it started fine but was down to 11.5 volts overnight, in warm weather; just from 100mA draw.
Get a multimeter, check battery voltage with engine running and with engine off. Should be about 14.4 volts at idle, and 12.4-12.6 volts off. Check again next morning before starting and see if it's less than 12.0 volts. It should not be. If it does, you have a short somewhere.
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Chuck
Dodge Dakota
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10/31/2006
07:08:13
| RE: Dakota won't start
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Darryl,
Sorry about the mixup. It is the IAC motor that I was referring to. I had trouble with mine on and off it would work fine for a while and then act up. I used to spray it with WD-40 and it would help for a while then mess up again. I finally ended up replacing it. NAPA now carries an aftermarket part for this. It is a small motor that controls the idle. If it doesn't work alot of times the engine will start then die out. You have to play with the gas pedal alot to keep it running. Hope this helps you.
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Darryl
Dodge Dakota
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10/31/2006
10:16:48
| RE: Dakota won't start
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Sorry it's been awhile since I have replied...update- I have checked the battery when cold and it reads 12.6V on the multimeter. That pretty much rules that out. The next thing would be the IAC. Chuck do you know how much roughly one costs? Also, where is located on the truck and it is something I could do myself? I was aslo wondering, could it be the EGR valve that would be causing my problem? Thanks, guys you have been helpful so far.
Darryl
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daddio
Dodge Dakota
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10/31/2006
10:52:31
| RE: Dakota won't start
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Darryl, your 2000 dak does not have an EGR valve. Try to clean the IAC before you replace it. it's mounted to the back center of the TB. held in place by 2 torx screws. take it out and clean it with some carb cleaner but be careful not to pull/push or twist the plunger on it. then clean the hole in the back of the TB that the IAC goes into. and make sure you put the o-ring back in too.
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Darryl
Dodge Dakota
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10/31/2006
20:40:37
| RE: Dakota won't start
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Thanks for the help daddio. I will check it asap. Probably this weekend. Will let everyone know how bad it is and if it has fixed my problem. Any other suggestions would be great also. Thanks again.
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