1998 Dodge Dakota

Tiny
BEKAG
  • MEMBER
  • 1998 DODGE DAKOTA
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • MANUAL
  • 173,000 MILES
My truck has always ran like top and now it seems to hate me. It shuts off randomly, looses power and causes it to jolt. (Ex: You know when you're in a low gear, like first or second, and you hit the gas on and off it's like WV hydraulics?) And when it jolts it tends to back fire. No fun for me. Also there is a smell, but it's not like rotten eggs. It just smells like a nasty metallic. The catalytic converter isn't getting red or anything. The guys that I know that help me learn are in a split between the camshaft sensor, the crankshaft sensor, and the catalytic converter. This helps me out like none. Hope somebody can help me out.
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 AT 10:06 PM

8 Replies

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
Has the check engine light come on? Have you checked fuel pump pressure?

Let me know.
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Friday, April 2nd, 2010 AT 8:41 PM
Tiny
BEKAG
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
Weirdly no, the check engine light hasn't come on. I would have figured it would have. I had the fuel pump checked too. Pressure's fine.
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Friday, April 2nd, 2010 AT 9:05 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
Without that light, it makes things difficult. However, your friends may be on the right road. If I was to guess between the two of them, I would say crank sensor. They more commonly go bad. Yours is located on the bell housing. Check to make sure it is in good condition, clean, and none of the wiring to it have broken down internally. It could even be loose and rubbing something creating the smell you get.

Check that and let me know. Also, let me know if the engine ever just dies and won't restart for a period of time.

Joe
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Friday, April 2nd, 2010 AT 10:12 PM
Tiny
BEKAG
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
Sorry it took me so long to respond. Well, I have replaced the catalytic converter, which hollowed itself out into the muffler. Got a new one of those as well. It just started doing this allll over again today. The smell is gone. The people I talk to started saying either the coil or the crank shaft sensor. So I bought a crank shaft sensor and I don't have the body strength to get the damn bolts lose. I guess now I have to play the waiting game and get help. Um, the engine does randomly die and doesn't start up immediately.

Beka
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Friday, April 16th, 2010 AT 4:22 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
Are you able to put an extension on the wrench to get more leverage?
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Friday, April 16th, 2010 AT 9:58 PM
Tiny
BEKAG
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
Well I got the sensor put on yesterday. Went to work, check engine light came on. Instead of having 3 codes, now I have 9. UM! Lol

Here are the codes:

Exhaust temperature sensor circuit low bank. (I dont have one of those.)

MAP - Vacuum hose off, cracked, or passage blocked. (I just replaced that two days ago.)

Crankshaft position sensor.

Coil

Ignition system concern

3 Misfires

So I have no clue what's going on now.
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Sunday, April 18th, 2010 AT 10:38 AM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
Good lord. Why do things need to be so difficult? Can you feel the engine missing when you drive it?
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Sunday, April 18th, 2010 AT 2:43 PM
Tiny
BEKAG
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
OMG yes. It throws my head back in the seat! It's a manual. I dont understand why with replacing that one part, all these codes have now popped up.
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+1
Sunday, April 18th, 2010 AT 10:51 PM

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