2002 Dodge Dakota- idles and runs rough.
Asked by MAK725 Oct 03, 2016 at 08:24 AM about the 2002 Dodge Dakota
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
Not my truck or one that i know a ton about, my girlfriends and i have been
tinkering with it lately trying to resolve this. 180k miles. She lets it get very
low on gas regularly...clogged fuel filter? Oil changed regularly, sea foam
treatment about 2 weeks ago. runs similar to when you remove vacuum
induction line from brake booster but this is attached correctly. Could this
be coil pack or fuel pump issue?
8 Answers
Have the spark plugs been handled or messed with in the process? Also, could be the oil pump.
Spark plugs were not handled or messed with at all. It burns a small amount of oil and she keeps the oil level within the acceptable range. Anything i can do to help oil pump? Just change oil and filter?
You can try changing oil and filter but it may not help. Especially if it's burning oil. In that case, if it truly is the oil pump, the oil pressure will drop too low, idle really rough and shut it down. But, if there hasn't been any change in pressure and it doesn't overheat, the problem could definitely be the coil pack. I'd check that first. I was going to say it could be the vacuum line but you said it was fine. But it could be fuel pump/line issues or fuel pressure as well. Hope it's nothing expensive!
The oil pressure gauge does not show it dropping and it doesnt idle rough enough to shut it down. It does not overheat either. How can i check coil pack? yeah, i checked both sides of the vacuum line and its sealed up well so its not that but the way it runs is very similar to if you just disconnected that. Not enough to kill it but enough that you can hear the rough idle. I would think that the truck would have bigger issues when under a load if it was fuel pump, the roughness is less noticeable when into the throttle some. Could be somewhat clogged fuel filter though.
Checking the coil packs are kind of a pain in the ass. You basically have to check to see if they're sparking. If you need a quick easy way to diagnose the problem, go to autozone and have them run a diagnostic test. Could be the oxygen sensor, misfiring, or DPFE.
I know this truck has trouble codes and does display the check engine light but we have never had the codes checked. She just texted me and says that now it isn't running rough anymore but sounds louder than originally. Im not sure what would cause a rough idle for several days then go away. clogging fuel filter maybe.
Aren't fuel filters like inline and have to be unscrewed from the line and even if taken off, i cant like see the filter and be able to tell if clogged. it aint like an air filter! lol
