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took truck to garage

3K views 8 replies 3 participants last post by  mmkkpro 
#1 ·
well i took my 1997 3.9 dakota to a reputable garage today,they said they found 30 codes and didnt know where to start and sent the truck home,now what,any sugestions would be appreciated,it really doesnt run that bad,seeme like a timing issue with injectors and spark out of sync,i like this truck and i want it fixed but its turning out to be a nightmare,saw video where a guy cut down a aluminum intake to fit put a carb on and msd ignition,the guy at the garage said he has never seen anything like it,reckon pcm could be bad i have no clue,rough idle no power,horrable gas milage,HELP
 
#2 ·
At this point you need a drbIII scan tool. You need to verify your fuel synchronization with your spark at least.
Fyi, do not try and turn the distributor to adjust timing. That adjusts fuel sync.

It would be very helpful to monitor your cam and crank position sensors too.

Your pcm may be toast. I think that would be a good starting point. If you have any junk yards around, I would go get yourself another one and try that. My friend had tons of issues with his 98 Dakota same engine. After a ton of poking around in the dark, new pcm fixed it.

Hopefully someone else can give us some more possible solutions. I'm just about tapped out with my knowledge of these trucks.
 
#3 ·
told to take it home/no charge

Thanks MONKEYMAN,i need major help,like i said ive drag raced all my life i got a 900 hp pontiac now but thic computer crap is for the birds,i read a post last nite where a guy cut down a aluminium intake,msd ignition put holley on it and runs good,but i drive it it cant b that bad,if i put a used pcm in it will it burn up?It does seem like injectors are out of syc with plugs firing,when a reputable shop tells ya take it back we dont want anything to do with it that bums me out,however i will fix this truck come hell or high water,thanks for the reply made me feel like there is some hope,mike
 
#4 ·
I wanna see this pontiac! Sounds freaking badass!!!

Ugh, I hate problems like this. It is always a bummer not knowing where to begin. I've been thinking about it a lot and I really think your pcm is the culprit. If it threw that many codes how the heck could it run at all you know?

I don't think it would be all that difficult to retrofit a carb onto that engine. Would you have to plug the injector holes or have them welded? You could free up a hell of a lot of room under the hood eliminating all the electronic junk too.
 
#5 ·
Yea,thats what i thought how would it run with that many codes,the transmission shifts great,od works fine im goin to call local salvage yard get a pcm start there,my pontiac is put up for winter but will post some pictures this spring,its 540 c.i. and all pontiac no bbc here it pretty radical,i grew up beside rockingham motor speedway dad was gearhead so its in the blood,thanks alot for the help,ive tried unhooking sensors while its running and only tps and map make it sound different the air temp sensor makes no difference,we will figure it out got to go drive city bus talk to ya tonite
 
#6 ·
ok i went through all the groung wires i could find cleaned them put them back togtther,no change,tomoro im pulling distributor out check it over put new cam sensor in it and try to sync the fuel and spark manually,it feels like the distributor may be one tooth off the guy at the garage said it was throwing 30 codes,i drove it to pittsburgh and back so its got to be something or a couple minor things wrong with it,found used pcm at local salvage yard for 60 bucks,the crank sensor is near impossible to get to got to take off front right tire inner fender to get to it so think im goin to replace it too,after i do all this if it still doesnt run right im yanking it out and going old school the 440 is still in local paper for 550,probly should go with a 318 but there aint no substute for cubic inches,i mean does it even have 30 sensors,its drivable just weak and has a miss anyway thats my plan either i get this 3.9 right or ripping out all computer bull crap goin with holley carb and msd ignition
 
#7 ·
Update on 97 3.9,took truck to autozone to get codes read,missfire cyl 4 and 6 and evap malfunction.So today i went to sears bought a actron 9580 to check it out myself,im just at a loss because it feels like fuel and spark are out of sync.However cyl 4 and6 are beside each other,head gasket mabey,but i checked compression on all cylinders 175 and all 6 cylinders are very close to that,im thinking of pulling intake put belly pan anhd new intake gaskets,new plugs,wires cap rotor,by the way NAPA says they dont sell a cap with brass towers,everything else works fine it starts great,transmission shifts great,hopefully the actron 9580 will help me find problem,it says it can erase all DTC codes,local salvage yard has a pcm but they want mine as core i doht want to do that,also ive cleaned all ground wires i can find,seems wierd two cylinders side by side,makes me think head gasket,i pride myself as being a decent mechanic but this thing is a diferent beast,any ideas welcome
 
#8 ·
Do you have the wires crossed between 4 & 6?
 
#9 ·
97 3.9 dakota cyl 4 and 6 missfire

No the wires are right,but im going to check it agian to be sure,i learned llong ago dont take anything for granted,im thinking possible belly pan leak,cam sensor,or mabey a small break in head gasket,ive used sodium silicate liquid glass in the past so i may put acan of k&w block sealer in it but first im going to go over everything agian,my scanner/ code reader will be here friday,im going to fix it come hell or high water,thanks will keep yall posted
 
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