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Dem
Dodge Dakota
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12/23/2003
00:36:45

Subject: 5.2L loss of power/shake at high speeds
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Hi,

I sorta have a problem like archer75's in the previous thread, though I'm leaning away from a vacuum problem.

I have a 1995 5.2L Dakota Sport. I was driving back to school (about 75 miles) tonight, and about 7-8 miles from school (still on freeway) I started to lose power when pressing the accelerator. I pulled off, turned the engine off, let it cool, and tried again, but still no luck. In Park or Neutral the engine sounds nice and smooth when I tap the accelerator, but in gear it accelerates rough and shakes. I top out at about 45-50 mph before it starts to shake bad and I seem to lose power again (note that this tapers off when I let off the gas). I also heard a backfire-like "pop" or two when moving at a higher speeds.

I made it to school, and checked Transmission fluid. Level seems fine, couldn't check consistency because it was too dark (even with the under-hood light). I plan on checking spark plugs tomorrow.

Any ideas? I'm thinking transmission or dirty fuel system. I've had momentary rough idles in the past (at stoplights, etc) and was considering getting a fuel system cleaning at the dealership after the holidays. Has anyone had this problem before? (and if so what was it and, um, how much did it cost to fix? I'm a rather broke college kid).

I'm only here at school for a day, and hope to make it back home tomorrow at some point, privided my Dakota has it in it. Any help, insight, or temporary fixes that can get me home to have it looked at would be much appreciated. Thanks!



Timberwolf
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12/23/2003
13:47:22

RE: 5.2L loss of power/shake at high speeds
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Could be alot of things, but I don't think tranny problem is one of them. A tranny problem would not cause your engine to "pop". That's probably a good thing. Some of the most obvious to check first are: ignition system (coil, wires, distributor(rotor & contacts), plugs). If it was raining at the time I would check the distributor cap for cracks.I would check that first then I would check the throttle position sensor. Good luck.



Dem
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12/23/2003
16:34:28

RE: 5.2L loss of power/shake at high speeds
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Hey Timberwolf, thanks for the input! I still plan on having the fuel system blasted after the new year. I will also check the ignition system, though I did have a regular tune-up at the dealer not so long ago where plugs were replaced and the other parts 'inspected'. I'll go over it a little more thoroughly.

I just got back from the shop though, and it appears (at least to them) that the problem is not the fuel system or transmission (Thank God), but rather that the two rear wheels had lost a belt and had become 'out of round' (slightly oval-shaped as it was explained to me). That is what they said was was responsible for the shaking at higher speeds. They think that one becoming out of round (about 6-7 miles from campus, when the problems started), caused an imbalance that caused it's mate on the axle to do the same thing. As for the power loss and popping noise, I'm hoping that was a result of the irregular load cause by the off-balance wheels, which was placed on the engine (which has a less-than-immaculate fuel system). I drove my truck at speeds up to 45 mph today with no major problems (though I was hesitant to try the highway). The tires were ordered, and come in on Friday. I guess we'll see whether or not that fixes the problem. I'll post the results on this thread. Wish me luck!



same thing
Dodge Dakota
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12/23/2003
17:00:19

RE: 5.2L loss of power/shake at high speeds
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I had some of the same types of problems, It was my fuel filter. It cost me like $16 at auto zone and fixed everything.



Dem
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12/23/2003
19:40:57

RE: 5.2L loss of power/shake at high speeds
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I had a reply in the other forum this is posted in that with a '95 5.2L 8-cyl, the fuel filter is integrated with the fuel pump in the tank. Was this the case with yours, 'same thing'? What year/engine do you have?

I'm back home now, and unfortunately my truck is still at school since it was undriveable at the end of the day. When I head back Friday, I'll look at the fuel setup, and the filter may be changed if it's accessible. If not, I'll see what the fuel system cleaning does. If that's not giving me the results I need, I'll ask about the fuel filter/pump.

Thanks for all the help and insight everybody. I'll follow up with how the tires/cleaning goes. Happy Holidays!



Timberwolf
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12/24/2003
14:15:38

RE: 5.2L loss of power/shake at high speeds
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The new tires may fix the vibration, but I don't think the power loss will go away. How many miles do you have on your truck? It could definitely be the fuel filter. The damn things are just so hard to get at that I thought I'd suggest the easiest checks first. As far as the fuel system cleaning. Be careful, ask alot of questions as to their cleaning procedure. Many shops out there just spray a what amounts to STP fuel system cleaner in there and charge you $75. Dont' let them tell you that your injectors need to be cleaned for $30 each either. You can buy a whole rebuilt set for about $200. Good luck.



Dem
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12/24/2003
15:54:45

RE: 5.2L loss of power/shake at high speeds
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Thanks for the advice. I was planning on having the cleaning done at the dealership. According to their brochure, it's a pressurized system that gets hooked up to the engine, and both the cleaning system and cleaner itself are made by BG products (www.bgprod.com). I believe it is the "squid" system that is used for the delivery of cleaner. $110 total.

Though I was thinking ahead of time that the first bout of power loss could have been caused by a clogged injector starving a cylinder or two, I'll wait and see what they find, and of course, ask lots of questions before putting as much as a dollar down. If they don't say anything about them or the fuel filter however, I'll ask.

Thanks again for all the help. I thought I'd include a picture of my truck as well, so you can see what you're helping me fix:


Thanks again, and have a safe and happy holiday season. I'll post again with results of the work.



Woodrow
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12/27/2003
14:20:38

RE: 5.2L loss of power/shake at high speeds
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I had a problem like this with my 93,5.2. I started to check compression and when I pulled out the #1 plug the guts were gone.I heard a bang and got loss of power when that happen.I replaced the plugs and changed the wires and It's back to being the fun monster it use to be.



Dem
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12/27/2003
16:20:52

RE: 5.2L loss of power/shake at high speeds
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Thanks for the input, Woodrow- My situation is kinda weird though, because after I took it home, I was able to drive it the next few days to the repair shops without much of a hitch. It was only freeway speeds (and while in gear) that caused me headache.

Anyway, I just finished a round of repairs, and here's what was found out/done:

Friday 12/26:

AM: Took truck to dealership for fuel system inspection cleaning. Mechanic looked at it for almost 2 hrs, couldn't find anything wrong. Checked engine, hooked truck up to diagnostics computer, monitored engine, took a fuel sample, didn't find anything out of ordinary. Thought the fuel pump may be starting to go bad (cost to fix: $500.00), causing a loss in fuel pressure, but couldn't say that for sure. Computer showed constant fuel pressure throughout test, so he couldn't diagnose anything for sure. Didn't recommend the fuel system cleaning, as it doesnt do much as a repair and is more of a "preventative maintenance" thing. Total cost: $0.00 (which, for a dealership is unbelievable, I know- I'm countin' my blessings, trust me)

PM: Had all four tires replaced to correct out-of-round problem @ Belle Tire. Also found front end to be slightly out of alignment. This was corrected. Old Tires: BF Goodrich Radial T/A's, New Tires: Kelly Safari SUV's. Found front brakes to be in bad shape, recommended brake service. Total Cost of tires and front end alignment (Less 10% Student Discount): $430.00

I was finally able to drive the approx. 75 miles home after this with no major problems.

Saturday, 12/27:

Took truck in for the brake problems diagnosed Friday. Went to the Belle Tire near home. Found bad front rotors (needing replacement) and pads. Needed rear axle service as well (15% of pad face remaining). Had brakes serviced. Also found that parking brake cable was frozen in the engaged position on rear axle. Unable to repair due to lack of parts. Not able to free either, though pressure was loosened on the rear axle to a near negligible state. I'm thinking this may have been a major contributor (if not the culprit) of the performance problems that led up to my major problem. Not the fuel system. Total Cost of Brake Service (Less 10% AAA Discount): $385.00

We'll see how this works out, and I'll probably post one last follow up in a week or two to note if this seems to have solved the problem or if anything else has come up. Thanks again to everyone who replied to this post for their help.



Dan
Dodge Dakota
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5/25/2004
13:44:01

RE: 5.2L loss of power/shake at high speeds
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I have a 97 318v-8 dakota. I had something similar happen to me on a couple different occasions. One time the fuel filter was plugged. The other time it was a bad O2 sensor.

The problem with the O2 sensor was intermittent and happened a lot at highway speed (sounds a lot like your problem). When the fuel filter was plugged, the engine ran rough all the time.



Bakahump
Dodge Dakota
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5/27/2004
08:05:40

RE: 5.2L loss of power/shake at high speeds
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OK So beat this....

99 Dakota 5.2 auto 4x4
At about 65000 miles i started getting a strange "grinding noise" when turning and stopping together. I used a set of callipers and found that there was about 4-6 millimeters between the widest and slimmest part of the the front rotor. I desided to change them out. Well life happened and it got delayed. Soon my Speedo started working then not working. A few miles later it would start working again. About the same time of the speedo issue both my ABS and Parking Brake light came on. A few days later the speedo seems to have failed completely. Basically i decided that i needed to do something immedietly. So I fill up to go home and on the ride home the Engine light comes on! Now I have 3 lights, Parking, ABS and Engine and speedo not working at all. Engine runs fine at idle and has plenty of power. Under gas it works fine..on the way home I notice that if I let off the gas at highway speed i get a pretty good vibration and then the rpms fall right to idle. This is bizarre because in the past the RPMs have slowly gone down with the speed. Now it just seems to drop to 500-600rpm while still coasting 50mph-60mph. This also happens at 35 when the engine will turn 2500 or so (2nd-3rd) I will let off to coast to a light and the rpm's will fall off to idle despite my coasting for another 1000 ft. Any ideas? I am still planning on changing the rotors even though i fear i have bigger issues. Tranny? Why is the engine light on if I have no misfires and plenty of power. Could it be I had just gotten a tank of gas? What does the RPM falloff mean? How do I clear the lights? Any help would be appreciated thanks Guys.



Wonton John
Dodge Dakota
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1/01/2008
15:56:13

RE: 5.2L loss of power/shake at high speeds
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Alright boys... here's one for you...
I have a 1995 Dodge Dakota V8, 5.2 4x4.
I have the following problemS:
It has loss of power, sputtering, stalling, backfiring, and lights come on and off and will ramdomly run at all.
I've spent A LOT of time and money trying to find the problem with no luck yet. I've had the fuel filter and pump, gas tank, brain, relays, air fuel sensor, spark plugs, universals, crank shaft sensor, (and some others) all replaced. Thoes did not seem to fix my problem.
Currently I am working on getting the destributor and plug wires replaced and hooked up to a scanner AGAIN. I am hoping this will help solve the problem but I am not holding my breath. Has anyone had or heard of this problem before? ANY and all advise would be greatly appreciated!
I have done some reserch about other potential problems but not sure which to follow next. Could it be excessive oil pump drive gear wear that may cause warm engine surging, light bucking, or cold engine lack of power or burst spark knock. It said that enigine noises may also be experienced with no drivability complaints. Maybe the throttle position sensor? OR the torque converter sensor? What about the Powertrain control module? PLEASE HELP..... WHAT DO I DO NEXT????? It's too late to turn back now...(Beside pull out all my hair... I do like my hair) I really want to keep my truck! I have put far too much of myself into it!
Thanks, John




shadetree
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1/01/2008
22:36:46

RE: 5.2L loss of power/shake at high speeds
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Wonton I would check your compression especially on the back 2 cylinders also look for a vacuum leak.



Dan M
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1/02/2008
04:08:55

RE: 5.2L loss of power/shake at high speeds
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lights come on and off? do you mean head/interior/parking? or the check engine light? if head/interior/parking, did you check grounds?

coolant temp sensor can cause backfiring.

pcv valve can cause stuttering issues.

incorrect firing order can cause backfiring, are you sure you have plug wires on in correct order?

you said it's a 95, did you check #115 splice? That is a notorious problem and causes no start conditions and can cause it to die. about 6-8" down from PDC under hood, there's a 3 to 1 wire crimp/solder (probably look like rectangular chunk of metal). Cut this crimp out and solder it. It probably has a little green corrosion on it. I think the wires are red and white. tape it up well when you're done.

vaccuum leak can cause misfires like shadetree says.

did you check fuel pressure? is it constant?

good luck.

- Dan M



Kowalski
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1/02/2008
15:33:41

RE: 5.2L loss of power/shake at high speeds
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Did you check the belly pan gasket ? Look down the throttle body with a flashlight and see if you see a puddle of oil. Also, checked for plugged cat ? The other guys are making good suggestions too, all bears looking into.

Lead, follow, or get out of the way

douche
Dodge Dakota
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1/03/2008
00:15:57

RE: 5.2L loss of power/shake at high speeds
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GET A NEW TRUCK :)

ps... u guys r gaay. sounds like a torque converter



wonton john
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1/03/2008
12:33:06

RE: 5.2L loss of power/shake at high speeds
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Thanks for all the suggestions guys...
Dan M.-When I said the lights come on and off I meant all the lights on the dash.
Still haven't lost hope..... yet.
John



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