1994 Dodge Dakota, Quits Running

by Len
(Burnside, KY USA)

i have a 94 dakota with the v6. it intermitantly quits running. it has no spark. it just does it now and then. i have replaced the coil, plug wires, distributor cap, rotor and ingition pickup, crank sensor. what else can it be? can the emc be bad? when it runs, its runs fine. it may run great for a few days and then it just dies going down the road or wont start in the morning. try starting later and it may start right up or i might have to try again later.

Steve Says,

There are a lot of things that this could be. It sounds like you have narrowed it down to the ignition system. Since you have replaced so many things there are not to many others that could be causing a problem like this, assuming that all the parts you replaced are good.

The first thing to check is the ignition control module tested. Most auto parts stores will do this for free. This type of problem could definitely be caused by the ignition control module.

You said that it loses spark and that is what causes it to die. But if the fuel pump is intermittent it could cause this also. You might want to check fuel pressure with a good fuel pressure gauge when it dies and won't restart, just to be sure that isn't it.

These are the two things that are most likely to cause this type of problem. It could be a problem with other things like your computer but that is not as likely.

I hope this has helped. Please post the fix when you find it or ask me for more help if you need it.