Dodge Dakota: Intermittent Skipping, Bucking, Poor Running Part I 

All right folks why is Eric only at 109k subscribers.. let's spread the word and get him at 1 Million.. these are the best videos on youtube..

I guess you could have swapped that cracked injector to the other bank to see if the fuel trim problem went with it, but that's a lot more labor and since it is visibly damaged, it's a good bet to change it. Even if it isn't causing the problem, it should still be replaced.

Best auto channel on RU-vid. I look forward to every video.

Your not boring me, this is interesting. I'm not a mechanic and don't know much more than the basics thank you for teaching me more!

Not too nock eric the car guy but why is it that my man here, who goes in to the problems with equipment for explaining and showing the process of how to figure out what's going on. Is just 100+ thousand subscribers,when he makes things more interesting and more wanting to learn and watch what's the out come. Please folks show some love and support him,cause honestly watching him makes you learn more and gives you more motivation to try to fix your own car a hundred percent. Subscribe and like his videos cause at the end I would feel more confident to have him fix my car,after seeing how he deals with problems that cars come in with to fix

It's always gotta be the back one. Never the front one that's easy to get to.

I haven't seen one of those injector testers, I will be buying one of those. Thanks Eric

Might be worth a trip to the junkyard for some various injector plugs/pigtails..... Homebuilt adapters.

What? No more Dorman ads! :) This should be a good two-parter. Morning Dr. O'

I think she's misfiring might be losing some compression out the holes in the fender LOL all the gadgets and the clipboard it's time for Rocket surgery good job buddy

Yep the computer makes adjustments to correct the fuel trims from the bad injector & causes lean misfires on the good cylinders. Nice attack strategybut are you hiding more in Part II HAHA

Could you have done this - get the engine to closed loop, disconnect the bad injector's wiring harness, see if the bank goes lean. If the bank goes from rich to lean, then you can be pretty sure the problem is isolated to that injector?

I used to love to wrench on engines when all you needed was a dwell meter and a timing light... The last vehicle I could use the timing light on was my 86 Mustang GT.. But, since "you can do it, I no longer have to!" ha, ha... :) I'll gladly pay for this kind of stuff now..

My 2005 Dakota has 191K miles and runs great! No engine problems, only had to replace the EGR at 50K.

Your theory makes sense. Thanks for the video.

In my experience the injectors should flow all the same. I worked on a car last summer with misfires injectors were +or- 1 psi of each other. Put new injectors in and solved the problem. I did the same damn thing with my first injector tester after that I put a 2amp fuse on the wires for the injector side. Great video

Just for kicks I would like to have seen what a "normal" pressure drop is from a cylinder on the other bank. Presumably the same as the three on the bad side but.... Just another point of reference.

Good morning Eric. It will be interesting to see if the injector leads this diagnostic process in the correct direction.

Just don't slam the doors he won't have any scrap weight left

Thanks for this video. Great diagnostic work. I always thought OTC tools looked like homemade tools, but there's really no excuse for the tester leads to not fit correctly. Good thing that injector is cracked on the visible side.

Pretty definitive diag there, Eric! I am curious if the paddle probe would have shown a rich burn on cyl 7 and lean on the other three? Then with the truck running would be interesting to try an "injector balance test" meaning unplug one injector at a time and look at fuel trim changes. Oh and those OTC pulser adapter leads are a pain in the ass lol! Maybe rig up some leads together from the AES Wave kit. So far I have not found a scenario where they didn't work. Looking forward to Part 2!

Holy crap that thing is a pile of rust!!! Not enough fluid film will cure that one.

It's always the hard to reach one... plot twist !! Turns out it was bad shop air all along !! 😂👍

At least I'm not the only one up this early.

Maybe pull out the Pico scope and look amps and voltage of at least two injectors? You should be able to see the pintle open and close using the two waveforms.

#7 is also closest to the exhaust collector where most O2 sensors live.

At this point, why invest into a vehicle with a hole big enough to stick the radiator through in the fender?

I'll bet that oil is ruined- if that injector is bleeding out when engine shuts off, too. You used that same injector control to diagnose that '89 C5 a while back. Good stuff. Get well, Gavin!

I was always told to do a fuel pressure test before a fuel injection test. I have found bad fuel pressure regulator can be a cause of skipping and bucking also. But i guess every case is different.

When you yelled at the camera to focus I was waiting for the "you fack" after it. I guess I been watching AVE too much 😁

Happy New Year Eric. Just wondering if the next time you visit the salvage yard you could snag a few different manufacturers Injector plugs and make your own adapters? Just thinking out loud.....

My 4.7 started doing the same thing, replaced all the fuel injectors and it was fine, they were rusted out from the inside

Hey Eric. Why do keep taking down your live feeds? They're entertaining. Who cares about the haters.

Thanks for this video. I'm having a similar issue and I'm buying that otc box today to try mine out

Send me that blown up injector tester you mention in the video. Fixing oddball, proprietary, hard-to-find electronicable stuff is what I do. I've got things to fix stuff.

Crank sensor gave me exact same symptoms. Happened randomly trims were the same. Put an oem sensor in and it fixed it. Don't the 5 sensors before

Damn that's some serious body rust. Same as here in maine

I would do the exact same test that you have performed in the video I would also scope those injectors on bank one all of them at the same time and watch them while they’re running and see if that cracked injector has a higher amp draw as it warming up

Go to the junkyard and get some fuel injection contentions then put leads on the end.

Hi folks, both alive and dead like me. A bad coil code with 3 and or 7 cly is a misdiagnosis, the cause is likely to be the emmisions system. The can or fuel vapor canister can have split or collapsed vac hoses. Try to block them and it can create a bucking problem when floor and a shitty iratic idle. Shops and scanners used may not have the software to do a vacuum pressure test. So make sure the gastank vapor system supply lines are good and routed to the correct ports.

title Quote: ""Dodge Dakota: Intermittent Skipping, Bucking, Poor Running"" sounds like a normal proper running Dodge to me ;))

Another Great Video! I've seen Part 2. I agree, should change the 4 injectors.

I don't know why everyone is knocking on the Dodge Dakotas.... I think they're great. I find them all the time in fairly new condition at the junk yard! Best parts money can buy.

I have the matco unit. Comes with 4mm banana style connections to the box. Combine that with the AES wave terminal kit and there’s nothing you can adapt to. Never had a problem with wires coming off.

ITS A DODGE ! LIKE MY 97 TRUCK ALL RUSTY AND JUNKY 166K STILL GOES AND READY FOR WINTER

P0300 Random/Multiple cylinder misfire detected.possible causes Faulty or worn spark plugs , wires or coils Distributor failure Faulty fuel injector Vacuum leak Low fuel pressure Camshaft sensor defective Crankshaft sensor defective Engine timing off Leaking head gasket Low engine compression Poor quality fuel P0303 should not be ignored, and can be a threat to the drivability the Dodge Dakota. The nice thing about P0303 is that it's a cylinder specific trouble code, which makes diagnosing the problems simpler than P0300, which means that the cylinders are randomly misfiring. P0303 is a cylinder specific misfire code, which means that Cylinder 3 is misfiring and causing the code. An important thing to understand when finding the location of cylinder 3 is that it’s going to be the 3’rd cylinder in the firing order of the vehicle, and not the 3’rd cylinder that you might see when looking at the engine. Fixing P0303 should be considered a high priority. Unlike a lot of the OBDII codes, this code has to do directly with engine combustion. Driving with a misfire can damage the vehicle’s catalytic converter. The engine is also not firing all of the fuel, so raw fuel is also passing through cylinder 3 into the exhaust. Mileage may suffer as well when your Dakota has P0303.The P0303 trouble code will trigger the Dakota’s service engine soon light. The vehicle itself may begin to run rough. It depends on how serious the misfire is, and how many cylinders the engine has. The vehicle may produce excess vibration, especially at lower RPM. Fuel mileage will suffer (often not drastically). You may smell raw gas coming from the tailpipe. The vehicle may backfire. There are quite a few things that can cause the P0303 trouble code to trigger the Dodge Dakota . Here are the most common problems that will throw the code. They are presented somewhat in order from most to least likely to be causing the code: Bad Spark Plugs- Spark plugs are one of the most common causes of P0303. Take a look at the electrodes and see if they are in good shape. Most vehicles now come with iridium plugs that need changed very infrequently. That being said, the plugs are a great place to start. Here’s a great video on how to see if a spark plug is bad. Spark Plug Wires- On most modern engines, the plug wires are not nearly as long as they once were, but they can still go bad. Here’s how to tell if your plug wires are bad (video). Coil Packs- Coil packs rarely go bad, but when they do, they can certainly cause P0303 in your Dodge Dakota. Replacing a set can be very expensive. Here’s how to test them. Bad Fuel Injector- If you have a fuel injector that has gone bad, it won’t be able to properly atomize the fuel and you’ll get the P0303. Here’s a good video on how to diagnose an injector, it can be a little tricky. This is definitely not the place to start. Vacuum leak- If your Dakota has a vacuum leak, it can be very difficult for it to get the right air/fuel mixture. This will cause the cylinders to misfire and it’ll throw the P0303 if the leak is around that specific cylinder on the intake manifold. It’s easy (and kind of fun) to chase one down. Popular Mechanics: How to find a vacuum leak. Cam or Crank Sensors- This one is very unlikely, but it does happen. If the ECU is not getting the right signal from these sensors, the vehicles timing is not going to sync up and it’ll misfire. Low Compression- If you have a leaking head gasket, bent valve, cracked head, etc.. that would cause compression to not be as high as it should, you’re going to get P0303. You should also feel the vehicle is down on power as well. P0303 is cause for concern and left unfixed can leave you stranded or make the vehicle virtually undrivable.

many thanks, Eric, All the best for the new year to you and your family including the dogs, god bless.

Twitchy gauge tells the tale, I believe - one must be dumping more than the rest, and I think you've confirmed that with the test. WOAH, automotive poetry! That was terrible. My apologies ... :D I know there's always a twist in the automotive world, so I wouldn't be shocked if I was completely wrong on this. Love how stuff is built today. I had the same injectors in my '86 Grand Marquis for 29 years, 222K miles - all still good (replaced them because I broke the plastic pintle cover off of one). Guy who bought them on eBay tested them (guess he had a machine that could measure flow) - said only one of the 8 was 3% out of spec! Not bad. Curiously enough, our '93 Volvo 940 looks to have identical injectors to the Merc.. I'll leave well enough alone on that one. Patiently waiting for Part II .... ;)

99% of tech would say "I can't duplicate the issue" and give it back to the customer. Not Eric O. ! I would never have thought to use and injector pulser to test injector VOLUME, but by starting with a 𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐞 (𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠) and NO pump, that is exactly what you are doing by looking at pressure drop !!

Would a valley pan gasket leak cause a random misfire? Plugs wires, cap, etc all changed , after a mile or so, truck runs fine, but a little sluggish, does not stall at stops, 2002 Dodge Dakota 3.9 l magnum

But be careful the rubber seal may tear. So if you do take this route proceed with coucion unless you have more injector seals lying around.

gremlin on.old ob1 dodge is the engine harness due to it location in engine bay subject to heat amd vibration..babied mine up to 528, 000 miles finally found another decent harness .narrowed it down finally after moving old one a bit and starting right up..noticed on.my other dodge newer basicslly engineeres did same thing..also dumb idea putting charcoal canister under truck hoses mush up 204 code

If Mr.O & Mrs. O's life were a Disney Film This is how i pretty much presume things went down. How Mr.O Seduced Mrs.O back in the day - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kkwMEwenaQQ.html Present Day in the shop 19:46 - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1nWNXO3CZkU.html

Autel 908 is good with this test on Chrysler, You can pulse individual injectors for a specified duration of time.

Just purchasing this exact year and model..thanks for posting

Don't see many of these on the road anymore here in the U.P.

I’d have been tempted to measure one of the injector on the good bank as a parity check as well.

I had the injector wiring harness melt on my 3.8 T&C minivan and the injectors grounded and that left them open. Lots of gas vapor out the exhaust. I put silver insulating tape around the new harness when I replaced it. I bet the rear of the engine is the hottest place in the bay.

This video is very intriguing 🤔 definitely looks like that number 7 when it's failing its just dumping all the fuel it can and which makes sense would be causing the miss fire on the other 3 good cylinders Eric O @SouthMaimAutoRepairLLC

Probably already said: But why's it always...ALWAYS the rear injector, plug, harness, etc... That's usually a PITA to work with!! Edit: Had a similar issue with my families Durango. Cracked injector. Shorted out the tiny firing coil inside the injector and that took out the PCM. Replaced PCM with a reman from a company in FL. (programmed with updates, etc...no need to flash at the stealership!) And a used injector for a couple of bucks from a local yard. It's been 100% fine now for 3+ years. Water dripped from the cowl area and ran onto the hot injector- cracked the plastic and then it just ate itself.

It shows how codes don't tell the whole truth, but the effect on other components. I hope a new injector is the fix. Have a happier and healthy 2018 :-D

love the video's as always. incredible content you put out. Your video's have inspired me to film and upload vid's of me building a twin turbo 2004 mustang 4.6 4v combo. Just getting started but should be fun. Keep up the good work

looks like the P0-RUST code too

So much great information and learning on these videos

Boring ..... YES .....bring on Mrs O .....that will make things more exciting

This is happening with my 2004 Dakota. Mine is a 6 cylinder. I don't understand most of what you're saying? It's starting to act up more frequently. It seemed to subside when I only kept it under a quarter tank, but that may have been a two-week coincidence because it's back at it. When I accelerate it acts like I'm running out of gas,usually after it's been running for a few minutes, and smells rich. It's a struggle to get up to 30 mph some days. I imagine people driving around me think I'm driving a stick but don't know how lol. You're explaining exactly what mine does with the codes and flashing light exedra. Can someone explain what's happening in lamens terms? The short story was an injector?

title Quote " Dodge Dakota: intermittent skipping, bucking, poor running" I had the same thing happen to me and it turned out to be the two wire pigtail connecting to the coilpack on my number 1 cylinder. I changed the PCM and had dodge dealer charge me 300 buck to change the #1 &#2 pigtail on the both of those injectors. bought a new coil pack, finely figured it out to be the #1 coilpack two wire pig tail.

Damn...look at that cancer in the front fender.

Happy new year Eric, belated merry Christmas.

I realize you probably don't do injector drop testes every day. But why not make up a few injector plugs that you can just push on the different injectors so you don't have to hold leads when testing. It would take some time to get the injector plugs and wire them to fit the pulse tester. But once you made the more frequently used types, you would save time and make such tests easier and quicker. Just a thought.

HAPPY NEW YEAR GREAT JOB

Damn the money light... Check out that massive body rust!

Hi Eric as this is a balance test wouldn't it be wise to have checked the flow on all 8 first before replacing one ? I know it's damaged and needs 1 , just be interested how much estimated flow is on one of the inj on the other bank

Hmm I have been dealing with p0300, p0301, p0303 and p0305 for over 3 months now. I'll have to check out that upstream O2 sensor sometime soon. Just afraid of destroying the threads..

Good job as usual eric o.. Was trying to film changing a turbo n injectors on a ford mondeo today with my phone...this filming isnt as easy as you make it seem.

Had a 99 power wagon per paint bank 1 had one set of 4 injectors and bank 2 had a different set of injectors took 3 days to notice it the two different types of injectors that fired at different portions of fuel to the engine the higher on the right the lessor on the left after 2 weeks we finally worked it out with a matched set of 8

Good little vid with injector relative test . The otc tester was weak sauce, even dorman would of likely done better harness tails ! Shame you junked old one as could of grafted cable over .

I think if you could have swapped the #7 injector with say #3 injector to see if the psi was to drop in #3 and stay in range in #7. Like you could do in bad coil over plug diag.

I like the rust colored paint on the wheel well arches...

Ahhh. Nothing like an SMA video to start the day... Off to the airplane factory now!

Hey Eric, I'm not familiar with the scan tool you are using, but, I know most tools will toggle the fuel pump relay, as well as the ASD relay, which would save you the whole key toggling thing.. Just a thought..

Amazing what you can find with a visual inspection, nice find.

The part that needs replacing is always the part hardest to get to... always.

Hi Eric, Happy New Year! Great video as always. Do you still have the adapters from your old injector tester? Perhaps you can make the old adapters work with your new tester?

The difference in pressure decay doesn't seem to be that drastically different, certainly not a smoking gun or "there's your problem lady. I'd be curious what the other bank tested at.

You two make me blush!😉Youre a very lucky man sir! Count your blessings!

Having a similar problem with a 3.9 dodge. Chrysler got real crappy since computers. Wish i could afford one of your computer diagnostic gizmos....

Eric O, would you not only want to double check the same cylinders, but also check the cylinders in the other bank to have a reference to go by , and compare them all ? Just wondering what a known good should be.

hi, wonder if you can help..i have a 2003 dodge dakota with 4.7.it will start fine and will sit and idol but the all of a sudden it will start to gasp hard for air a couple of times and stalls out.

I have this engine. My bet is that the injector is only the appetizer.

dont know if you know ebay has adapters to adapt that plug on your tester to any other injector. like i have a 1994 ram 1500 i installed a 2002 5.9 magnum motor as you know the plug on the injectors changed from 1994 to 2002 i ordered a whole set of adapters EV1 to EV6 may have that backwards but have been on the truck for 5 years still runs great. so you can order one at a time or a set. that is what i did for my injector tool that i have makes it so easy

Great Mr owe this is fantastic

for the injector adapters, take a trip to the "self pick" junk yard, run through hacking the connectors off everything in site and solder them all together into one multi-head adapter. or wait for one of the other companies to make an adapter set lol.

Great video. So fun to watch. What's your brother's channel?

Happy New Year. Question; since some of the computers decisions are made on comparisons of input data, would it be good to test the "good" bank injectors as a baseline for the "bad" or is the O2 and fuel trim data enough to work with? I understand you don't want to do unnecessary tests but I've been tripped up a few times, I'm an old diesel mechanic but I'm trying to catch up with technology. Hope thus question isn't a waste of time. Good video.

As the rust falls off it shakes..lol rust cracked the injector I've seen it on the old 80's town cars and stuck injectors

I have an 07 dakota and the rpm ans speedometer spike up when I'm braking..any idea what that could be?

Sounds like a good approach. What is the sub frame in the background leaning against the wall?

my ecm burnt-out brake lights and turn signal/flasher when the pigtail trailer connector shorted out - was wondering if the brake light switch on the brake pedal-bar switch can be direct wired ?

There's a part 2 .... I'm intrigued:)