Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) odd problem

[Mhannink]

this morning on my way to school i had what i think is a fuel problem what happened is i was pulling up to a stop sign and i noticed the engine wasn't running very smooth not really noticably rough but it wasn't right well as i came to the stop sign and eased it out of gear i looked down at the tach as i noticed it getting worse as rpm droped well it just keept droping right down to zero and i could hear it missing. then i tried strating it didn't want to finaly i found i had to give it a little throttle and it would start and run as long as i gave it throttle but if i let off it would die. it seemed to lack a little power too. well i contunied onto school its all highway and so i set the cruz and let it go it ran fine when i get to town and i have to idle around and sit at lights it also now runs fine got off the highway and came to the first light at it hit the idle and stayed there no problems it also seemed to have its power back like nothing was wrong at all. but im still owndering what caused it to die and not want to run w/o throttle for that first little bit. from the way it ran it seemed like air in the fuel but it would seem like it would run rough my other thought is theres a leak but there are no fuel spots and the guage is dead on where it should be for the milage on the tank which i have about 3/4 of a tank when this happened. anyways any input woud be greatly appreciated thanks in advanced matt

 

[tp0d]

punctuation and spacing are your friend, Matt...



Whens the last time you changed your fuel filter? Possible its clogging up. . Also check the movement of your shutdown solenoid, relay could be getting weak and dropping the plunger.



An air leak on the suction doesnt always drip fuel. Have you done anything with your 11yr old fuel lines? I`ve changed a good bit of mine, (1996 truck), but havent finished yet. A common point of failure is directly under the drivers feet, flexible SS braid hose with push-lock connectors. I took those out the 2nd day I had my truck. An air leak will be more pronounced at low rpm than at high.



good luck



-j

 

[Matthug]

I second the fuel filter or the shutdown relay, both good ideas.

 

[Mhannink]

well i guess i should have mentioned i just chaneg the filter a month or so ago. i could check when exactly since i have it logged in my maint. book but i know it was very recent. i can test the relay w/ a multimeter and probably will when i get a chance. does anyone know the specs on what the resistance should be and what a weak relay would show. the fuel lines i belive where redone within the last 3 years again id have to check the log book. ive owned the truck for 5 months but the previous owner who had it for 3 years loged every time he put fuel in it so he has a complete record of whats been done logged by the date and milage. anyways ill have to look at it again to see when exactly it was worked on. i do know i replaced the return line form the block to the firewall almost 5 months ago. like i said before im not noticing and loss of power anywhere in the rpm and the smoke levels are the same as always. i did run it pretty hard coming home to see and power was there and it idle perfect like it always does its just the one hickup it had this morning so who knows. but please keep the advice coming and ill post again if i have other questions.

 

[Mhannink]

well the problem happened to me again today in fact it was worse bad enough i turned around went home and got a different truck (06 in sig) well i get home get it started and get it down to the slab at which point the truck decides to run fine idles perfect i let it run while i look it over theres no leaks of fuel going out and i cant feel where there might be an air leak. seems once i have it running it will run fine but its getting it to run. so anyways long story short i still have a problem seems to happen in the mornings or at first start and has no visible causes. also something i should mention is today it had real lack of power if i didn't rev it up nice and high it would bg down and no amount of throttle would make it pull out of it there was also no smoke when this happend too.

 

[Matthug]

Either it's fuel being restricted or you have an injection pump issue :--)

I'd change the fuel filter again and check the prefilter screen. You'd be surprised just one batch of bad fuel can clog the filter.

 

[RBrunson]

A Dodge shop manual can be your friend also. Lots of answers in it. I second the tip on checking the fuel heater screen. Mine had about a tablespoon of black grit in it. This was at 105,000 mi. when I bought it.

 

[Mhannink]

well ill try that tomorrow if it acts up again. how do i get to the little pre screen?



not to second guess you but wouldn't a clogged filter cause problems through the whole range?

 

[Mhannink]

A Dodge shop manual can be your friend also. Lots of answers in it. I second the tip on checking the fuel heater screen. Mine had about a tablespoon of black grit in it. This was at 105,000 mi. when I bought it.

like i said im going to check the fuel filter and pre screen though i need to find how to get to it. but im still looking at it thinking if it was really a cloged filter i would see a lack of power all around but im not once it runs right it RUNS in fact this afternoon i slipped my clutch like i have never slipped it before but if its acting up then it wont run for ****. but again im going to check the filters but im still looking for advice on what might be wrong. another thought leaning towards pump problems we just installed a gsk 3k and it ran perfect till yesterday we installed the kit a week ago. anyways thought i might add that since its not in my sig