Auto Mechanics Here? Help?

My 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup has been running rough...but not all the time. 120,000 Mi. One morning I almost did not make it home, 35MPH tops and running bad, RPM up/down. Got it towed to shop, guy said computer showed timing issues so he replaced cam sensor but when he test drove it everything was fine before AND after.

A day later same thing, almost didn't make it home...drove to shop with engine no power again. He test drove it for 20 miles and not a hiccup...computer showed nothing. He reset computer again and checked harness and cleaned all connections. I picked it up ran fine...next morning same thing, barely running.

Limped into Dodge dealership for second opinion, diagnosis, stalled in parking lot. They ran it all day not a hiccup, computer said fine. Asked they keep overnight and test drive first thing in morning when I usually have problems. This time it acted up for them.

They did a compression test and said cylinder #2 low compression. Guaranteed a valve job would fix my problem, cost between $600-$3,000 depending on what it would need. I said ok, otherwise the truck is in good shape.

Next day they call and say bad news. Engine needs to be rebuilt! For about $5,000 just in labor! Now for $600 they got my heads off, another $600 just to put back together, not to fix. What happened to the guarantee?? He also didn't tell me up front $600 was just to pull the heads off and take a look.

I figure what do I do? Tell them to throw parts in back and have it towed home? So I told them to put back together. I am not getting an engine rebuild for one cylinder with low compression. He says it will run like before when done, bad but running. I figure it will at least be back together instead of parts rusting in the truck bed.

Looks like I am down $2,000 from both shops (other guy did water pump and oil change too and still at dealership getting put back together) maybe more and have a near worthless trade in and need to go truck shopping this weekend.

Did I do the right thing? Well, besides ***** to the owner for the service guy guaranteeing $3,000 max would fix my problem. Oh, he also told me they would only pull the head off with #2 and if real bad stop and call me. They pulled both and now I have to pay to have both put back on...jerk.

Thanks for reading all this if you did.

I used to be a mechanic and the thing I always stood by was being a great tech and being affordable and this sounds like none apply. I would personally find a mom and pop shop to find you a used motor ( they are everywhere for that truck) and throw that in there for probably around $3,000. If the truck is still solid and the tranny isnt slipping I would throw money into it rather than trade it in. just my $.02 Good luck

Fatrich said:

I used to be a mechanic and the thing I always stood by was being a great tech and being affordable and this sounds like none apply. I would personally find a mom and pop shop to find you a used motor ( they are everywhere for that truck) and throw that in there for probably around $3,000. If the truck is still solid and the tranny isnt slipping I would throw money into it rather than trade it in. just my $.02 Good luck

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Yeah, I need to think about it but I got bit bad and I'm hesitant to be bitten again. They both told me the transmission is fine....but then again my truck is still messed up.

I like the first guy, but he just couldn't figure it out. Funny was when I told the guy at the dealership the other guy could not figure it out he gave a smart ass smile like "figures, an idiot, no problem we WILL figure it out"....then calls me the next day and said they too found nothing wrong.

..should have know too when I saw the "$99.99 an hour rate" sign at the dealership, but I was getting desperate. It was $99.XX anyway

Yeah dealerships are all about that price. I have always delt with the mom and pops except for when my cars under warranty, or do the work myself. The messier the shop the better the mechanic typically haha

Stealerships really get on my nerves sometimes. I have a 2012 Jeep wrangler and the trans is bad at 2,900 miles tried to tell me a shifter boot would fix it haha what a joke...

Yeah, I think I learned my lesson this time. How does an engine that runs perfectly most of the time (I think in the morning it is colder??) all of a sudden need a complete rebuild? The other 7 cylinders have good compression!!

Yeah, dealerships never seem to just fix your car/truck...they want to completely rebuild the whole thing..with all new parts.

What if the rings are bad on the #2 cylinder? Would require dropping the bottom half as well? Can just one cylinder be fixed?

I doubt you'd have to go any lower than the head, as long as the piston is in good shape. If your low compression is due to piston rings, you'll most likely see some blue smoke. If I were to venture a guess, I'd say you have a problem in the head (broken/worn valve, or sticking valve or lifter) and the dealership wanted to rebuild due to the mileage.

The fact that it apparently flagged the cam sensor reinforces this guess.

When you have a computer controlled engine that is having issues like this, sensors may start over-reacting, causing anything from an engine light to the problems your having.

Have a trust-worthy shop (hard to find nowadays) listen to your story, and maybe ask them to pull the heads (or tell the dealer to eff off and tow your truck to the new shop) and diagnose the heads, along with looking for signs of serious wear on the rest of the engine.

If they find badly worn cylinder walls and metal in the oil, ditch your current engine for a rebuild one (I'd bet you could get a new long-block for the Dodge dealer for a better price than having them rebuild one).

Personally (and I'm doing this myself) I'd go to the dealer, ask for a replacement engine, and replace the whole thing. You'll wind up with a reliable replacement with a 3 year warranty on the engine.

Sorry about the length, but hopefully you can get good use out of at least some of my ramblings

MrWildcat2U said:

I doubt you'd have to go any lower than the head, as long as the piston is in good shape. If your low compression is due to piston rings, you'll most likely see some blue smoke. If I were to venture a guess, I'd say you have a problem in the head (broken/worn valve, or sticking valve or lifter) and the dealership wanted to rebuild due to the mileage.

The fact that it apparently flagged the cam sensor reinforces this guess.

When you have a computer controlled engine that is having issues like this, sensors may start over-reacting, causing anything from an engine light to the problems your having.

Have a trust-worthy shop (hard to find nowadays) listen to your story, and maybe ask them to pull the heads (or tell the dealer to eff off and tow your truck to the new shop) and diagnose the heads, along with looking for signs of serious wear on the rest of the engine.

If they find badly worn cylinder walls and metal in the oil, ditch your current engine for a rebuild one (I'd bet you could get a new long-block for the Dodge dealer for a better price than having them rebuild one).

Personally (and I'm doing this myself) I'd go to the dealer, ask for a replacement engine, and replace the whole thing. You'll wind up with a reliable replacement with a 3 year warranty on the engine.

Sorry about the length, but hopefully you can get good use out of at least some of my ramblings

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No smoke at all. I think they are going overboard. All my dealings with dealerships were like that, they won't just simply fix the problem, they want to make it like new.

I am not against giving back to a local shop for another shot at fixing it...but I am out $1200 now...so?

I sent the owner and general manager an email describing my situation and how I felt and asked how would they feel being out $1200 and truck still broke? Maybe I will get a discount on the repair, hopefully no charge since they did nothing to help me.

I second the possibility of a sensor, they can do very strange things to an otherwise healthy engine...but if u do indeed have low compression in a cylinder and ur handy with a wrench, I have pulled the heads, replaced the rings and then scuffed the cylinder walls and drove it like a bat outta hell for about 2 days straight to get a good seal. It worked for me...chasing gremlins blow, good luck

I've seen plenty of times that a shop will eat the labor because they couldn't fix your problem (not your fault, after all), but they will still charge you the diag fee. That's usually under $100.
When the tech "reset" the computer (ie. unplugged the battery for 30 seconds) what he did was erase all of the temporary codes. Once those are gone, the engine will run "normally", which is to say all sensors are within their parameters. After running for X amount of time, one or more of the sensors start over compensating and your truck starts running like hell.
The trick for you is to find a tech that has the patience to wait and see what sensor(s) go crazy and what your engine did to cause it.

Oh, and 95% of the time, no smoke=good rings, at least good enough to not have a big compression loss.
Your problem is most likely a head and/or messed up sensors.


Dammit, wrote another long-winded one.

MrWildcat2U said:

I've seen plenty of times that a shop will eat the labor because they couldn't fix your problem (not your fault, after all), but they will still charge you the diag fee. That's usually under $100.
When the tech "reset" the computer (ie. unplugged the battery for 30 seconds) what he did was erase all of the temporary codes. Once those are gone, the engine will run "normally", which is to say all sensors are within their parameters. After running for X amount of time, one or more of the sensors start over compensating and your truck starts running like hell.
The trick for you is to find a tech that has the patience to wait and see what sensor(s) go crazy and what your engine did to cause it.

Oh, and 95% of the time, no smoke=good rings, at least good enough to not have a big compression loss.
Your problem is most likely a head and/or messed up sensors.


Dammit, wrote another long-winded one.

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You're fine..thanks for the suggestions!

Here is the email I sent to the owner (Ronald) and to the general manager (Mike). Let's see if they respond. If not I will call and ask to speak to the owner. For now they are still putting it back together, I am sure they already started so I am letting them go with that. I took off my name and contact information.

++++++

Mike,



I have sent this email to Ronald, but I have decided to send it to you as well.



Hello, my name is Jim XXXXX. You currently have my 2003 Ram 1500 silver pickup in your shop, it has been there since last Friday morning when I dropped it off because it was running very rough, not always but several times recently, otherwise it ran fine. I had taken it to a local repair shop before that but he could find nothing wrong with it. Whenever he drove it, it drove fine. He replaced the cam sensor in hopes that would fix it. After two times there I decided to give your dealership a shot at figuring it out. I got a call from Ted Friday afternoon telling me they could find nothing wrong, it ran fine for them. I asked they keep it overnight and test drive it first thing in the morning, when I usually have the problem. They did and it ran terribly.



After doing some testing and a compression test Ted told me cylinder #2 had low compression, this was Monday. He guaranteed a valve job would fix my problem and that was the cause. He told me $600 minimum, $3,000 maximum, depending on how bad it was. But he guaranteed it would fix my problem. I agreed to the work. He also told me they would only take the head off the side with cylinder #2, take a look to see how bad and call me. I told him I just want the problem corrected, not to make the engine like new. I was also under the assumption $600 was for a complete valve job, best condition, not just a tear down of the heads, Ted never told me this until after he had it apart but this comes later in the story.



The following day, yesterday, Ted called and said he had bad news. He said it was worse than expected and that to fix it properly it would need the engine rebuilt. I forget the exact figure but it was expensive, very expensive, too expensive for a truck with 120k on it. Since it would cost just about the same amount to fix the #2 cylinder as to rebuild the engine I decided not to have them do it.



But here is my problem. Ted then told me the $600 charge was just to remove the heads and to diagnose the repair (he never called after taking just one off as agreed, they took both off). He now tells me it will cost another $600 to put the heads back on (again both) and get the truck back together and running. NOTE: He told me the truck WOULD run as before once he puts it back, but they are still working on that.



I understand technicians time was involved here but $1200 to remove heads, diagnose and put them back on but not fix anything? I am now less $1200 and will pick up my truck no better off than when I dropped it off last Friday morning. Again remember, Ted guaranteed me it WOULD FIX MY PROBLEM AND COST NO MORE THAN $3,000. The engine rebuild he told me was close to $5,000 labor alone, then parts.



I also question this. How could an engine that needs a complete rebuild run so well that two shops could find nothing wrong with it during test drives and nothing on the computer…even after it was running so badly when I dropped it off it stalled in your parking lot? Don’t let Ted tell you it was because the previous shop removed the battery to test the harness either, it ran like crap after that, that is why I brought it in. That should have shown on the computer. The engine MAY be better off rebuilt, but I do not believe this is my problem. An engine needing a complete rebuild is not going to run so smooth for the entire day your technicians had it they could find nothing wrong. Obviously cold damp mornings must be a factor, runs fine during the day, like crap in the morning, but let’s forget that at this point.



So, I am writing you to tell you I am very unhappy being “guaranteed” my truck will be fixed for no more than $3,000 and now it cannot be for that price and to have it put back together again, not fixed is going to cost me $1200. That is a LOT of money to put out for me, even more for pretty much nothing. My truck is still broke.



Do you think this is fair? Fair to me? Would you return to a shop that cost you $1200 and no results? Perhaps had Ted said it may possibly require an engine rebuild costing many thousands of dollars more at the risk of $1200 to find out, I probably would have just taken it home and used the $1200 toward the purchase of a new truck. By the way, it appears I am going to have to get a new truck. Would you buy a truck from your dealership after this if you were me? I would hope not. I love my truck, like Dodge, but I am not so sure now I wouldn’t look at others.



I’m sick over the thought I am out $1200 and got nothing for it…..and I have not even received the final bill. I would appreciate your thoughts. I work from 10pm-6am but you can call me anytime..or reply to this email. I am usually up until the afternoon but will be answering that phone after that.



Thank you,

Might be the heads, but it still could be a bad sensor (thought they usually flag a trouble code when they act up).

I highly doubt that a complete rebuild is necessary.

I've got 225,000 on my wife's Durango with no major engine trouble so far. Couple little things like Crank Position Sensor, AC, etc. It complains in the morning, especially when it's cold, but smooths out after a bit of running. Uses a quart or two in a month or two.

If the engine was worn, they could tell with some VERY basic diagnostics, including checking for oil smoke, checking compression, taking electronic readings...

I think they just want to take you for a ride. BUT, that's the way things go nowadays. There are LOTS of ways to troubleshoot a car's problem, but nobody wants to take the several steps to get a correct diagnostic. OR they don't know HOW!

Even Dealerships usually don't follow prescribed troubleshooting methods because they can take an hour or more and cost the person $100+ just to find out what's wrong. People don't like that, so they go somewhere cheaper where they just take an educated guess and do a "parts swap" for troubleshooting. Starts out cheaper and sometimes actually works out.

Other times you get screwed by having to replace more than the first part or by getting a wrong diagnostic out of laziness.

Bad rings won't make your car run suddenly terrible, suddenly fine. Bad rings will almost always show a good amount of blue smoke at some point will before the truck will run bad.

Bearings won't suddenly make a truck run bad, suddenly run fine. It might start getting louder and louder knocking and then seize.

I'm betting if tit's mechanical, it's in the heads. Should not be a big deal to have parts cleaned/replaced/resurfaced.

Could also be something clogging the exhaust, bad actuator, say on the intake, clogged injector, fuel delivery, etc.

Homercidal said:

Might be the heads, but it still could be a bad sensor (thought they usually flag a trouble code when they act up).

I highly doubt that a complete rebuild is necessary.

I've got 225,000 on my wife's Durango with no major engine trouble so far. Couple little things like Crank Position Sensor, AC, etc. It complains in the morning, especially when it's cold, but smooths out after a bit of running. Uses a quart or two in a month or two.

If the engine was worn, they could tell with some VERY basic diagnostics, including checking for oil smoke, checking compression, taking electronic readings...

I think they just want to take you for a ride. BUT, that's the way things go nowadays. There are LOTS of ways to troubleshoot a car's problem, but nobody wants to take the several steps to get a correct diagnostic. OR they don't know HOW!

Even Dealerships usually don't follow prescribed troubleshooting methods because they can take an hour or more and cost the person $100+ just to find out what's wrong. People don't like that, so they go somewhere cheaper where they just take an educated guess and do a "parts swap" for troubleshooting. Starts out cheaper and sometimes actually works out.

Other times you get screwed by having to replace more than the first part or by getting a wrong diagnostic out of laziness.

Bad rings won't make your car run suddenly terrible, suddenly fine. Bad rings will almost always show a good amount of blue smoke at some point will before the truck will run bad.

Bearings won't suddenly make a truck run bad, suddenly run fine. It might start getting louder and louder knocking and then seize.

I'm betting if tit's mechanical, it's in the heads. Should not be a big deal to have parts cleaned/replaced/resurfaced.

Could also be something clogging the exhaust, bad actuator, say on the intake, clogged injector, fuel delivery, etc.

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Hey homer..figuered I would hear from you and I am glad for that. I agree, doesn't sound right. I thought a group of factory trained techs would figure it out instead of some guy all by himself but I was wrong.

Hey, I made a joke some years ago about your looks.....you and some others thought I was a jerk...it was a joke..I thought with your sense of humor you would have got it..you didn't and I am sorry. It didn't matter what you looked like the joke fit so I said it. Would have worked for anyone..but I forget just what it was.

Back to my problem!

Yeah, it all makes no sense...they got me.

So what do you think of my email? Do I sound like a wimp they will blow off??

I hate this crap. I'll never go to a dealership again. I bet for $1200 the other guy would eventually got it.

Ah yes... It's been almost two years since my last therapy session. Thought I was over it, but the voices are back and whispering for revenge...

Don't worry about it though. I can keep them at bay with a little help from the pharmacist. Just have to remember to head over there at lunch time.

I don't think there is anything "wrong" with the email. Just let them know what happened and state your side of the story. Let them know you are not pleased with their service (you have a right to not be pleased with the vehicle, so don't blame that).

You can get questionable service from ANY repair facility, and even the dealerships aren't required to fully staff their business with certified and fully qualified individuals. I think the only advantage they have is the ability to get dealer only parts quicker and easier. Sometimes they are better qualified to do the job right, but even they can have people who are just parts swappers.

Luckily I started buying a collection of tools for restoring my old mustang and even though I am a hack mechanic a good Google search, a Chiltons/Haynes manual and a few good tools can prepare you for almost anything.

Just shut up and let me be! Oh, sorry, that was for the voices. They don't like it when I'm not paying attention to them!

Hey, no hard feelings and I hope you can get some of your $$ back from the dealer and find a solution and a reasonable rate!

Homercidal said:

Ah yes... It's been almost two years since my last therapy session. Thought I was over it, but the voices are back and whispering for revenge...

Don't worry about it though. I can keep them at bay with a little help from the pharmacist. Just have to remember to head over there at lunch time.

I don't think there is anything "wrong" with the email. Just let them know what happened and state your side of the story. Let them know you are not pleased with their service (you have a right to not be pleased with the vehicle, so don't blame that).

You can get questionable service from ANY repair facility, and even the dealerships aren't required to fully staff their business with certified and fully qualified individuals. I think the only advantage they have is the ability to get dealer only parts quicker and easier. Sometimes they are better qualified to do the job right, but even they can have people who are just parts swappers.

Luckily I started buying a collection of tools for restoring my old mustang and even though I am a hack mechanic a good Google search, a Chiltons/Haynes manual and a few good tools can prepare you for almost anything.

Just shut up and let me be! Oh, sorry, that was for the voices. They don't like it when I'm not paying attention to them!

Hey, no hard feelings and I hope you can get some of your $$ back from the dealer and find a solution and a reasonable rate!

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I think you made a comment like some super model would probably never show interest in you and I agreed....looking at your profile picture. That is why I have none. Live the fantasy...live the fantasy...now go to see your psyc doctor. Look in the mirror and repeat....I am am someone and pepole like me.........

I rebuilt the top half of an engine once, 350C, never agian unless a hobby.....not a get around vehicle!

When you say low compression how low was it on cyl 2?

jgln said:

I think you made a comment like some super model would probably never show interest in you and I agreed....looking at your profile picture. That is why I have none. Live the fantasy...live the fantasy...now go to see your psyc doctor. Look in the mirror and repeat....I am am someone and pepole like me.........

I rebuilt the top half of an engine once, 350C, never agian unless a hobby.....not a get around vehicle!

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No worries. I gotta head out now to get to the pharmacy. Well, maybe a quick stop to the hardware store for some duct tape and plastic zip ties...

What's that??

Oh yeah, and the gun shop for some ammo. Then definitely the pharmacy right after that!

Is your engine light on? I had very similar problems with my Durango. Took it to a shop and they changed some sensor in the transmission. Maybe worth looking into. It fixed it needless to say

Fatrich said:

When you say low compression how low was it on cyl 2?

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Don't know, wouldn't know what it meant anyhow. Can they fix just the one cylinder without a lot of work? Need to do a whole rebuild? tearout? bottom end?

jayd25 said:

Is your engine light on? I had very similar problems with my Durango. Took it to a shop and they changed some sensor in the transmission. Maybe worth looking into. It fixed it needless to say

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There was, that is why the first guy changed out the cam sensor. That didn't work. I read cam sensor it wil run but bad...crankshaft sensor won't runat all. Same guy who first took a look also fixed wife car a year ago..was crankshaft senseor and no problem sinse.

Homercidal said:

No worries. I gotta head out now to get to the pharmacy. Well, maybe a quick stop to the hardware store for some duct tape and plastic zip ties...

What's that??

Oh yeah, and the gun shop for some ammo. Then definitely the pharmacy right after that!

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Homer.....Relax,take it easy, listen to some.....Stix

Goodnight!!!!!!!

I would change the idle air control valve and clean out the throttle body. Have you changed the o2 sensors lately?

I own and run a auto repair shop 32years experence,, you got riped
more than likely you have a bad intermitant fuel pump a weak cyl will not cause the problems you are having, a bad crank sensor would cause the truck to stall not run rough, bad cam sensor you wouldent even notice( it would revert the bank firing of injectors) both would cause a code to be set any sensor for that matter, but not a loss of fuel presure..

Sorry to hear you head ache,, a typical valve job goes for around 1600.00 new rebuilt engines 3500.00 to 5000.00
good luck and PM me if you have any question for me

Ok so I read the whole thread, can you tell me what engine it is, auto? 4x4? And what you are describing doesnt sound like a "low compression" problem if so it would do it all the time. Has anyone done a fuel pressure test? It could also be a bad wire with a small crack in it and under the right conditions causing a miss. It could be a bad injector. I am a mechanic and have a 96 Ram with 230k on it so Iv been down this road with some of what you are describing but more info on the vehicle will help.

I had a bad crank sensor on the Durango and it would stall out and it also GAVE A TROUBLE CODE! Very easy to spot most sensor problems.

However, as Transam says, intermittent wiring problems might not, depending on the location.

Also, I would do as JAYD25 says and clean the intake area, including the throttle body and IAC motor and position sensor. It's just very easy to do. I've done it twice on my wife's Durango since we've owned it.

Also in case they haven't yet, I'd think about replacing the plugs, wires, fuel filter, check all hoses for cracks, leaks in the fuel lines, etc.

If I paid a dealership $600 to take off the heads, diagnose and $600 more to put it back together, I'd demand a written diagnostic report of EXACTLY what is wrong and why they feel the need for a rebuild. I wouldn't need to wonder if they think there is a cracked ring, or a bad valve, they gotta tell me. "it's bad" isn't a diagnoses.
That said, I had a vehicle that exhibited similar symptoms, and it was a collapsed catalytic converter.

Homercidal said:

I had a bad crank sensor on the Durango and it would stall out and it also GAVE A TROUBLE CODE! Very easy to spot most sensor problems.

However, as Transam says, intermittent wiring problems might not, depending on the location.

Also, I would do as JAYD25 says and clean the intake area, including the throttle body and IAC motor and position sensor. It's just very easy to do. I've done it twice on my wife's Durango since we've owned it.

Also in case they haven't yet, I'd think about replacing the plugs, wires, fuel filter, check all hoses for cracks, leaks in the fuel lines, etc.

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The IAC (idle air control) motor on the throttle body has been a problem on all Dodge and Jeep trucks, it gets coked up and sticks, I don't think that is your problem because it is only active at Idle and you had a problem while driving. Again what engine is it? If it's a 4.7 it could just be a bad coil on cyl #2 since it has a coil per cylinder, if it's a 3.9, 5.2 or a 5.9 it is most likely the crank sensor.

Was the check engine light on at all? You did say that someone at some point "reset" the computer so there must have been a code of some sort in there even if it was a pending code (does not turn the light on till the next fault).

When you were driving it and it was running like crap was it all the time or did it smooth out somewhat at a idle? If the dealer took the heads off I would think they were looking for a mechanical fault like a burnt valve, bad guide or a ring issue but as I said before that is not a problem that will fix itself and run good sometimes and not others it will run like crap all the time. And yes I agree with you if they are taking the heads off they better give you a concrete answer as to what is wrong and why you need a rebuild.

MrWildcat2U said:

I've seen plenty of times that a shop will eat the labor because they couldn't fix your problem (not your fault, after all), but they will still charge you the diag fee. That's usually under $100.
When the tech "reset" the computer (ie. unplugged the battery for 30 seconds) what he did was erase all of the temporary codes. Once those are gone, the engine will run "normally", which is to say all sensors are within their parameters. After running for X amount of time, one or more of the sensors start over compensating and your truck starts running like hell.
The trick for you is to find a tech that has the patience to wait and see what sensor(s) go crazy and what your engine did to cause it.

Oh, and 95% of the time, no smoke=good rings, at least good enough to not have a big compression loss.
Your problem is most likely a head and/or messed up sensors.


Dammit, wrote another long-winded one.

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I'd say it ran like total crap for at least 30-40 minutes after the battery was hooked back up. Was running so bad it stalled in their parking lot..started right up again though. Wasn't that long enough for the computer to see something wrong?

Transamguy77 said:

The IAC (idle air control) motor on the throttle body has been a problem on all Dodge and Jeep trucks, it gets coked up and sticks, I don't think that is your problem because it is only active at Idle and you had a problem while driving. Again what engine is it? If it's a 4.7 it could just be a bad coil on cyl #2 since it has a coil per cylinder, if it's a 3.9, 5.2 or a 5.9 it is most likely the crank sensor.

Was the check engine light on at all? You did say that someone at some point "reset" the computer so there must have been a code of some sort in there even if it was a pending code (does not turn the light on till the next fault).

When you were driving it and it was running like crap was it all the time or did it smooth out somewhat at a idle? If the dealer took the heads off I would think they were looking for a mechanical fault like a burnt valve, bad guide or a ring issue but as I said before that is not a problem that will fix itself and run good sometimes and not others it will run like crap all the time. And yes I agree with you if they are taking the heads off they better give you a concrete answer as to what is wrong and why you need a rebuild.

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When it would run bad it was bad. I mean when it was driving bad it was idling bad even in park. But then a few hours later running as smooth as could be. Acts up in the early morning hours then fine in the afternoon once it warms up..or so it would appear.

You checked for any vaccum leaks? This is what I would do. I am no mechanic by any means just running down in my mind what I would do. First check vaccum leaks. Second clean throttle body and I AC. Third change o2 sensors if no help after then change coils and plugs. The factory plugs are "good" to 100k miles according to dodge

Transamguy77 said:

Ok so I read the whole thread, can you tell me what engine it is, auto? 4x4? And what you are describing doesnt sound like a "low compression" problem if so it would do it all the time. Has anyone done a fuel pressure test? It could also be a bad wire with a small crack in it and under the right conditions causing a miss. It could be a bad injector. I am a mechanic and have a 96 Ram with 230k on it so Iv been down this road with some of what you are describing but more info on the vehicle will help.

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4.7 auto 2WD


I guess if I knew how to check all the stuff everyone is suggesting I would not have taken it right to a shop. I can afford to pay (reasonably) to have my truck fixed and don't really have the time to fool around with it. I am not a motor head and in my younger days when I did fool around it usually took me a lot longer and was fustrating mainly because I was trying to fix my sole means of transportation just like now. Because I work nights and the wife days I can take her car to work.

I rebuit the top half of a Ford 351 in my 20's (well, took heads to be redone) and it took a month because I was doing it from a Chiltons manual, by myself, and trying to do it after work before it got dark (outside) and on weekends. It was a learning experience but not a good idea in the end.

I guess I wanted opinions if I was getting ripped off as I think so and apparently I am.

..BTW not a peep from the owner or the general manager on my email to them.

I had a 2006 Durango 4.7 2wd it did exactly as you says your truck does I fixed the problem so I thought I did.new iac new coils new injectors the works. It fixed it for um maybe 2 months now I don't drive it anywhere where there is stop and go traffic. I took it to McDonald's a week ago and it died twice on me in line ran like **** rpms shot way up trying to keep it from dying then dead. Started right up though going and stopping frequently kills it everytime. Even sitting at a red light the rpms will go up and down acting like it wants to die then shoot up to save it. Never dies though unless like I say. Stopping and going frequently

jayd25 said:

I had a 2006 Durango 4.7 2wd it did exactly as you says your truck does I fixed the problem so I thought I did.new iac new coils new injectors the works. It fixed it for um maybe 2 months now I don't drive it anywhere where there is stop and go traffic. I took it to McDonald's a week ago and it died twice on me in line ran like **** rpms shot way up trying to keep it from dying then dead. Started right up though going and stopping frequently kills it everytime. Even sitting at a red light the rpms will go up and down acting like it wants to die then shoot up to save it. Never dies though unless like I say. Stopping and going frequently

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Exact description of my problem just doesn't happen all the time. Word of advice.....don't take it to the dealership!!

I sent an email to Dodge explaining my dissatisfaction with the serviced I received there and sent the copy of the email I sent to the owner, besides it is pretty accurate why I am complaining. $1200 to get my truck back in the same shape is was when I dropped it off?? I also told them if I am not contacted I will probably be contacting an attorney.

Wife's Durango acted like that and it was the Crank position. Didn't fail completely at the time, just flagged that it misread a few times.

It's a sensor located lower right side on block. Access through right wheelhouse. Remove splash shield.

Mine was rusted solid. I had to grind it out with a dremel once I had tore it up enough with various other things. Small cost part. Big hassle to replace.

You should get an error flag on that.

jgln said:

Exact description of my problem just doesn't happen all the time. Word of advice.....don't take it to the dealership!!

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Yep mines doesn't do it all the time either. I talked to a buddy today and his Durango is doing it now. New I AC and cleaning throttle body will remedy it for short time but it will go back to acting up. I got rid of it cause my wife was afraid to drive it

When we first bought our Durango it stalled on startup. Happened right at the dealer as we were going to pick it up (used). I told the saleslady that I'd take it home and see if I could find out what was wrong, but if I didn't like what I found, I'd return it in 3 days. Didn't happen again fro about a week. It happened a few more times randomly.

Since the starter was starting to crank a little slow I changed the battery and it hasn't happened since. Apparently the low voltage supplied to the sensors made them give bogus readings, so the TPS didn't know where it was at or where it was supposed to be.

The IAC and TPS are, from my experience, a common issue on Dodge vehicles. Usually not expensive or difficult to clean or replace though.