Idle trouble when cold
Asked by Ted Jan 13, 2011 at 12:18 PM about the 2003 Dodge Dakota
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
Hey guys, with just a few more miles away from pushing the 150,000 mark, my 2003 3.9L dakota has thrown me a
curve ball. When it starts up on a cold morning, it starts, but idles very very low and fluctuates, occasionally
stalling. if you give it gas, it'll run fine until you take your foot off. in fact, that's how you get it to warm up quicker.
once the engine is just a little warm, it idles fine. If you turn it off then back on, it'll start up like it's brand new. I'm
at a loss of what's wrong. I'm guessing a sensor somewhere on the throttle body, but it doesnt explain why it runs
fine when it's warm. Any ideas would help.
9 Answers
Is it happening at any point on a tank of gas. Full, half, 1/4, under a 1/4?
happens at any point in time. I thought about water in the gas tank, and that's a good possibility. does water move to the top or bottom of gas, or does it mix?
I was thinking it could be your fuel pressure regulator. Mine does the same thing. Idles extremely rough and sometimes dies when I stop and I know my regulator is going.
get the idling checked on ur dakota. and also the fuel pressure pump might need replacement. http://dodge-dakota.org/2002-pictures/
Has it goten any better? I got to thinking it could just be the cold, now that the sub zero temperatures have stopped my trucks been running good.. So it very well might just be the cold
I'm thinking it's just new spark plugs. I put 93 gas in it and now it runs like a champ. I'm not the original owner, and I can't tell you when the last time those were replaced. I may drop a 5.2 in come summertime, that should fix any issues with the engine running rough =P
The first start it takes a while to turn over and start! After that it seems fine for the rest of the day.
Idle air control, my 2000 does the same exact thing, I pull the IAC and clean it reinstall and it works great for a few months then starts doing it again and I repeat. I just need to replace it
