biggman100

Moses, the 3 local dealers here all said to just get a reman PCM from this place in florida, since it is a Chrysler authorized rebuilder. It seems that, since the 1999 to 2005 LH bodied Chrysler cars have known PCM issues, Chrysler partnered with an outside company to supply PCM's for those cars. The dealer even said that that is where they get there PCM's for those cars from. The service manager said basically that Chrysler was, as he put it, "washing their hands of the early LH bodied fiasco". I did find out though, that the company is very easy to deal with, in terms of returns and replacements. They are even sending a replacement PCM, and said not to send the other one back, until we get the replacement. On a side note, i use a site called factory chrysler parts, that will show a breakdown of every part and part number of every part used in any Chrysler/Jeep vehicle from 1984 to current vehicles. That is how i found the original part number for the PCM, but, when i went to the dealer, they said it wasn't available, and that is when the service manager said try the place we got it from.

Moses, i am getting ready to do an automatic transmission swap on a 2004 Ford Explorer 4.0, and, my question is, since the dealer wont answer me, the shops either, there is no owners manual, and searches online contradict themselves, how many quarts of transmission fluid should the transmission i am putting in reasonably need? The transmission will be a used one, that will probably have at least some fluid in the converter, but more than likely, the yard i am getting it from drained the pan. The reason i am asking is because the transmission is a "sealed" unit, meaning no dipstick, and has to be filled using a pump through a drain plug in the base of the pan, while it is running, so, before i start it, i want to make sure i dont over or under fill it by too much, and do any damage to the replacement, which i have heard can happen, especially if too low when you start it. I was planning on putting in 7 quarts, and go from there, but, i have heard that transmission takes anywhere from 9 to 15, so which is the right answer?

alheim, welcome to the forms. Are you a member of NYC jeep club? I myself am more of a fan of Dodge trucks, but i have several friends who are big into jeeps, one of whom told me that NYC jeep club members are very much into the jeep "scene", i guess you could call it. I am a few hours from NYC, but have friends who travel to offroad events in that area, and they use the club to keep them informed of local events, as well as offer advice, so you may be able to find the right mechanic with their help.

Moses, after extensive research, i have learned that virtually every engine function, from fuel timing for the injectors, to when the coils fire (it is a COP system), to almost every other function you can think of, is controlled by the PCM. The PCM uses reference from the cam and crank sensors to tell the injectors when to open, and the coils when to fire. We tried an experiment with it, due to the cost involved, and assurances from a dealer that it wouldnt harm anything, and found a used PCM from a salvage yard, and the car ran like it should, although the MIL was on due to mismatch of odometer and vin, but, the dealer said that would happen. Afterwards, we ordered a PCM from a place out of florida, received it saturday, installed it, only to find that that PCM has issues. It is a reman, so, now i get to deal with them about getting a new one. As a side note, i have since learned that Chrysler cars from those years are known to have PCM issues, so this should make things interesting. I also learned, you cant get a new PCM for this car, only reman, and the place we got it from was recommended by the local dealer. As always, thank you for your help in solving this.

Moses, all the spark plugs are new. As for continuity between the wires and ground, the only time it gets continuity to ground is when the harness is plugged into the PCM. When it is unplugged from the PCM, there is no continuity to ground, anywhere in the harness. That is why i am pretty sure the PCM is bad, because it only gets continuity to ground when the PCM is plugged in, and only on the #4 coil.

Normally, i don't do many reviews of things i buy, but, this one is different, as well as being one i bought initially for a different use than what was intended, but it surpassed all of what i expected out of it. Lowes calls it the Pilot portable lithium ion battery pack, and, so far, the only place i have found it is Lowes. Pilot calls it the all weather power bank. I initially bought it, simply because it has a high and low setting LED light, and can be recharged in a car, or by most standard house phone chargers. However, after having it for almost a year now, some of the things i have learned is that, not only is it water resistant, it can also withstand short term immersion in transmission fluid and oil (don't ask, i'm a klutz at times), as well as being left on in the snow for 4 hours, without any harm to it, and, if you only use it as a flashlight, even on the high setting, it can go a year between recharges, even after leaving it on for long periods of time, such as overnight a couple times. When i first bought it, i was just looking for a reliable, decent, reasonably priced light that i could use in dark places when working on vehicles. I have had Dewalt, Craftsman, and a few other rechargeable flashlights, that never seem to last, and cost a lot more than the Pilot one did. One downside was that it had no real way to attach it to a vehicle to make it hands free, so, i used an epoxy, and attached a couple small magnets on the back side, that work very well for what i do. As for using it to charge a dead phone, i really have never had a need for it, but, i figured i would try it a few times just to see what it would do, so, i let an old phone of mine completely die, plugged it in to the Pilot, and it recharged it completely, in a bit less time than the regular house charger would have taken. I know there are cheaper battery packs available, although, this one was less than $18, but, so far, this is the first one i have tried that actually worked the way it was intended, and still goes longer between recharges than any other one we have tried yet.

This is actually for a 2001 Dodge Intrepid with a 2.7, but, i thought i would post this here because this issue seems applicable to any newer ECM or PCM controlled vehicle, car or truck. The issue i am having is, i recently changed the engine in a 2001 Intrepid, that has been sitting for a few years, and after it was running, it would inconsistently burn the coil on cylinder #4. The reason i say inconsistently, is due to the length of time before it would do it. Sometimes it would be 5 minutes, other times 30 minutes, other times, right after i start the car. I checked the wires at the plug, using a volt meter with an audible tone, and, if the harness is plugged into the PCM, then i get continuity between the 2 wires at the plug for the coil, but, if the harness is unplugged from the PCM, then there is no connection between the two wires in the connector for the coil. That says to me that the issue is within the PCM, however, others have said that that is not the correct way to test for a bad PCM, but noone seems to know how to test correctly for a bad PCM, or, at least, they wont tell me, they just keep saying i am testing it wrong. If i test the connector for any other coil, with or without the PCM plugged into the harness, none of the other coils have continuity, only cylinder #4. My question then is, is there anything else that could cause this issue, since it only happens when the PCM is plugged in, and doesn't happen when the PCM is unplugged. Also, the problem happens with or without the battery connected. Any help you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Moses, i know we covered this in the other post, at least a little bit, but i figured it might be better to start a whole new post about it. We have finally got around to messing with the nightmare (AKA my step-dads F-150). Because it has sat for 3 years, we changed all the fuel and brake lines, finally changed the transmission and flexplate, as well as fixed some other minor issues with it. Today, in trying to start it, i noticed that it will only start in neutral, but the indicator actually points to drive, and wont start in park. I unhooked the shift cable from the transmission, and then made sure it was in park, by moving the shift lever on the transmission manually, and it started without an issue, so, my question is, how do you adjust the shift linkage. I found the steps online, but, i dont seem to see any kind of clip in the cable at the transmission end, although i do see what appear to be teeth on the plastic part of the cable, so, what am i missing? The pics i found didnt seem to help much either, but, i cant really tell because the pics i did find arent of the best quality. Last question, how important is the whole, having a 3 pound weight hanging from the shifter? As always, thank you for your advice and help.

I had to add a new one to this, since, i cant seem to learn this one, even after all these years. I had to pressurize a cooling system, to check for leaks, and, when i was done, i forget to let the pressure off, before i removed the tester. I pulled the tester off, and, since the system was still under pressure, antifreeze shot at least 10 feet in the air, and, looked like a waterfall, and, in turn, covered me, the car, and pretty much everything around it. It was extremely fun cleaning up the mess, and, antifreeze tastes nasty, and iy is hard to get rid of the taste, as well.

As many of you already know, i have a 1994 Dakota, 3.9, 5 speed. Recently, found some major issues with the engine, so, i found a complete, good running 3.9 from a 1998 Dakota. Today, i went to swap my intake to the new engine, and, due to using the cork end gaskets, which i have since found out i wasn't supposed to, due to them being too thick, i snapped the intake in half when i went to torque it. My engine has EGR, but, the new engine doesn't, so, my question is, since everything else is the exact same on both intakes, can i use the non-EGR intake from the 98 on my 94? I know it may throw a code for the EGR not being present, but, other than that, what other issues may arise from eliminating the EGR system? The biggest reason for this is, finding an EGR intake wont be easy around here, as most of the yards are getting away from older vehicles. My biggest concerns are that i have some very long, 400 mile or more, round trips coming up, and, each of those trips will be towing a vehicle at least half way, and, i don't want to cause any damage to the new engine, and waste all the work i did.

Moses, some insight on this, after doing a air suspension to coil spring conversion on a 2004 hummer h2. The air compressor in it was extremely small, and, I would assume, that by the time it repeatedly filled even a small tank, would wear out fairly quickly. After doing tons of research on the hummer,before the conversion, even the heaviest air bags for that held, if I remember, something like 3 pounds each max. On my Dakota, and my neighbors truck, we are both looking at, at the least, 20 gallon, 145 PSI max, steel thanks. The compressor pictured is for a 2009- current gm truck, and, CFM appears to be around 1.35 PSI, but, the label looks like it says 135 PSI.

We are actually discussing taking the touch screen back out, because, my wife is the one who drives the car most, and, she absolutely hates it. The only thing I have found I really like it for is, it has built in navigation, but, other than that, the original radio does everything she wants it to.

I actually answered my own questions on this, but, for anyone who comes across this, I have verified that ANY 1992 to 2002 3.9l or 5.2l magnum long block can be used as a replacement. For the 1992 to 1996 truck, using a 1997 to 2002 long block, you only need to swap your intake, flywheel\flexplate, crank sensor, and, in my case anyway, the fan, due to the 1998, 2001, and 2002 I compared, has a slightly smaller fan, but, all the engines I compared were in 2wd trucks, so, that may be why the fan was smaller.

Moses, hopefully this is the last question on this, but, if the heads for the 3.9 are the same from 1992-2003, then, couldn't i, theoretically, just get a complete Magnum engine, up to 2003, and just swap my intake?

Moses, after some more thought on this whole thing, i got to wondering a couple of things based on your comments, such as, why does the Dakota have a 6 lug pattern in the first place? A strength issue, maybe? The rear axle is an 8 1/4, but, after some very diligent searching, i have read from many sources the 5 lug axle from the 87 to 90 Dakota is a direct swap into my axle housing, but, the 87 to 90 Dakota, i thought anyway, had a 7 1/4 rear, so, im not entirely sure if those axles are a direct swap, unless they are talking about the complete axle assembly, and, not just the axle shafts themselves. So, now, i am on a quest to find out if i could use, say, the axles from a Jeep, figuring they would be stronger than a 7 1/4 axle, but, that still leaves me with the issue of the front hubs. My front hubs are a hub/bearing assembly, and, noone lists just the hub, or, even any info on just the hub. My thought there is, if i can use the hub out of say, a jeep, since they did not make a 4x4 Dakota from 87 to 90, then, that would give me a much easier to work with 5 lug pattern, instead of my odd ball 6 lug pattern i have now. This isn't anything i am doing anytime soon, and, may not even be for another year, but, the longer it takes, the more info i can find on what is available, what is interchangeable, and, ultimately, what the best course of action is.

I am looking for some real world advice for someone who is looking to purchase either a Dodge Ram, 2003 to 2009, or Chevy 1500. He is looking for a crew cab, 4x4, automatic, gas. The reason i am asking here is because i honestly don't have much experience with either truck. My experience is limited to older Dakota's, Bronco II's, S-10's, mainly the smaller trucks, at least, from an ownership perspective. The last full size truck i owned was a 1972 Dodge D150. Anyway, what i am looking for, is advice on maintenance costs, any oddball repair issues that may crop up, real world mileage, basically anything that will help him decide which is the better choice. I know, ultimately, it is still his decision, but, i figure this may give him some good tips and pointers. I know i could go online and read reviews, but, i don't always trust those, i prefer to hear from people who actually own and use their vehicles.

An update to this. We have had the car about 16 months, and, so far, in 17,000 miles of driving (my wife drives a lot), the only issues i found are, one, if you have the windows barely down, the wind noise seems excessive, and, two, the heater can be finicky to get it so it is not too cold or too hot. On some days, typically between 35 and 45 outside temp, to keep the car a decent temp, takes a balancing act between which setting the blower is on, versus which side the hot/cold control is. Say you have the blower set on 3, then, if you have the heat setting on full hot, it gets too hot, so, you have to balance it somewhere in the middle, but, if it is on 2, you have to have the heat control all the way on high, so, its fun figuring out. My other issue with it is, i found a factory Subaru touch screen, out of a wrecked 2009 legacy, and after consulting several times with the Subaru dealer, got it installed and working, but, sometimes, due to the amount of functions, it can be very distracting to use while driving. As for maintenance, it doesn't seem any worse than any other car, except that, in all her driving, the only thing i have done so far is 2 oil changes. Now that all her usual stuff she carries is in the car, it gets right around 25.5 MPG on the highway, which is about what i expected, so, i would say, all in all, it wasn't a bad choice at all.

Everyone has at least one, whether it is from the time when you were still learning to work on cars, or, things that slipped your mind, the "simple" things, that veterans sometimes overlook, that can cause that dreaded "duh" moment. I have a couple i would like to share, the first being, not something i did, but, that someone else did, that i heard about yesterday. I am redoing the engine in my 1994 Dakota, and took the heads to have them hot tanked at a local shop, that my family has dealt with for years. While i was there, i was talking to one of the guys, who told me that someone had brought in a set of heads to have checked, and were warped as much as .24 thousands, and spec on the heads was .07 thousandths, so, just being curious, i asked what would cause that much warpage, figuring, at worst, severe overheating, and, he said he was gonna ask the owner when he came to pick them up. Well, fast forward to today, i go to pick up my heads, and happened to ask if they found out how the other heads had gotten so warped, the guy looks at me with an odd look on his face, and bursts out laughing. The owner then proceeds to tell me, the guy who owned the heads tried to clean them with a variety of methods, including, a scotch brite pad, a plastic scraper, Roloc discs, soaking them overnight in hot water and dish detergent, and when all that failed to produce a mirror finish, he went at them with a 4 1/2 inch angle grinder until they shined, then, to clean up the scratches, he used different gits of sanding paper, until they were shiny and spotless. Needless to say, the heads weren't able to be ground down flat, because it would have removed too much material. One of my own personal stories doesn't involve a truck, but, instead a Subaru, but, it taught me the value of not ever rushing, no matter how many times you may have done something before. A common issue with the 1994 to 2002 Subaru's, is the clutches in the "transfer case", or, the more correct term, extension housing, wear out, and will cause the car to, for lack of a better description, hop, when turning a corner. The reason is, torque bind due to clutches in the housing wearing out. To replace these clutches, which are in a drum in a housing in the back of the transmission, you have to take off the housing on the rear of the transmission, remove a clip in the drum, and then swap out the 6 clutch disks, that have a steel spacer between each clutch, then, put the clip back in that holds the clutches into the drum. When you put that drum back onto the back of the transmission, the teeth on the clutches have to be in a straight line, or, the drum wont seat properly. Well, i was replacing the clutches in a 1998 Legacy, got in a hurry, didn't make sure the clutches were lined up, then, proceeded to put the rear housing back on, and, cracked the housing in 4 places trying to use the bolts to draw it in. I found out then, most salvage yards wont sell just the housing, and, from Subaru, it is almost $400, so, in not being patient, i ended up with a very costly mistake.

Actually, the problem is with the 3.9 v-6 block in the 94, not the 5.2 v-8 block in the 1995, so, what i am looking for is interchange info for the 3.9l v-6. I am assuming, since the 3.9 is basically a 5.2 with 2 cylinders removed, that the interchange info for both the 3.9 and 5.2 would be the same, but, i don't want to go through the work of getting a bottom end, when i will have to pull the heads and intake myself, before i can get it, without knowing what year bottom ends i can actually use.

Hi Moses. I know we have went over this a few times, but, when i went back over what we covered, i only found info on the 3.9 heads, and the entire 5.2, as to what will interchange with what, so, i just wanted to clarify one thing with you. Is the info for the 5.2 short block, that it is used from 1992 to 2002, the same as for the 3.9l v-6? The reason i am asking is, i thought i blew a head gasket in my 94 Dakota, but, after taking the heads off, i found that every one of the water jackets where the head bolts go, are cracked all the way through, on both sides of the bolt hole, and, finding an older (1992-1996) short block is near impossible around here, however, i can find a ton of 1997-2002 complete engines and short block's all over, so, im hoping to just get a newer bottom end, and drop my heads and intake on it.

Moses, so far, i havent found any info at all on even who makes the compressor. I looked on my dakota, and the spare compressor i have, and cant find a label anywhere. However, i dont think they are self oiling, simply because, mine has ran with the lines detached for at least a year now, and, when you try to engage the clutch, it completely locks up and wont even spin by hand. I took my compressor, unhooked the belt, applied volatage to lock the clutch, and, nothing would turn, so, i think its froze up from lack of oil.

Moses, i am looking for ECU part numbers to swap a 5.2 into my 1994 Dakota with the AX15 manual trans. One thing i did learn, that i dont know if it will make a difference or not, the 95 had a clutch interlock, but, the 94 didnt. What im trying to figure out is, which ECU's i can use, whether from a Dakota, Ram, or fullsize van, with a v-8 and manual trans. As always, your help is greatly appreciated.

I know i covered some of this, with different ideas, in the dodge section, but, this time, its about a different approach. My neighbor has a 1992 dakota, that he removed the A/C components (lines, evaporator, condensor), but, due to the belt drive, left the compressor attached to the engine. He asked me the other day if anyone makes a kit, or what parts are needed, if possible, to convert his A/C compressor to an onboard air compressor. I have never seen it done, but, i figure someone has to have done it at some point, so, i figured i would ask here. What he wants to do is, convert the compressor, and, then, plumb it into a 20 gallon tank in the bed of his truck, that way, he has an emergency air source, if he ever needs it. I did some searching online, and didnt see where anyone made a kit to do it that way, or, even a parts list of what would be needed for a conversion like that. If anyone has ever done it, let me know what parts you used, and where might be the best place to get them. Thanks in advance for any help you guys can give me.

Speed. i agree with Moses on carb choice. Coming from a racing family, mainly dirt track street stock and modifieds, my dad would only use Holley carbs, but, on his street vehicles, such as his tow vehicle, a 1969 chevy 1 ton, or a 1972 ford f-250, he would either use Carter or Motorcraft carbs, due to the fact that he could set the carb once, get it tuned and running right, and never have to touch it again, whereas on the Holleys, every time we went to a different track, he would have to adjust the carb for everything from altitude to how the engine was timed, and, he once told me he would never use a Holley in a street vehicle, simply because they could be a real bear to make run for all conditions. On the f-250, he owned that truck 15 years, and never once did he ever mess with the carb settings on it, even after replacing the timing chain twice in it. On my blue and white B-II, he used a motorcraft carb, which i don't remember which model, but, i do remember that once it was set up, i never had any driveability issues with it at any point in the months that i owned it before it was destroyed, but, before he did that, the factory carb that came with it had all kinds of issues, some from vacuum leaks, some from the carb sitting and the bowl being pitted from having old gas left in it. That truck was originally carbureted, so we didn't have the ECM and wiring issues you have on yours, but, it was severely neglected before i got it. After fixing the carb, timing, vacuum, and fuel issues with it, i could use it for everything from a daily driver, to a light duty tow vehicle, to a mud truck, to an out of the way camping vehicle, and not one time did i have issues related to the carb. My brother, on the other hand, had a custom 1989 s-10 with a 350 and turbo 400 conversion, with a Holley carb, and he was always having issues with it running rich or lean, or misfiring, depending on where we happened to be at the time. My wife does amateur rally racing, and i would use my Dakota to tow her rally car, and he would use his s-10 to tow a support trailer, and the one time we went to michigan, he had to stop 11 times because his truck wasn't running right. As a side note, my dad absolutely hates EFI, and swears he can tune any carb to perform the same as or better than an EFI engine, as well as getting the same or better fuel mileage, so, i grew up around mainly carbureted vehicles, and even some EFI to carb retrofits.

I may have fixed the 4 wheel drive issue myself, but, im lost on what might have caused it to happen in the first place. I found the diagram for the fuse box, figured out which fuse is for the 4wd, replaced it, and now the 4 wheel drive light works, and there is power at the actuator, so, it seems the fuse was the issue, but, my question is, what caused it to blow in the first place. Would driving it at highway speeds in 4hi cause the fuse to blow? Or, would something else be the more logical reason?