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Thanks Cap269.
I’m probably going to get myself set up in the next week to be able to leave it sit for a day or two and slather the bolts and nuts with lube and replace them all. Hopefully nothing is cracked and that stud left a bit hanging out. The break was right at the end of the threads where the flat part is so I guess it depends on how well they were sunk before putting the manifold on.I just went out to try it and opened the hood to let some light on the situation. It has been suggested the exhaust may be leaking so I took and open end to get the size and it moved the nut on the front passenger side exhaust manifold stud. So I got the ratchet and in less than 1/4 turn it was snapped off. Its got toms of corrosion in the break so I;m guessing someone else started to noticed it broke and stopped before breaking it off.
That took the wind out of my sails a bit. I was looking at possibly running new pipe with new Cat back to the muffler or maybe all the way. But I still have to isolate this Cat thing to be sure about it. The other stud and two bolts are plenty tight I don’t expect a change in operation and it wasn’t leaking so much I could hear or notice it standing over the spot for a very long time while it ran.
So once I am happy with how it runs at the least I have to drill that out and replace the fasteners.
The ticking is probably the lifters but when i had the top off to do the plenum I figured it was the lack of the tensioner at the timing chain so I just did the timing chain. I may just take a break with working on it once i get it running good enough so I can take some road trips maybe hook up a trailer to see how it feels & to see how I like it. If I want to go back to using standard I may sell it then and get a different truck more suited to my needs. I will definitely do much more research on that. But at least I’ll be able to get my money back if I get this thing running right.The temps were probably low because the first set was at the Home Despot parking lot which is less than 10 miles and it had been sitting for say 10 minutes. I did have it idling while I took the temp. Then I drove around town and on the Hwy some more maybe 10 miles more to make it warmer and when I got home that is the second set as soon as I shut it down.
IDK if there is an EGR issue. I had the code when I bought it and I removed it and replaced it. It never set a code again. I think the Midas guy wanted to do diagnostics and was trying to feel me out for what I knew. It felt real ‘used car salesman’ to me. The EGR on this model comes with the transducer as part of it. here is a ebay page the first one is what it looks like.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/items/?_nkw=DODGE+EGR+VALVE+4287782,+92-97+DAKOTA+3.9L,+94-97+RAM+1500+3.9L,+94-97+VAN+3.9L&_sacat=&_ex_kw=&_mPrRngCbx=1&_udlo=&_udhi=&_sop=12&_fpos=&_fspt=1&_sadis=&LH_CAds=&rmvSB=true
The one I removed was really plugged with soot in those holes on bottom. It seemed toasted to me.
Last night I went out and disconnected the EGR wiring cleaned both sides and put on some dielectric grease and the same with the intake air temp sensor. There were no obvious problems in the vac lines I could see. I could not find the solenoid that the Haynes manual mentions. It seems like the EGR is just one of many things in a long loop of vacuum connected items. If there is a solenoid somewhere it may be causing a problem sending in exhaust gas into the intake at the wrong time diminishing the oxygen level. I drove it some and it still has the ticking (lifter?) noise on the hill. I went up to 55 and it seems to be still wanting to drop RPMs while accelerating through 50mph. I did not notice a difference by messing with the EGR and the Intake temp sensor.
I honestly get the feeling that most of the “mechanics” in business around here are just book learning mechanics and have no knowledge of how to make motors run good if the necessary info is not in an instruction manual and that they have to go through that manual to find and fix anything. Well I suspect some of them do but it is more lucrative to pretend they don’t. I’d expect a mechanic to know some things and well this motor is known for a lot of the issues I have had. I’d have expected a mechanic who has dealt with them to say “this is a prob and these are the most common fixes to the problem”. I expected that 21 years on these things would be common knowledge in the industry.
The Midas guy shot himself in the foot by making the “they never clog they melt” claim because literally a minute earlier he had described the symptoms of a clogged Cat! People sometimes huh? (Edit: Oh yea he also tried to get the temp sensor test being the correct temps past me too!) Anyway I called another Midas about 60 miles away and the guy who answer did almost the same thing except he didn’t bother giving me the price quote for it he went right into trying to talk me into diagnostics. Must be the same franchise owner. My experience with Midas is that they are straight forward with quotes and if they believed I had to eliminate other possibilities first they say that and leave it there or provide the quote for that elimination procedure.
I’ll watch the vid. I don’t recall if the Cat is welded up front or not its definitely clamped at the rear. BTW this is an OBDI and it only has the single preCat O2 sensor. If I do that removal drive test since I do not have the bushings necessary to make any gauge fit the O2 sensor I will probably have to disconnect the pipe behind the Cat and drive with that open.I have spoken to Midas and the guy quoted the price then put an awful lot of effort into talking me out of it. First he said that the temp was supposed to be hot in front and cooler in back. When I stated that I had read differently he went into a schpeil without acknowledging that or stating yes or no to it. I had been told the temp thing by the Radiator/muffler shop I usually use yesterday as well. They said that is how they check.
Then He started by saying “I hate it when people say “my Cat is bad” then asked me some questions and i generally described the RPM issue and how it seems like something is actively taking away power sometimes when I am trying to make power. He brought up the EGR and when I told him I had replaced it since it had a code when i bought it and the code never came back. he said “that doesn’t mean anything”?!?!?!? Then he threw a red herring at me by asking if I had “changed the transducer with the EGR. I didn’t know and I figured he was talking about the part that is attached to it out of the box but was not sure and he ran with that and started saying stuff about how vacuum should be opening an closing it a the right times and that I need to get a gauge and drive it around to watch it and compare to the specs. Sheesh! then he said “Chrysler usually sends two when you get a transducer just to be sure it works” ????!
Well I looked it up and it is the darn part that comes with it & the harness plugs into and has the plastic diaphragm and tubes coming from it back to the EGR. All is connected and there is no sign of a leak in the vacuum lines. I’m petty sure there would have been sign of it when I was spraying cleaner around the area looking for one while it was running.
What I think I understand from all that is that the Cat cannot be causing me problems if it is not totally plugged up. ????
He wants me to think the EGR may not be opening and closing at the right time. He suggests I put a gauge in the O2 hole to see that I have less then .5lbs pressure or to drive it without the sensor in to see if it runs better. He obliquely took several shots at me for “throwing parts at the problem” ie install the EGR for the code without first chasing down the whole system. I didn’t give him the satisfaction but it was pretty much plugged up and worn out when I removed it to look at maybe cleaning it that is why I replaced it.
He created just enough annoyance I am doubting myself right now. He also said something about Cat’s not ever getting plugged he said they melt from within Starting new as a honeycomb and over time wearing out and melting down. That;s a first for me. I have never ever heard that assertion before.
I have the feeling this guy was full of it and trying to take advantage of technicalities and careful wording to make money like a scumbag would.The rich fuel smell has happened several times. I do not notice it most of the time. I don’t know what it is since its not continuous. That day I smelled it at the front of the truck with the hood open and the wind wafted the exhaust up front. I have smelled it when I started then pulled out through the exhaust as I backed out. There is no smoke except for when I did that wet compression test. It occurs as I write and have looked at a cat for dummies diag page that this thing may not be working properly even if its not full of loose stuff.
Edit: I went out to get a thermometer and it drove waaay better. It only did that RPM kickdown near fifty once that I noticed. Is is smooth and well I assume I knocked something loose on the Cat when I smacked it yesterday. The temp semsor said the Cat was 114 in front and 95-99 in back at Home despot when I got home it was 168 at the front weld and 125 behind the clamp at the back. I’m thinking that in spite of having passed the vacuum test the Cat should be replaced.
When I put in the Hughes Engines Plenum Kit I replaced all sensors in the Intake and the TB. The TPS had been replaced sometime after I did the EGR but before I learned enough to find out about the Plenum issue so it is a bit older by a few months than the IAC, and MAP sensor. The O2 sensor, there is only one, is new in that time span as well. The guy who hooked up his Solus to see if he could check the Injector Sync showed me the O2 sensor reading going from rich to lean back and forth and said that means its good. Someone else confirmed that but it makes no sense to me as the motor should stay stable imo.
I had the intake tanked and i got one of those gallon cans of cleaner and soaked the TB in it.
I’ll have to ask about the Transmission control module.It has been suggested that the fuel pump may be the issue. I do not think the pump is it but there is an issue I think had a TSB with the wiring to the pump. It’s possible but the nature and circumstances of the issue when it occurs seems like it is something governing the power the motor makes not intermittent fuel starvation. The recent improvement at 0-40 makes this even more unlikely imo.
EDIT: if you know this vehicle has a TCM please let me know where it is. I am researching and have found some info indicating it may be the problem. I’m unable to find anything specific to the 42RH transmission so far. Some info indicates the TCM may be integral to the PCM. I wish I would have bought that Jet performance computer upgrade with scanner to change settings when I could.
Edit2: Called dealer I do not have a TCM. I spoke to a service guy (different dealer from the guys who said it was fine) he suggested exhaust restriction. I had done a vacuum test according to Eric’s instructions and it passed. He thinks Cat may be clogged and suggested removed O2 sensor and driving it to see if the problem improves or goes away. I may do that since it’s cold right now.
Edit3: I got a gauge to test fuel pressure. It is 37-40 psi. When revving it stays steady. around 39. I got a 1lb rubber hammer and smacked the Cat a few times. There is nothing inside it shaking or moving around. I did not remove the O2 Sensor.
I’m with Fopeano, Learn how to get it moving without killing it by letting out the clutch. That way they get to know the spot they will need to let it out to before the gas catches. Another thing to learn which can cause panic (I know as I had no idea until I was in it) is how to take off on a hill. Its the same principle of letting the clutch out to the catch point then giving it the gas. Let the kid practice both a lot before letting them face traffic. My old man just screamed at me, it was no fun.
I may be describing this poorly but I think other standard drivers know what I mean.MDK22
I just had it idling for a bit and sprayed some stuff on it to see if there was a vacuum leak. No such luck.. It was idling with the shudder when it started then it sped up and settled down into smooth idling. I redid the snap peddle test and it did not die after 4 times.
I had put a bottle of Lucas gas treatment in a couple days go when I filled up. Less than 50 miles on it. The injectors are new. I put the air cleaner in when I first bought it same principle as the plugs wires etc. I suppose it could be plugged but it looks fine.
The tranny issue preceded the rebuild. It was actually a lot worse before the rebuild. It was gone after the rebuild and responded like a normal car for a few weeks then the old issues slowly crept back in. Edit: Actually now that I think of it the first time I went over the hill and got on the Hwy it was great accelerated perfectly. Then after that every time I got on the Hwy the old issues started coming back with less and less snappiness in getting on the Hwy. I pretty much have to punch it getting on now instead of just holding it halfway and it going as it should.
I suspect the dealer either adjusted the outside band or dropped the pan like I asked them to to make sure the 1-2 accumulator was a new aluminum one and not the old OE plastic crap. If they dropped the pan they may have made the improvement by adding the correct amount and type of fluid back in or by putting in a good accumulator or both. IDK its all speculation since they claim they could find nothing. But the problem is the same one I was trying to isolate before I had the tranny rebuilt. Whatever they did it acts better at speeds up to 40mph now than it did before. I’d have to say it is acting normally in that range.It rode downhill silently only the tires on road making a sound up to 35mph.
I did the pedal snap test when I got back with it really warmed up and it did fine. ?? I suspect it has more meaning that it stalled out when it was just warm.The issues are mostly random. The hwy issue is that it is during acceleration rpms are in the 22-2500 range and then they just drop off to 17-1800. The vehicle is still accelerating but a lot less quckly and with a LOT less power at the pedal.
If I am cruising (no cruise control) and want to accelerate it should just do so as I press down but it doesn’t until the pedal goes down more than an inch and then only very slowly. If I mash it down it will kick down and jump but within a few seconds even with the pedal still mashed something takes over and drops the rpms out form under me and it slows it down. Say I’m cruising at 65 and 1900rpms and i need to get by someone quickly to leave the left lane open. I punch it and it kicks down & goes then once it reaches about 2500rpms and maybe 70-75mph something just takes over and yanks all that power out from under me slowing the motor down dropping the rpms and it seems like trying to make me go slower. I have to let the pedal up some and mash it again to get it to go again. This is going to get me killed.
Edit; That anecdote aside and this may seem odd to you but I can drive it up to and cruise at 70-75mph?!
The slow speed issues seem to have been fixed by the dealer who claims they did not adjust anything. I suspect they did something to correct a mistake made by the rebuild guy and do not want to tell me. Even if it was just dropping the pan then adding back the correct amount and type of oil could have done this but I suspect they also replaced the 1-2 accumulator which was plastic and very loose in the OE version and the improved one is aluminum and fits tight. I think the rebuild guy did not do the reman with top notch new improved parts he said he would.On the coasting test this morning I went up a couple of hills at 25-30 mph without moving the pedal and it kicked down several times as the hill got steeper to hold the same speed. That is what it should do on the Hwy as well as simply just go when I ask it to without all the drama.
It is a 94 Dakota 3.9 with All OEM equipment. I suspect the tranny may no longer be since the “rebuild”. I started this thread to find out how or where to get a crate motor for this machine if I need it as my research turns up the usual iffy no one will guarantee anything unambiguously stuff that is such a drain on our economy. I adjusted the TV cable this morning. It was about a 1/2 inch from the tab when I disconnected it. That is how the tranny rebuild gut set the new cable I gave him. That is not right so I set it right., I can’t really tell but it seems to have made the improvements at 0-40 once i got it back from the dealer even smoother.
First I did the put it in neutral then slow gas up to almost 5k and drop and it was doing fine. There is that shudder or vibration which it never had before the tranny rebuild now. Some say it is the “missing cylinder” the dealer who I just got it back from claims it has nothing to do with the motor or tranny.. “Then why does it only happen with the motor running ?”
Then I did the snap test. First one it went up to 2800 and back down to 400 and idled, second one it went up to 3100 and back down then idled third time it went over 4K and came down then struggled for a couple seconds and died. Restarted and it did the same thing twice more actually dying faster each time.
As I mentioned previously one of the guys I took it to did the power break test and the wheels ended up breaking traction.
I’ve done the AC test just now and it had no effect. Something that does stand out is that the exhaust fumes smell very rich.
I haven’t gone looking for a hill yet. Will do in a minute. I’ll go find a hill and come back and get on that next post.MDK22,
So I’m starting to go through your instruction list and felt like I should fill in where innocent inference has been incorrect. Staring my second coffee 🙂
“You have put a lot of money into this vehicle. You have changed a ton of parts. None of which have fixed the problem.”
Yes and no. You may have an incorrect impression because of the symptoms that bring me here in this thread.
Most of the things I did were effective at improving or correcting the processes that lead me to do them. I knew it was shifting bad when I bought it. But it was cheap enough and clean enough that I figured for about what I have spent right now or less, it would be like new. It idled very good had no vibrations or noises and was straight and rust free.
For instance replacing the EGR was because that is the only code this thing had when I bought it. I did the plugs cap rotor coil wires just because I do that to all vehicles when I buy them unless the existing are very new.
I did the plenum kit because it ran out of gas on a full 22gallon tank at 175 miles. Turns out that OE plenum is a major problem with these. I did the timing chain and added the tensioner because I found that TSB while researching how to do the plenum and had the motor open anyway.
I did the cam sensor after those projects as I was focusing on how well it ran in an attempt to isolate the possibility that the shifting issues were motor related.
After that I drove it a while and it seemed like it had stabilized with no new issues coming up over several months and the existing issues staying stable so I took it in to a shop and asked that they check to see the motor was running “as it should be”. $89 later they said it was, “:may have slight miss” but there was not then and never has been a code for it, and that I should get the tranny rebuilt. When I got it back one of the pulley’s started squealing as I pulled out of the lot. There had never been any noise from any part of the motor. It’s a Ca. truck and if you did not know the Smog control regs there pretty much make sure any vehicle legally on the road is in tip top shape. It has done an awful lot to eliminate the lemon market there.
Earlier this year I had the tranny done. When the truck started acting funny again over the last two months, I changed the crank sensor which made a huge difference in how it ran, yet I still have the issue with it acting strange. And here I am.
Alright back to the instructions.This is very weird, for you guys. For me this is how my life has been since I moved here 12 years ago.
I got to the dealer and suddenly there were no test results to be seen. He totally bailed on the compression test and still claimed the guy did the Injector sync check. The BS ensued. I spoke to the mechanic and he said he things the sync was -2 when I pointed out he should have adjusted it to zero or maybe +2 (you know because he’s looking at it because the motor is acting funny) he stands on the specs. I point out that they are from -6 to +6 that the better setting if not at zero the exact spec Chrysler calls for is +. He looked at me funny. I then asked of he drove it… He interrupted and spilled his rehearsed schpeil about how it shifted perfectly, nothing wrong in the motor etc (all based on allegedly reading the codes.) then I finished and said At up to and over 65 on the Hwy and uphill at a steady 25-30. And he kept trying to interrupt and answer without answering me. I asked 3 times and he walked away. I was raising my voice by then. So no they didn’t do as I asked and tried to claim I never asked. He charged me $100 claiming it was for only one hour not the three he spent on it. So after all that they did absolutely nothing from what they told me they just lied. I was so freaking livid.
THEN I drove away. On the hwy it was doing its usual making me have to stand on it to accelerate instead of doing so when I pressed the pedal a bit. I drove around a bit then came home. The rad was leaking when I went back out a few minutes later. I filled the overflow tube. Then I did some shopping its rush hour and there is a lot of construction in town. It stayed cool and the tranny acted like I was in a different truck. At speeds from 0-35-40 its is acting like a normal vehicle so far. I didn’t have to think about countering what the motor does and I could rely on the vehicle to respond properly to my input at the pedal.!!!!!
It did lose power in the way I’ve been complaining about coming over the hill on the way home though. It held 55 for the bottom 1/3 then just started losing speed as I held the pedal without moving it the speed went down to 45 then I hit it. (That is not normal all auto tranny vehs I have owned hold the speed or kick down without me having to move the pedal.) When I pushed it down it had to go 3 inches before the motor reacted and kicked down. Once it hit about 57mph the rpms dropped and it dropped down to 45mph again. So ….???My take is that the mechanic did adjust something and for whatever reason did not want to say so. Probably to cover for the other guys or just to avoid having to come to court and testify to what they found. Its been crazy like that since I moved here. I think this is the first time any of these weird events where people do things then pretend they didn’t has benefited me.
I prefer Standard tranny and usually have one. For the record All automatic vehicles I have owned 68 Riviera, 73 I forget big Chrysler boat, 95 Pathfinder, 99 Passat in all of them, the motors ran in order from not so great to great and responded to my input at the pedal without me having to think about it. This 94 Dak has had me fighting it as it either does not respond, responds to slowly or counter acts my input at the pedal when its acting up. I have never had to pay this much attention to what my motor was doing anxiously waiting for it to put me in danger by dropping the power out form under me randomly. It’s nice that it behaved well while doing my shopping today but but I am leary.
Dealer called said nothing was wrong with my truck. Told me Fuel sync was within spec, told me the compression was in spec. (clearly implying he had done one but leaving room for that remark being in reference to my test) “transmission shifted great”. The guy who I had check it had one of these and says it ran just like his.” Its not good as far as I can tell because you just can’t miss how badly this thing is performing unless you want to.
Anyway he went on “I’ll only charge you one hour diagnosis”. I said ok asked for a ride and he said there was no one to come get me today.
I took a shower and realised I did not get the numbers. I called back and asked if he had the results and he said “I told you” I said “No You said “within spec” I’m asking for the actual numbers”. He had attitude about it. “That’s on the ? sheet” So they have my truck for 2 1/2 days and I got nuttin out of it. I can’t get there except by bus which won’t leave for 3+ hours.
I guess if this is normal (something I do not believe at all) then I have been spoiled by foreign vehicles. there is simply too much power in this thing when the stars align and it works as it should for there not to be any problems. Something is not right and its not “tired motor”. Never heard of that before.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!I feel much better now. :-))
Oh yea he said the shudder is not in the motor. ?!?!?!?!??!?!?!? Then where the F is it!
Thanks but it is at the dealer and has been since Tuesday morning. I’m hoping they call me today with news. The service guy was stressing out because people were calling him with stuff they wanted for the 4th so close to the 4th.
$4K for a tranny rebuild! Zoinks. The guy who hooked up the snapon said he would have charged $1350 I paid $1980.
The “Different shop” guy tried a stall test after he heard it running so much better than the compression numbers I have indicated it should. He stepped on the breaks and hit the gas a couple times and he got the wheels to burn rubber for a sec. It never stalled.It is late in the day and I have not heard from them. Here is the write up I gave them to assist in diagnosing it. I inserted “shop name” and other clever devices for the proper names I listed on the original. It isn’t as confusing as it might seem at first each different person or shop has a specific name.
For Dodge dealer
Original issue since purchase Sep 2013;
Transmission is shifting with no pattern and the RPMS stay too low. If I get them up they drop off even while I am still accelerating or climbing. If I punch it they go up for a few seconds then back down almost as if something is forcing them down tying to stop the motor from making power.
On hills the truck feels very weak and the power it has on the flat seems to disappear unless I floor it. It just won’t climb normally shifting, as it needs to on its own. The motor ran smoothly with no noise other than what sounded like a lifter on hills or vibration.What I have done to the truck.
I have put in a new EGR, timing chain and tensioner, Hughes Engines Plenum, TPS, IAC, MAP, Cam Sensor, Crank Sensor, intake Air temp and the two coolant temp sensors, Oil sensor, pcv valve, plugs, cap, rotor, wires coil. I disconnected the ECM and cleaned the pins with CRC lectra motive cleaner and used Dielectric grease on them.
I took it in to Radiator Shop on 11th for a motor flush radiator check and coolant fill after I did the Timing chain and Plenum at the same time. I also changed the oil (Jiffy Lube whatever stock oil they use for this vehicle) and then changed it again a few weeks later sacrificing the first one to make sure anything floating in it was let out.After all that work the original issue that would seem to get better with each change came back. I took it to Shop Name asking them to test the motor to see if they could find anything wrong with it. I did not give them symptoms I wanted them to find what the proper tests would. They told me the motor was fine, “It may have a slight miss”!? There was no code for it. They instructed me to get the tranny rebuilt and recommended TrannyShopname. That was last summer. I went in to have it done at TrannyShopname earlier this year and TrannyShopname Owner said he would rebuild it with all updates and improved parts. It felt good after I got it and did OK around town but slowly the original issues as described came back with a new issue, the motor has a shudder in it that feels like something rotating with the motor is out of round. It is very noticeable now. I took it back to the tranny guy this was one of the issues aside from it still shifting with no pattern and the RPM issue. He kept it overnight and said it was my motor. He said it was missing. Now it has a radiator leak.
I was frustrated. After cooling off the next day I did a compression test with my Harbor Freight kit. I have never done one before but it seemed simple enough.
I did dry then wet and cranked it 5 times each cylinder. In order down the sides front to back.
Cyl 1- dry 135psi wet172psi
Cyl 3- dry 132psi wet179psi
Cyl 5- dry140psi wet185psi
Cyl 2- dry105psi wetq42psi
Cyl 4- dry130psi wet185psi
Cyl 6- dry122psi wet165psi
Even knowing nothing I figured that was bad. I was referred to by Radiator Shop guy (I trust him) to Owner at Different shop. I showed him that result and he gave me the bad news. Then I asked him to come listen to the motor and he immediately said I must have done something wrong because the motor was running too good for that result to be right. He suggested I go to see Ind. mechanic X. Ind mechanic X had no solutions and was very busy. I ended up speaking to Owner at Different shop on the phone later thinking that he might do a correct compression test for me. He said it would be a waste of my money, He said I should change the oil and add one quart of Marvel Mystery oil or Risolone in place of one of the quarts. He then said I might go see Different Tranny man at X Transmissions. I spoke to Different Tranny man, he was free right then so I drove out there. He hooked up his SnapOn scanner and we drove it up and down Hwy on the flats. He said he could not see it doing anything wrong. Wouldn’t ya know it didn’t act up. I took it in and had the oil changed they told me my rad cap was bad and a turn signal was out. I replaced both after the oil change.
On Friday I spoke to the mechanic who shares Different Tranny Man’s space with him and he said he could do a leak down test on Monday. Monday he took out the plugs. Had me crank it for 6 cranks and said the #2 cyl pressure was now 115psi (I suspect that improvement may be the extra crank) He then got out his SnapOn leak down tool and tested Cyl#2 and #6 then put all the plugs back in and he drove it. He seemed to think the test on the two bad cylinders indicated there was no problem leakage via the head or crankcase. I think it was just at the limit of the acceptable range.I happen to suspect the fuel Injector sync is off. I also saw something about a TSB on the ECM’s causing issues with smooth acceleration. I could not find the TSB itself.
It ran without shuddering until the tranny rebuild.
I don’t feel safe because I cannot rely on it to do what it should without me having to think about it all the time. I almost got hit merging when it lost RPM’s as I went through 50mph. It kept accelerating but at a much slower rate forcing the guy I was merging in front of to change lanes when he should not have had to. Its hell on gas as well when I have to punch it all the time and can’t just smoothly accelerate.I found this link today the second list is for the 3.9/ There are several tranny TSB’s. I had the safety recall done. Chrysler told me to get it done when they sent the build sheet. The stock steering wheel cover can trap the keys. http://www.dakota-truck.net/TSB/2wd94