[dajeep]

As some of you have read about my adventures with the 1995 Dakota 2.5 liter, I transplanted a 1991 rebuilt motor into the truck. The original (95) motor came with an aluminum valve cover which I switched over to the 91 motor. My question is if the "sheet metal curtain" should have been installed under the 95 valve cover ? The 95 motor didn't have a curtain on it but the previous owner had been into it and I don't know if he left the curtain out. If it needs a curtain, is there a difference between the 95 and 91 curtains? What is driving this question is that I am using oil and was thinking that not having the curtain in place could allow oil to be drawn thru the PCV valve and into the intake manifold. Thanks for any thoughts you may have. Don

 

[Bob Lincoln]

It's for noise and splash control, but not critical. My 92 and 93 Daytonas have had one. I think the thick cast aluminum covers are the only ones that didn't have it.

 

[dajeep]

Thanks for the reply Bob. Another problem has cropped up and I think it may be fuel pump related. The truck will run for a short time then die. It was restarting but then would die again. I checked the timing belt and timing and found them okay.I replaced the fuel filter. I also installed a pressure gauge upstream of the throttle body. It read about 13 p.s.i. ( increments of five p.s.i.) I changed the coil and started the truck and let it idle for 20 minutes and it ran fine. About two hours later I tried to test drive it and got maybe fifty yards before it died again. Any ideas? Thanks, Don.

 

[dana44]

Are you sure it is fuel related? How did the fuel filter look? They have plastic tanks as you know, so it can't be rust from the tank itself, but the lines are steel. What about the throttle body injection itself. Has that been gone through?

 

[dajeep]

Dana44 - I haven't done anything to the throttle body.I did flow water thru the old filter after I removed it. It had some light yellow stuff come out of it.but it may have been gas.The filter flowed well.I will put the gauge on it again this afternoon.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

13 psi is way too low. Should be at least 39 psi.

Be sure the fuel lines are connected correctly. Return line is 1/4" hose and should go back to the tank, either to the sending unit or the pump, depending on vintage. The vent line goes from the vapor canister underhood, and the purge solenoid, to the vent valve on top of the tank. It's also 1/4" hose. If you mix these two up, it can cause poor operation and suction in the vent system that makes the pump strain.

 

[dana44]

Is it a throttle body injection engine or a MPFI injector engine?

 

[dajeep]

It is a TBI unit.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

1991 appears to be a changeover year from 14 psi to 39 psi, so chances are that your pressure is correct.

 

[dana44]

You have enough pressure for TBI. Does this have a TPS? Possibly a ground problem, resulting as soon as the truck is moving and jostling around?

 

[Bob Lincoln]

Check fault codes.

http://www.allpar.com/fix/codes/index.html

 

[dajeep]

It does have a throttle position sensor.I will run the codes tomorrow. I am thinking that the pump could be failing after it is run under load. I really hope it is not the pump because it is a pain to change. I did change the pump on the 1991 when I was driving it and the symptoms were similar.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

Pumps usually die a hard death, or just stick and work intermittently, rather than fail as you think it might.

 

[dajeep]

I am thinking that the pump might be intermittent. After I take the granddaughter to school I will get back to work on it. I will keep you guys posted with what I find. Thanks.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

By intermittent, I meant that it would not die while running for a period of time, but that it simply would not start, unless you tap on the gas tank with a mallet. More likely that your Hall effect pickup is going bad. But run the code check first.

 

[dana44]

I agree. You can give the pump a tap on the outside of the tank, too, sometimes that makes them work for a bit longer. Given you only get to drive a few feet before she dies after idling for 20 minutes, even that isn't an indication of a bad pump or Hall Effect, but I would go with that before the pump. Check wiring connections, something loose or not tight, or even a wire being loose. I had a 95 2.5 that actually caught fire from wiring under the hood, two days sooner I drove her 350 miles one way without a problem. Are you getting any strange volt gauge movement prior to dying?

 

[dajeep]

Well, I checked the fault codes but apparently I had erased them earlier when I disconnected the battery. I got a code 12 and a code 55 and that was all that was stored. I connected the fuel pressure gauge back in the 5/16-inch line at the TBI . If it quits again, I will check the gauge firs to see if the pump quit. I also disconnected the the lead to the coil and reconnected it just for the heck of it. It restarted and I have driven it about 20 miles so far this afternoon with no problems. I will keep you posted when/if it starts acting up again.

 

[dajeep]

Well guys, We have been driving the Dakota since I last posted and it seems to be running fine. I will take the fuel pressure gauge off and keep my fingers crossed. My only concern is that the oil consumption seems high for a professionally rebuilt engine.It has plenty of power for a 2.5 liter engine and I haven't found any external leaks. The engine had about 240,000 miles on it when it was rebuilt.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

How many miles per quart? When fairly new, these motors could go 3,000 miles per quart, but generally seem to use a quart every 2,000 miles when used, even 1500 miles without smoke or external leakage.

 

[valiant67]

If the 2.5 is anything like the 5.9 in my Dakota, oil usuage jumped up to almost a quart every 700 miles when an aftermarket PCV valve was installed. Back to a Mopar PCV valve and oil use dropped back to almost zero.