Durango stalls - It's in th UK and I'm in Qatar

I'll apologize for my lack of mechanical experience now; I'm in the AF and have worked on computers for the last sixteen years. My situation is strange so please be patient. Shortly after I was deployed to the gulf, from the UK, my wife ran into a problem with our '98 Durango/SLT/5.2. There does not seem to be readily available help in the UK for dodge vehicles. The Ministry of Transportation inspector didn't even know what a Dodge was when I first had him inspect it for compliance. I have been trying to troubleshoot with a friend and pictures sent, via email from my wife. I have sent them to dealerships and mechanics via my brother and sister in-law in California to get help. I think I have the biggest problem addressed but have a remaining one that I would like to get some idea on where to begin troubleshooting.



Some background on what initially happened. My wife was driving when she heard a clunk from the rear of the vehicle. Immediately the emergency brake light and ABS light cam on and the speedometer no longer worked. Everything else seemed to be fine. She drove home less than a mile. When she pulled into the street the Durango just died and coasted. She was able to restart it about three times and get it into the driveway.



She did some searching on the internet and we decided to try to replace the wheel speed sensor on the differential. After replacing the speed sensor my buddy opened the differential up and discovered multiple broken retainers and two half sleeves in the pumpkin. I have since ordered a new differential clutch pack/case, not sure of the correct term and my wife should receive it in the mail soon. With broken parts removed and all buttoned back he was able to drive it home carefully. All lights are again out and the speedometer works again. We have replaced the battery since the old one apparently was bad. Everything seems to work again but it still dies. It can immediately be restarted and driven. It does not die all the time, but intermittently. Four the last few months it has not been driven more than a mile or two at any time. We live on a very small base. I have told my wife to drive it on base only, and only if absolutely necessary. Since I don't have a readily available mechanic and no local store to get parts my buddy has to work on it for me. I purchased a MOPAR manual before moving to England.



I hope someone can give me an idea on where to begin looking for the stalling problem. I don't know of any way to get the codes out of the computer, unless someone can give me a simple solution to that as well. My wife called a Chrysler dealer in a village near us and they do not have the tools to get any codes out either. They are supposed to get it eventually.



Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

C. Houston

First of all, thanks for your service.

The codes would be helpful, but then again, there may not be any. I would hate to suggest having someone send you a code reader for a possible (at best) solution. Plan on about $150 here in the states plus shipping overseas if you go that route.

Your problem could be any number of a few different things: loose ground wire after swapping battery, need a tune-up, failing fuel pump, TPS, IAC valve, dirty throttle body, PCM, etc...

It's hard to say... can you give more background on the car itself? Is your vehicle maintained? When were the plugs, wires, rotor, and dist cap changed last? How many miles are on it? How does the car run when it is not stalling? Is the idle rough or smooth? Does it accelerate normally?

Specifically what engine size do you have?

It has run fine until lately. We have always had it serviced at Dodge dealerships. We have had tune-ups about every 30K miles; it currently has about 99K. We have had the oil/filter changed about every 5-6K. I'm not sure when the plugs/wires/dist. cap were last replaced. If they do it during a extensive service it would have been about 35K ago. It runs fine under normal driving conditions it only seems to occur during slow driving or idle. It seems to accelerate as it always has. It seems to idle fine except right before it stalls. I'm not sure if the octane gas has anything to do with it, but I have been told that we have poor gas on base, supposedly about 87 octane. My Harley dealership said to not put in any gas from base in my bike. His words, "It is one step above mud." I would like to get gas off base but it runs about $6 a gallon.

I have the 5.2 engine.

87 Octane should be fine for a properly tuned 5.2L.

Let's think worst case first. See if this link works: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=236552&highlight=pcm+code

While my PCM has not yet failed (thank God), people indicate that there is a "no bus" message in the odometer when they experience PCM related stalling. I'm sure there are exceptions to this, but it's a starting point for your wife to look for. If she sees this, then you probably have your answer.

It sounds like your truck is maintained. I would start by thuroughly cleaning (requires removal) the throttle body with a good carb/TB cleaner. Also look for carbon build-up in the IAC (Idle Air Control) valve. With 100k miles, your motor will appreciate it anyways. Also, add some injector cleaner (good stuff --- spend a few bucks~err pounds). See if there is any change.

If that does not fix it: you may have a failing fuel pump (have fuel pressure checked), faulty Throttle Position Sensor (quite possible), fouled plugs (have you been using oil lately and has your engine been pinging --- indications of mileage and/or failed intake manifold gasket which is a common <and eventually fatal> problem), another sensor (MAP, O2, Hall --- all of which should have an OBDII code generated), or the PCM.

Some less likely causes: clogged fuel filter (you mentioned dirty gas - but this will affect your overall performance, not just idle), dirty injectors (have them removed, cleaned, and checked for leak-down --- this would typically manifests itself through rough idle...)

Obviously, there is no black-and-white answer to your question. Try the simple fixes first, and if the problem persists, pay real close attention when it stalls next time. Report back with your observations as it fails. Hot/cold engine, speed being travled (or was she waiting in line), rough idle before dieing or it just cut out, etc...

Can anybody else think of something that I missed?

EDIT: Could be your coil as well....

Thanks for the comprehensive response. I will pass the information to my wife and buddy. I have told her to make note of the circumstances of each stall. If I get more info I will post.

Thanks again for the help.

Im not sure but its worth trying, to obtain codes you should do this :


1. Insert key and turn key up to the step before the engine starts to crank.
2. turn the key back to place where you can take the key out(with out taking the key out)
3. repeat....

you should do this forward and back movement 3 times, after this .. if done correctly yo can see following messegaes in the digital odometer:

letter and 4 numbers like this

P 0000

after the codes have been displayed, it shows

P Done


hope this helps

Thanks for the comprehensive response. I will pass the information to my wife and buddy. I have told her to make note of the circumstances of each stall. If I get more info I will post.

Thanks again for the help.

If you decide on the PCM:

There is another (cheaper) source for the PCM. NAPA orders them & gets them in 3 to 5 days just like the dealership. Probably gets them from the exact same factory. You will need somebody in the states as www.napaonline does not ship APO, FPO or international.

I called the dealership for a quote. They needed the last 9 #'s of my VIN and gave me the part #. I called my local NAPA & they also asked for my VIN but checked it to make sure that it matched Dodge's. They said that they needed that & my vehicle mileage to order the correct part and to burn the flash memory in the bios. I would verify that it will be done at any NAPA that you use as you probably can't get it done in the UK. Make sure your stateside contact has the correct VIN # & your vehicle mileage. Can put a few miles on once ordered. Doesn't have to be exact. I ended up needing NAPA part # XTP90147 if this is part. Again, yours could be different, depending on the VIN.

Autozone, Checker & Carquest did not carry the part. NAPA is a cut above Autozone & Checker & on par with Carquest. Plus the counter staff is extremely knowledgeable. My part was 273.99 + a $78 core.
It was $515 plus the same core at the dealership & they always try to upsale you on other things you probably don't need.

It looks like I may be changing the same part on my 99 Durango. I'll let you know if I do & how it goes.

I'm a retired MSgt F-111 avionics flightline mechanic (AKA gorilla). Never been to Qatar. 90 day sentence in Dahran with one day beer release to Bahrain. I hope that your assignment is more fun than mine. Keep your head down.

Thanks for the information Steeler. I am hoping that it is not the PCM. That has been my fear and was afraid I would have to locate a dealer for the part. Now I have an alternative to a dealership.

Qatar isn't a bad place, three beer a day. Made a trip to Bahrain and wouldn't mind some time there.

Tinman