Calling all mechanics, gear heads, and grease monkeys.

Here's the sitchee-yation:

2006 Dodge Ram Sport Quad Cab w. 5.7L Hemi. Automatic Tranny

- Leaving work the other night, I start to accelerate and my truck feels super sluggish. I try to give it some gas and it accelerates, but not like it should. It's like it's stuck in a gear while trying to switch into the next. Check engine light comes on.

- Whole way home, truck feels sluggish.

- Next day, I go out, start it up, and we're golden. Full power all the ponies are running. Few hours later I'm on the road, cruising around 40, speed limit rises to 50,, I try to accelerate, check engine light starts flashing, and I've got no acceleration to speak of. Super sluggish, feels like its stuck between gears again.

- I drive in to O'rileys, they tell me that the computer shows "Bad solenoid and random misfires".

Today, trucks been running like a champ.

I called the mechanic here in town, supposed to be one of the best around, I asked him what he thought the issue was, he said he couldn't tell me til he hooked it up. $60 and he can't do it til next Tuesday. I explained to him that I work all weekend 35 miles from home and that it's my only vehicle. He couldn't do it any sooner.

So my question for you guys, is what do you think it is, and if t is the solenoid, what kind of repair cost sm I looking at.

And I'll freely admit, I know jack crap about cars...

 

sounds like a coil pack to me.

 

I had random misfires in a 97 silverado but it had over 300,000 miles on it. I know a little about vehicles and do most of my work. I couldnt figure this one out and took it into the shop. He had it for 2 weeks before he figured it out. It would not do it when he hooked it up, but out on the road it would start acting up. He finally hooked up a portable while he drove it. It ended up being the wireing harness plug to the distrubator. The contacts had corroded and just needed cleaned. But it could be ALOT of other things to on yours!

 

MES

Mysterious eletrical um... Stuff

 

Coil pacs or plugged catylitic converter

 

What Greg said.

 

the intermitent part makes this more difficult to pin down. Here are some ideas: if the converter is plugged the engine will normally sound like it's going 100 miles an hour, but not picking up speed-along with a horrible smell(usually). If you could get the fault code numbers it would be more helpfull IE: P0300=random cylinder misfire. Another possibility is the foot feed reostat, Most vehicle now are" drive by wire". If the reostat gets a worn spot and loses connection,even momentarilly, the PCM senses a fault and changes certain perameters for fuel management.Did they tell you which solenoid was bad-EGR perhaps, If the EGR sticks open, this changes the fuel mixture thus reducing power.

 

what greg said. the cats on chryslers go fast. stupid california emissions!

 

I found your problem

Mine was actually doing the same thing, but I have a 97 GMC Sierra. My catalytic converter hollowed itself out, and a chunk got stuck in the muffler. I had little to no power. I was driving at about 25 mph giving her hell, and all of the sudden I heard a loud clank and rattling in the muffler. The chunk got blown out of the muffler and the truck took off like its supposed to.

 

Your vehicle is trying to tell you it's hurt,driving it only will make things worse and it's not going to heel itself. Get it to a honest shop asap. seek professional help before you burn something really expensive up trying to save 60.00
sorry just some tuff love.

 

There's the real problem.


Actually, I don't know much at all about mopar products (other than to avoid them)... but I've heard that the solenoid pack on the tranny isn't that hard to swap out.

 

Our 2004 Dodge was doing the same thing and it was the cat. MY friend just got his first truck( '99) dodge same thing. Like previously stated must have catylitic converter problems.

 

There's honestly no way to know... until you hook it up to a diagnostic computer... a code reader could help... and If you can replace the solenoid yourself... do it and see how it does...

But what sounds like is happening to me, when you loose all power and check engine light comes on, You truck is going into "Limp Mode"

Literally means it allows to "Limp" to a safe place.... Look it up and see if it fits what your truck is doing... It does this to protect it when something is wrong that could do permanent damage.

 

Thanks for the replies guys (and gal).

I'll throw this little tidbit at you... When I filled up my tank, from dang near it empty (I had it as low as I ever have, I generally fill up at 1/4.), and started driving again, that's when I started having issues. Had issues all that night and the next day. It's been running fine ever since. I just had the oil changed and the shop guy took it upon himself to disconnect the battery and try to reset the service engine light. He hooked it all back up and the light went off and has stayed off. Truck has Dan great all day. I don't know how stupid this sounds, but is there any way that maybe my truck had "bad gas"?

 

By chance, do you use BP gas? Seems like they recently had a bad batch and a bunch of lawsuits/settlement...

 

Catalytic Converter. Unless you are hearing a misfire of some sort. Had a Dodge do that once and it finally just backfired real loud one time and I looked behind me and there were chunks of soot bouncing down the road. She ran fine after that from then on.

You could ask Hooker... I think he likes to work on cars.

 

I've gotten bad gas before, I blamed it on the tacos and dark beer, but thats just me.

 

I agree, I had a 1997 Jeep that started running like crap after leaving my hunting spot several years ago. I could hear a rattling coming from the converter though but it would run good for a while and then act up and was fine after being replaced.

 

Coil pack wifes car did that.

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Dodge trucks suck...