2000 Dodge Dakota Tune-Up

Good greif, I just wrote a small booklet and my screen flickered and I lost the post....GRRR.

Fuel filter is part of the regulator. At 178,000 not a bad idea regardless.

The air filter should be held to light to see if light is blocked or not. IF so replace it.

Carbon cleaning is a very important part of maintenence.

Serpentine belt condition may be fine. Look for excessive cracking or cracks going with the length on the backside. IF okay, leave it alone.

Leave the coil alone.
Not a preventitive procedure.

How old are the ignition wires? If you are right there and have them part way off, might be good to change.

Lube any chassis items with grease if there are fittings.

Air pressure in tires...rotation?

LAst coolant flush?

Last transmission filter change?

Differential fluids change?

How does the power steering fluid and brake fluid look? Flush maybe?

Wipers?

check fluids?

OOPS sorry Service Writer,i should refresh my screen if i pull up a bunch of questions at once.
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that looks like a good list.

dont worry about the coils, replace them if/when they go bad.

I would probably throw in a coolant change.
and possibly changing the tranny fluid.

check to make sure the brake fluid isn't black.
and check the belts and coolant hoses.

You said replace the coils when and if it goes bad, now when it's damp out and I crank my engine it's as though my engine is coughing. First I thought it was a missfire but ruled that out, then I thought that the Serpentine may be slipping, it wasn't. I know that with a rotor and cap assembly the tend to go screwy in damp wheather, is this the same for a coil or do you think it's time to replace it?

IF dampness seems to be a link, then you can help narrow down the source by misting water onto various components while it is running and see if the symptoms come up.

The cap on these have a vent hole that plugs up.

I wouldn't just go a replace the coil on a whim, better off testing it. Sometimes corrosion can play into this. Clean the posts and use dielectric grease.

I tries your sugguested, "Misting" test, negative resaults with that, althought I will get back with resaults on cleaning the posts and appling that dielectric grease.

IF you are going after a misfire you need to find what cyls are missing. The PCM should tell you .

PO300-multiple,
po301-#1 cyl miss
po303-#3 cyl miss.

TEc.

No missfires anymore. Just finished performing a tune-up. Turns out the previous owner had never changed the plugs, wire, rotor or cap at least not for a long while. cap contacts were all corroded to crap and dusting appart. Plugs were a pain to get out, so to anyone out there, do regular plug changes!!!

Congrats!

I understand the plug scenario all too well. Some folks just don't get that. You let plugs go too long and you can shoot yourself in the foot if they get seized in the head. Naturally the public thinks that it is a technician error if the the plug breaks because the owner was not willing to change them before the manufacturer specified intervals.