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I have a 2004 Dodge Dakota 4.7.

My truck started to shake going down the road. I heard a pop unsure if it was metal slapping or a backfire. Had it towed home and hooked it up to a computer. The codes were multiple cylinders misfires, Cylinder 1 misfire, Bank 1 too rich.

Changed all spark plugs and oil and the truck began to struggle to start. When it started truck shook bad and rpm jumped up and down. Now the cylinders on the passenger side are firing, but not on the driver side. I pulled off the clip from cylinders 1, 3, 5, 7 while on and it did nothing. Pulled from 2, 4, 6, 8 and the truck was losing power (like gettting ready to cut off). I don't know what to do next as I have been told it could be electrical, and O2 sensor, or possible timing chain jumped (timing chain was replaced 20,000 miles ago).

Please help.

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  • Are you sure you put the spark plug wires back on the right spark plugs?
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented Feb 4, 2016 at 22:54
  • 1
    Also when's the last time you changed the distributor cap and rotor?
    – Dee
    Commented Feb 5, 2016 at 6:50
  • @Dee it's a COP system.
    – Ben
    Commented Feb 12, 2016 at 20:47

2 Answers 2

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You need to visually verify no spark on bank 1. If a cylinder is already misfiring disconnecting the coil won't tell you much. Pull out the #1 coil and spark plug, put the spark plug into the coil and ground the electrode with a wire lead. This should tell you if you have spark or not. This is also a good time to do a compression test.

If you have no spark on coils 1, 3, 5 and 7 you need to test for power on the dark green/orange stripe wire.

Coils 1, 3 and 5 as well as the corresponding injectors share a splice in the harness. You'd need to cut the tape and visually inspect for broken or corroded wiring.

Given that you heard a noise before this started as well as the presence of the rich code. I'd be worried about a mechanical issue. Rocker arms on dodge engines are known for coming loose. You may want to attach a vacuum gauge with the car running. It may also be worth while to remove the valve cover from bank 1 if you suspect a rocker arm has come loose.

If you know someone that has a digital storage oscilloscope you can do a cam crank correlation to verify engine timing without having to disassemble the front of the engine.

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Based on the tests performed, the most probable cause is lack of spark to the Bank 1 cylinders.

I would not be worried about the lambda sensors or a jumped timing chain.

I would look for an open in a wire that is common to the driver side coils, power-side or ground-side.

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