1989 Dodge Ram sputtes under hard acceleration and up hills

Tiny
DCAMRGO
  • MEMBER
  • 1989 DODGE RAM
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • MANUAL
  • 137,000 MILES
What can cause 2.0 engine to sputter, cough and kick out black smoke under hard acceleration and going up hills. Runs good at idle and under soft acceleration.
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 AT 2:28 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Check and test the following below:

Oygen Sensor
Catalytic Converter
Dirty fuel injectors (cleaning the injectors often fixes this).
Bad MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor
Bad TPS (throttle position) sensor
Bad or dirty MAF (mass airflow) sensor
Low fuel pressure (leaky fuel pressure regulator or weak fuel pump)
Vacuum leaks (intake manifold, vacuum hoses, throttle body, EGR valve)
Bad gasoline (fuel contaminated with water or too much alcohol)

Sometimes, what feels like a hesitation is actually ignition misfire rather than lean misfire. The causes of ignition misfire may include:

Dirty or worn spark plugs
Bad plug wires
Weak ignition coil
Wet plug wires
Cap and Rotor

Note:If it doesn't apply, disregard.
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Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 AT 2:34 PM

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