Code P1698, Slow acceleration gauge cycling?

EL_OGAN

MEMBER
2001 DODGE DAKOTA
4.7L
V8
4WD
AUTOMATIC
172,940 MILES

Good afternoon,

My vehicle listed above quad cab with an automatic transmission has developed a new problem. It started with the door lock not working for any of the doors. After checking for a blown fuse and not finding one I disconnected the negative battery terminal to reset the system thinking maybe it was just some kind of a malfunction. When I put the cable back on and started the truck up, I had a check engine light on with code p1698, and the gauge marking what gear I am in cycling between park reverse neutral drive second and first and then over again. I have since driven the truck twice out of necessity and notice that it is very slow to accelerate but seems to be running fine outside of that. Also, the door locks are working again, which was the original problem. I'm scared to drive the truck because I think it's a major problem, but I don't have much in the way of money to take it to a mechanic. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time and expertise in response.

3 Replies

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,758 POSTS

Hi,

Is that the only code that is present? Also, I looked it up in two different manuals and it isn't indicated for this model and year truck. So, I need to confirm that is what you found.

As far as the P1698 code is concerned, it generally indicates a problem with the vehicle's internal ECM (Engine Control Module) communication bus. It suggests a loss of communication between the ECM and one or more modules within the vehicle.

Since the transmission is acting strangely, I would think it is related to a breakdown in communication between the ECM and the transmission control module (TCM). My concern is since the manual doesn't show that as a possibility for this vehicle, I don't want to mislead you.

If possible, scan the can-bus system. CAN stands for controller area network. Basically, the different modules are tied together via a few wires. This type of scan will retrieve codes regardless of the module storing them.

Here is a link showing how it's done:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/can-scan-controller-area-network-easy

Let me know.

Joe