welcome aboard!

O2 sensors can definitely affect mileage and, if your 02 sensors haven't been changed in 210k miles, they're definitely due. At least the front ones and likely all (how many you have depends on the configuration of your D.)

However, O2 sensors won't affect starting. Was it starting hard when you changed the plugs? There might have been a clue in the way the old plugs looked that pointing to a clogged or sticky injector or some other problem.

 

Thanks. How do I determine how many sensors my D has?

When I replaced the plugs, the D was already suffering from both hard starting and rough idling issues - that's the primary reason I changed them out. That and the fact they were way overdue. The tips barely had a visible nub by the time I replaced them, though otherwise they were in very good condition - reddish brown color, dry, with no oily residue. I also throw in 2 bottles of Techron about every 2500 miles as preventative maintenance.

I'll be changing out the TPS this week as it's shown signs of problems for awhile, though other posts I've read indicate it has no effect on mileage, correct? Anything else that I should be looking for?

 

Welcome. 210K is just getting started, we have one here with just over or almost 300K.

+2 on the 02 sensors. If I remember correctly, there are four sensors on the 4.7, two upstream (before the catalytic converter) and two downstream (post converter.) The two majors one are the Pre-Cat ones. Those are the ones where about 99% of the readings are taken to adjust the PCM for optimal engine performance.

At the very least with 210K I'd probably change the ones prior to the Cat (upstream)

As for OEM stereos, I'm not sure. A lot of us have switched to aftermarket stereos, Kenwood in my case.

 

Welcome to the Forum.

I don't have an answer for you, but figured a welcome was almost as good. :clap:

 

Welcome. 210K is just getting started, we have one here with just over or almost 300K.

+2 on the 02 sensors. If I remember correctly, there are four sensors on the 4.7, two upstream (before the catalytic converter) and two downstream (post converter.) The two majors one are the Pre-Cat ones. Those are the ones where about 99% of the readings are taken to adjust the PCM for optimal engine performance.

At the very least with 210K I'd probably change the ones prior to the Cat (upstream)

As for OEM stereos, I'm not sure. A lot of us have switched to aftermarket stereos, Kenwood in my case.

In 01 the 4.7 D's came with either CA emissions 4-O2's or Federal 2-O2"s

Welcome Ice Bat. I'd recommend factory O2 sensors as they'll last the longest. Take your VIN # to the dealer with you and they'll be able to tell you how many you have. With that said, they need to be replaced.
As for the starting issues, I'd recommend the Throttle Body be removed, thoroughly cleaned, and reinstalled? possibly adding a new IAT valve and Throttle Position Sensor as well. All of these parts are more than likely out of calibration and will cause various problems.
Where are you located? Maybe someone can give you a hand with some of that stuff.
Steve
DOC Pres

 

Thanks for your welcome and responses. I'll hit up the dealer for info on the O2 sensors.

I'm in Minneapolis and I see Magic84 is as well. Any recommendations as to where to purchase parts? I usually call around to see who has the best pricing.

Another question I have is whether it's worth replacing the driver's seat. The leather is separating at the stitching on the front left corner with loss of foam. It also tilts to the left and rocks from a broken bit underneath. All those seem to be common ailments from other posts that I've read. Any inexpensive 2nd hand seats out there?

 

I haven't updated my profile in a while, I'm not in MSP anymore but back in Pittsburgh. Got called back to my airline.

 

Welcome,

How's the power, get-up-n-go? If it feels weak, I could also say the Cats themselves are going as they can plug the exhaust and restrict flow. Too much back pressure can also make the engine run warm and use more fuel.

As for the seat, I could see an upholstery shop doing a repair as the factory leather is made of good quality and, as long as it's not ripped, they should be able to be restitch it. There are other post here on repairing the seat track.

No input on the iPhone as I don't have one.

 

Do you have anything other than a CD player for your sound system? On my stock '98 sound system I used one of those cassette adapters with a wire coming out of it to listen to my Zune, until my friend broke my cassette player. lol Audio ports, USB ports, and cassette players all make listening to your iPod pretty easy but, if you're stuck with only a CD player, the FM transmitters are sadly your only (unreliable) solution unless you get an aftermarket stereo.

If you happen to go that route, there are plenty of low cost systems for $150 and below that'll work just fine.

 

Welcome to the DOC

 

Welcome to the club!

 

Hello Ice Bat, great user name! Welcome to an equally as great Durango-focused owners club.

I hope you found the answers above helpful. I'm just here saying hello.

HELLO!

IndyDurango

 

Thanks again for your welcomes and responses. Looks like I have a bit of work cut out for me in tracing the root of my mpg woes. With the forecast of gas going waaay up in the not too distant future, 13mpg is scary. As it's now, most stations around here have a $75 max fill up, so I usually don't fill up before hitting that mark (though I admit to running the tank low before filling up - something I probably shouldn't do.) I'll blame it on my frugal Scottish mother who perhaps taught me a little too well.

That leads to my observation that most member's posts seem to indicate that, on average, they have substantially lower miles on their D than do I. What's the average life expectancy of a D anyway? I ask because the rough life expectancy plays directly into my earlier questions about the ROI of putting in a new driver's seat as well as an aftermarket sound system at this late date. I'd love to put in a new receiver, but some of the original Infinity woofers have blown and I'd like to replace them with Boston Acoustics. But is it worth it? I guess that's somewhat rhetorical as it depends upon how much one loves listening to music, but also practical if I end up ripping out that system 25,000 miles from now.

I don't seem to have asked any questions in this post, just thinking out loud.

 

Infinity speakers work good. I got a set last year for $50 per set and it took less than an hour to install all four. Not a bad price for Infinity's.

You should be able to find a nice reasonably priced aftermarket stereo with iPod cable adapter that goes through the AUX input or maybe USB. If you don't need NAV, back up camera or all that, you should be able to get one for under $150 that includes the iPod adapter cable.

I'm behind the times and use MP3, but have an adapter cable on my Kenwood that runs either USB or iPod/MP3, I transferred about 90% of my CD collection to the USB flash drive.

 

225,000+ miles here and still strong as an Ox.

And on the O2 sensors, use only dealer replacements. Aftermarket ones don't seem to last as long. If you're set on replacing them, replace all the front O2s first and see what that does for you. Then if you need to, replace the rears.

Also, how old are the plugs and the sensors and how dirty is the TB?

A few big bottles of Techron back to back, new plugs, a new sensor or three, and new O2s should bring it all back into shape with a good oil change. Less than $500 and you're as good as new!

IndyD

 

Plugs replaced late last fall. Sensors - well, maybe never? I don't recall that work ever being done. I imagine the TB is pretty dirty as I also don't recall any work being done on it. I've purchased a replacement TPS after reading posts here about how to determine if it's failing and mine definitely is. I'll disassemble the entire unit, clean and reinstall.

As for sound, I'm torn between just replacing the blown speakers and leaving everything else intact and then getting either an adapter or FM transmitter for the iPhone/iPod versus a new receiver with USB and/or iPod input and speakers. Decisions, decisions.

 

Welcome Icebat. As far as the tunes, JVC has great receivers with built in HD for less then 100 bucks. Go to Crutchfield, they can hook you up a system for not much more then $175 including speakers. They also include speaker adapters for FREE. No splicing, all plug and play. They also provide lifetime support if you run into any difficulties putting it all in.

Agreed on the O2's. Take em out and get the factory ones. TB cleaning? YES.

She should purr like a kitten when done.

 

A dirty throttle body and/or IAC (Idle Air Control) can definitely cause starting issues and you can probably do a quick cleaning without taking the TB off to see if that helps.

Remove the air cleaner. Hold the throttle plate open and, using TB cleaner and an old toothbrush, clean up the bore and plates. Wash it all down well with TB cleaner. Start it up and spray TB cleaner into the IAC port (it's been a while and I forget where it's at on the 4.7 TB, but it should be obvious - that's where the air gets sucked in at idle.) Spray gently at first because the engine will try to stall, but you should be able to modulate the spray so the IAC opens up to keep the idle up and eventually stalls the engine after maybe 20 seconds of this. Keep spraying a bit to fill the port with cleaner after the engine stalls and then shut off the ignition and go in the house and have a coffee. After 15-30 minutes, start 'er up. It may be a hard start, you may have to feather the throttle to keep it running, or it may idle very high for a bit. Let it run till the idle settles down and then see how she starts.

At that mileage, it'll be worthwhile to take it all apart and do a good cleaning, but this should keep you going until you can get to that.

?tom

 

Get the OEM ones for sure, been there done that!

 

The life expectancy depends on the care you give it. If the body is in good shape, it'll last as long as you want to keep it. I believe we have someone on here with 300K?. Indy has over 200K on his and there are many more with over 200. I have a '99 with only a measly 120K on it. Compare a few repairs to a new vehicle price and it starts looking better to keep it. 13 mpg's seem low unless it's all city driving. 4.7's are usually pretty good (relatively speaking) on the gas. my 5.9 drinks it up pretty good at around 15mpg. I don't use it as my DD, though. I mostly only drive it to tow my camper and go on vacation.

 

I've got 283K on my +12 year old 5.2 (purchased in Sept 98) and it's still strong.

Other that normal wear-and-tear due to it's age and mileage, the only "major" issue I've had with it was the tranny finally blew out back in Jan at the 282K mark (which was actually a good thing considering a lot of trannys barely make it past 100K! :thumbsup

FYI, I "had" to replace my O2 sensors and Cat at 180K (keep tripping the CEL code for "emissions out of tolerance" and just O2 sensors didn't fix it.) When they removed the old Cat, it was complete hollow inside (i.e. the interior substrate that does the conversion had complete burned up.) So at +200K, you're over-due on those.

 

Excellent miles Big Al!

 

I can see my 99 going to 250K. I did have the tranny rebuilt at 123K, it's at 150k now, the rear diff rebuilt due to water intrusion and replaced the body control module. Totaled less than 3k and well worth it in comparison to buying new (or used) and having a monthly payment.

 

I hear ya! I figured dropping $3.9K for a new tranny on a "paid off" vehicle that I knew was still in very good shape was much preferred over having to deal with the monthly payments, increased insurance, taxes, etc. of getting something newer.

Eventually, once I finish paying off "all" my bills (with a bit of luck, that'll be by Dec) and can "save up" a decent down payment, I may think about getting something new (the Gen 3 sure does look sweet!), but that'll be a number of years down the road? if even then.

You see I promised myself when I laid out +$30K for my D that I was gonna "drive it til the wheels fell off!" As you can tell from my current mileage, I'm trying my damnest to fulfill that promise but the D is such a beast who knows when it'll actually happen. :? :cheesy:

 

Well, I'm going to drive mine till the wheels fall off, and put them back on and drive some more. :lol: