Dodge 3.9 V6

Okay, Im taking guesses at which belt driven accessory is locking up on my Dodge 3.9V6 Dakota 4x4 PU.

Last few days in this cold weather I began hearing a rattling rotational noise under hood and smelled hot rubber slightly but it wasn't too bad. The noise sort of came and went and no warning lights came on and power steering seemed fine and she ran at normal temperature and no coolant leaks.

While driving home tonight after our Lions Club Christmas Dinner I smelled hot rubber pretty bad (slipping belt??),,,,,,rattling rotational noise under hood got real bad,,,,,,,,,engine was almost seized up and died and when re cranking it cranked over slow n hard,,,,,,,,,NO OVERHEATING,,,,,,,,,NO WATER RUNNING OUT ANYWHERE (like water pump),,,,,,,,NO NON CHARGING INDICATORS,,,,,,,,,,,NO WARNING LIGHTS,,,,,,,Once sorta when it was dying it felt like it lost power steering,,,,,,,,,

I nursed it home and looked under hood when the first wife cranked it and the single serpentine belt was in place, fan looked fine, no water running out, alternator pulley wasn't hot,,,,,,BUT BOY DID THAT AUTO TENSIONER SUCK IN LIKE SOMETHING WAS TIGHTER THEN DICKS HAT BAND. It was colder then a well diggers n late n dark so I came in the house brrrrrrrrrrr.

MY GUESS IS THE POWER STEERING PUMP IS LOCKING UP any other takers??????

Tomorrow I will look at PS reservoir oil level and remove the serpentine belt and drive it in the shop n light the heater n start turning things lol

Had to pick the coldest freakin day of the year grrrrrrrrr Im really NOT a Dodge fan, its just that in the mid size 4x4 trucks with auto trannys Dodge (Dakota) was the only one I can tow all 4 wheels down on road behind my motorhome and last year I towed it to Florida with my Golf Cart in the bed.

Oh well, no rest for the wicked and Im sure its nothing money cant fix

John T

I suppose that you want somebody to do the diagnostic work for you and tell you what is wrong from a thousand miles away and sight unseen???
Come on! Be fair!
Why not wait until daylight, take off the belt (easy), and spin each pulley by hand to see which one makes noise or turns too hard.

Just because the light is not on does NOT mean that an alternator bearing could not be failing and trying to lock up. Most generally, water pump will leak when the bearings fail, but not necessarily every time. Power steering pump will usually make a LOT of noise when it is going bad. Then too, idler pulley(s) fail as well from time to time.

BTW, this has absolutely NOTHING to do with the make of the vehicle. ALL makes can have a failure of a bearing, pulley, alternator, or other accessory. Seems to me that you paid your money for a Dodge, so don't be mad at it for being a Dodge. Keep in mind that there proportionally many less Dodge trucks in junkyards than any other make. That is because most owners LOVE them, and keep them running as long as possible!

When you get the belt off and fix what ever is going bad, check the tensioner for in and out play why you are there.
I had an alt lock up on a Chevy and the motor wouldn t turn over with the starter.

I have to think. Crank pulley to idler pulley to alternator pulley to water pump pulley to air conditioner compressor pulley to power steering pulley back to crank pulley.

It aint the crank pulley. I doubt that its the water pump pulley, otherwise would be overheating. Is easy enough to put a ratchet on the idler pulley, pivot clockwise, slip the serpentine belt off, then see what doesn't want to budge, or maybe look closely enough at the remaining pulleys and see if one of them has burnt rubber on it. Alternator is easy to get at and change. Air conditioner compressor is easy enough to get at, remove completely, put on a shorter serpentine belt. Power steering pump is not so easy to get to. Is doable, but not so easy. Think are three, maybe four bolts holding that guy on, and at least one of them is not easy to get at. Think have to use box wrench with about a 3" swing, so is a lot of taking off, pivot wrench, put back on, move 3", take off... Taking the pulley off is one thing, compressing it back on is another. Power steering pump is work. All others driven by belt are easy though. Power steering, and if is power steering, is one or two plugs that you MUST remove from the back of the old pump and put onto the new pump.

I have a Magnum 3.9 setting down in a barn. Want to put it in the barn Jeep Cherokee in place of the 4.0 I-6, and use the I-6 to power a 17 KV PTO driven generator.

Mark

MY daughters 4.7 was making noises also. Turned out the air conditioner clutch bearing was bad. We caught it before it locked up. It runs when you use defrost also as you probably already know. We just changed the clutch and left the compressor on. Was an easy fix but do as others said and loosen the belt and see what doesn't want to spin. Those tensioners have a bearing that goes dry also that might be causing it.

May check the tensioner pulley, seem like I heard they had a bad run on some of the v6 models .

Probably only does it wiyh the defroster or Air on. Ac compressor go south maybe.

If the pwr string pump is bad it'll be hard to steer--is it?
Might just be an idler.
Happened to me coming up I95. Didn't hear a thing but had been smelling burning rubber occasionally and suddenly the 2500HD was hard to steer, the alternator quit charging. Thought I had just lost the serpintine belt but it was an idler which must not have had enough grease cause it bearing went and it spun off taking the belt with it.

UPDATE While sleeping last night I HAD A DREAM LOL I bet its the AC Compressor locking up. NOOOOOOOO there no AC in winter, however, as I recall it engages when Defrost is on, and when the PS suddenly quit it was cuz it had just died as otherwise it steers fine no noise or chatter in steering. It has a new belt tensioner pulley and bearing already and the idler pulley checked fine at the time.

Easy diagnosis today in daylight, turn off defrost see what happens and if that's not it pull the belt n see whats so darn tight. If its AC just unplug the electric clutch plug, buy a new belt and drive it yayyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Later yall, thanks

John T

See my above PS, I will know soon as its daylight, thanks

John T

"I suppose that you want somebody to do the diagnostic work for you and tell you what is wrong from a thousand miles away and sight unseen???"

EXACTLY LOL LOL

I've been here over 15 years helping people and glad to do it and I don't mind asking a question on my own on rare occasions. Unlike many of them, however, I try to give as much relevant info I have at the time.

See my PS above, after a nights sleep Im thinking AC compressor now, I will know soon as its daylight

Thanks for your help, best wishes and Merry Christmas

John T

(quoted from post at 02:18:05 12/12/13) Probably only does it wiyh the defroster or Air on. Ac compressor go south maybe.

Click to expand...

I had the bearings go out in the AC pump on a 3.9 twice in a period of 250,000 miles(99 Dakota). It didn't need much else during that time frame except a crank sensor and normal tune up stuff. Tough little engine for a Dodge.

The idler bearings are still turning when the A/C isn't on.

Take the belt off and spin each accessory and the tensioner by hand. You"ll be able to tell where the problem is. It"s probably either the ac compressor clutch or the tensioner.

The AC compressor it may well be (or tensioner) may well be, see my PS update below..

Thanks,

John T

Sounds to me like you had a few days warning! I thought you were in FL where its 90?

John, I've had to replace the bearing in the tensioner on a couple of those Dodges.
Takes the common alternator bearing; can't recall the number right off hand. Most people spend the money for the whole new tensioner pulley with bearing. I'm too cheap. LOL
It is very difficult to make the grooved side of those serpentine belts slip; they usually break first.
However the tensioner rides on the smooth backside of the belt and could slip more easily.
Just my guess for what its worth.

Sorry, didn't read your update until after I posted.

JohnT,
I chased a rattle of an old dodge caravan for almost a year until the water pump finally seized up. The pulley on the pump spum off, belt came loose and there I sat. I've also had alternator bearings go out, idler pulley too, air conditioner pump. If the belt is slipping, there has to be one hot pulley someplace. Bubba would just touch each pulley to find the hot one. I would use an IR thermometer and find the hot pulley.

Before my water pump went I was loosing a little antifreeze past the seal in to the bearing, but not enough to find the leak. The heat and air would dry it out.
Good luck.
George