P0305 code issue

[Durango]

Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
Gas cap is not a player here IMO. Does this have a coil for each cyl? If so, unplug and plug in only the number 5 when you get a chance. It throwing the code and running rough would have me looking first at connections, plug wire, plug then coil.

But if you can swap those out with other same length (I'd replace the plugs anyway) and the code does not return then it was the connections. If the code follows the part swap then its the parts. IF the code stays put then its something else but the parts that were swapped.


Contrary to popular belief here, I really do want to help folks.

Take care and good luck! Bill


Hi Bill,

Oh then I can forget the gas cap purchase. I can't do any engine part swaping now cuz I'm at work right now and have no garage to work on it during after work hours due to our heavy on and off rainy season. The best I can do is allow/suggest for them to begin looking at the spark plug coils first. If they suggest and have the time I can pay to have them change the plugs as that's not a big deal to me. Please cross your finger on my behalf cuz if the issue is solved by this private shop then guess who's getting my service/business/money from now on?

I also forgot to mention to you that when I had a chance to drive the truck on sunday the oil pressure guage did show a little low on pressure but that might be because of something else. In either case again when I drove it off the dealership lot everything felt and ran good but didn't look at the oil pressure guage per-say but remember a little that it was too fine.

Why is this Chrysler so complicated???? If you take a look at the Dakota Durango website you can see just how many people have this same issue with no results.

Durango

 

[Durango]

Hi you all again,

I was going through all your postings regarding my issue and here's what I missed that you might need to help me.

First of all each of my plugs has "coil packs" as I was told over the net. I have no wires for this engine model.

Second is when this all occured I was at in traffice and stopped at the red light when I happened to look down and saw the CEL light on. After that everything on the motor started going down hill. The rest you guys can read further.

Thrid I don't know how they did the compression test. I can only assume they removed the no. 5 spark plug and used a guage. If there's another way to test it I couldn't say customers aren't allowed back in the shop. When I see this new private mechanic I'll ask him if a shake down leak test is available.

Fourth When I drive it does feel rough and running on one less cylinder most of the time but during the drive sometimes the motor does smooth out some and returns when I come to a stop light.

Fifth When they did the compression test if they didn't have a good seal then maybe their wrong on my numbers and in reality it's fine.

Again everyone. I had trusted my Durango in there hands for over 9 years and thev'e been taking care of my truck since bought pretty much new from Car Max cuz they sell new Chryslers.

When I see the mechanic (new) let's start with the plugs and the coil pack for the cylinder and go on from there. For now all I've set-up with them is to diagnose the problem only and not to handle any repairs unless they report it can be fixed with in that day. If that's the case of course I'll allow them to repair the truck.

Why they report low compression on the no. 5 cylinder and not check the coil packs or tell me anything about the plugs condition I can't say. I DO know that when they gave the truck back to me it ran fine off the lot and all during my 50 or so miles errand and all during the while it ran great until it came to a stop at my house/apt. where it sat for about 3 hours and then the CEL light returned along with the rough idle and semi feeling of one cylinder loss. What a bummer!

Durango

 

[Trav]

I am leaning to the #5 coil or a sticking closed injector.

To me it sounds like they did a electronic compression test, in very basic terms this works by removing spark and fuel from each cyl one at a time and the scan tool records the RPM drop.
This method is only a guideline and not an exact science; it should not be used in place of an actual gauge.

What is not happening is a good indicator of what really is happening.
A bad plug (not just fouled) will probably stay bad not come back to life and die again.
30lbs will probably not fire at all, so much for the dead cyl theory as it ran fine for 50mi.
Sensors of all type that go off base usually don’t come back without setting a code of their own.

A iffy coil on the other hand can come and go as the winding maybe slightly burnt and is making partial contact, as it looses contact in the windings the ECM just registers a misfire.

A sticking injector can remove fuel from the equation and again cause a misfire code.
The ECM cannot diagnose parts that have a mechanical failure it only has inputs and outputs.
A sensor detects something is amiss and sends outputs to something under its control in an attempt to correct. A randomly functioning coil and a functioning but mechanically sticking injector is out of its sphere of operation.

A quick physical compression test on #5 will eliminate the rings, valves and head gasket right away. Leaving only spark and fuel as the possible culprit.

 

[meep]

#1 guess on this car is electrical. plug, coil pack, or WIRING HARNESS, which nobody has yet mentioned, but chrysler has certainly had its share of chaffed harnesses in the past 5 years of production.

Not sure when it started, but multi-coil ignitions can actually use the the coil to "listen" to the detonation sequence of the cylinder to detect misfire conditions, so here again, any problem in that circuit can cause the misfire AND/OR cause it to report it.

There's lots of words in these posts.... latch on to the advice...

1. you need a 2nd opinion-- dealer's diagnosis is suspect
2. electrical is likely
3. seeing the plug would tell us a lot
4. if you aren't comfortable swapping packs, plugs, and doing a compression test in your driveway, you are going to spend a cpl hundred for troubleshooting and a part or two, provided that it's not a compression issue.

good luck,
Meep

 

[Durango]

meep,

Thanks for your posting so quickly. I didn't realize/know there was such a thing as an electrical compression test. I now wonder if that's what they did and not /didn't remove the spark plug at all. It's hard to say.

If it turns out that it's a simple coil pack then I have no issues at all paying for such a part assuming that there diagnosis is much more concrete and say it has to be the coil pack. I heard those are pretty simple and easy to replace. If they find nothing after there examination then it may come down to swaping out parts and see what happens.

Anyay wish me luck saturday that it's isolated to the coil pack and it's as simple as that.

Thanks again,

Durango

 

[Trav]

I forgot to mention that there is also a method that measures cranking speed and looks for variations.Both methods are not as accurate as a physical test.Chances are they did one of these.

 

[Steve S]

Originally Posted By: Techniker
Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
IF it throws it again lets go through the list before replacing the engine. (Just kidding about replacing the engine)

Bill


That's exactly what the pirates want to do.

-Techniker
Yep a complete new engine usually clears up most any problem!!!

 

[Vikas]

I think you need to find a good trustworthy mechanic. A good method would be to ask your neighbors or coworkers. You can also try Cartalk MechaniX web-site.

I understand that you are anxious and worried but if you do not have the ability or are not inclined to diagnosis it by yourself, you need to find another place. Your dealer does not have earned your trust.

- Vikas

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
I think you need to find a good trustworthy mechanic. A good method would be to ask your neighbors or coworkers. You can also try Cartalk MechaniX web-site.

I understand that you are anxious and worried but if you do not have the ability or are not inclined to diagnosis it by yourself, you need to find another place. Your dealer does not have earned your trust.

- Vikas


Prob the best advice in this thread if you are not going to be doing it yourself!

 

[Durango]

Vikas,

Thanks for your posting and support as all of you!!! I'm trying to relax while try to earn a living just like all of us.

I'll see these new guys saturday as there approved by AAA Club so that's has to say something.

With any hope my truck will be repaired saturday and it will turned out I worried all ofr nothing. So far allI lost was $102 for a dealership diagnosis that proved value-less!!! On my budget and current salary I don't have too many options for emergencies like this.

Anyway keep in touch you all I'll report back saturday evening and give you all the latest scoop.

Durango

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: Durango
Vikas,

Thanks for your posting and support as all of you!!! I'm trying to relax while try to earn a living just like all of us.

I'll see these new guys saturday as there approved by AAA Club so that's has to say something.

With any hope my truck will be repaired saturday and it will turned out I worried all ofr nothing. So far allI lost was $102 for a dealership diagnosis that proved value-less!!! On my budget and current salary I don't have too many options for emergencies like this.

Anyway keep in touch you all I'll report back saturday evening and give you all the latest scoop.

Durango


Excellent. Get their diagnosis and if its not crazy (like a new motor (which it WILL not be

)) just get it over with. But if the quote is high or you have questions, 2nd opinions or ask here. (there are a lot of good guys here who KNOW their stuff!

)

Take care, Bill

 

[Durango]

Bill in Utah,

Just finished having my dinner/supper so now I can try and relax a bit getting ready for the daily zoo tomorrow.

For what it's worth all of your suggestions has kept my head on straight and again with any hope it might just something like a broken coil pack. However most of the parts like that are factory originals so if they need to be changed then so be it. I can do each one separately until everyone of then is changed out. At least that's positive. If you want to check them out on the web they're called Culver Auto Clinic located in Culver City California a neighboring city west of L.A. Nice looking shop and appears to be well stocked with good equipment.

Let's all take a breather for now but I still want postings about your thoughts. They calm me down cuz your all my buddies.

One thing I do know for sure is that it could be a possible broken coil pack or some type of electrical wire arcing maybe and in reality my no.5 cylinder is dead after all. Still I can't/refuse to believe that I need new rings with only 85K. But then again I've been proven wrong many times.

Talk to you guys tomorrow. Good night all.

Durango

 

[punisher]

Late to this one.

Anything that causes a "fuel washdown" of a cylinder will kill compression. Leaky injector, no spark, etc will show loss of compression either with the electronic cranking "relative compression" test or a manual gauged compression test. A little squirt of oil in the cylinder will quickly bump the compression to normal if this is the case.

 

[Durango]

punisher,

Is fuel "wash down" considered a normal issue in any/most cars???

In my mind the way I figure it I hope no oil gets past the rings cuz I keep thinking that oil is fouling that no. 5 plug and not allowing it to fire.

When I get the second opinion from this new mechanic I hope he realizes this. Still from the dealership I don't know what type or how the compression test was done. Everyone waits in the customer waiting area and no one except for mechanics are allowed in the service bay area.

Last night I had two thoughts for you guys to ponder.... I had thought that maybe they did remove and cleaned the spark plug when they gave it back to me so that may be the reason why it ran fine and normal. When I returned home the oil was allowed to foul the plug again and that's why it went down hill taking it our for dinner/supper that night. What do you guys think???? It's possible then my coil packs and injectors are fine. I still wonder.

I'm trying to concentrate on earning a living to pay for all of this first and don't want to keep re-thinking myself on possibilities. It is still my god earned hope that in the end my constant worrying was all for nothing and the repair was not as complicated as the dealership or myself made it out to be. Bill in Utah has been a great pal and has kept my head from falling off so far. In fact you all contribute so much to keeping my sanity I have no real words to say. I am so proud to have you guys as a internet friend. I wish we all worked together at my organization.

That man at the dealership told me I had major engine damage!!! gets me hot to think about it even after just 85K on the truck. Gee wiz why couldn't this happen when I had 150K on the odometer. At least in my mind it could have undestod the condition at that mileage interval.

OH well isn't life so interesting?????

Later,

Durango

 

[Bill in Utah]

If they took out the plug and did a compression test and only got 30lbs I seriously doubt that it would fire. IF they allowed it to cool and then did the test, once it warmed up the compression would get better and possibly run better. You said when you left it ran fine and after 50 miles it started to act up and threw the code. AGAIN, IF the cyl has only 30lbs of compression you'd feel it ALL the time.

I really think it is something to do with the coil packs to plug. Possibly wiring harness but I would think that it would do it more often if it was that. Could be fuel related but I'm thinking ignition.

That's why the swapping of parts (or more diagnosis) will find out what is really the issue.

Let's see what the AAA recommended shop says before doing anything more. Then we can decide what to do. Pretty well anything is going to be way cheaper than a $40k SUV to replace it!

Take care, bill

 

[Vikas]

Aren't there any BTOG'r nearby who can help you? Some of the diagnostic can be done easily, especially, if somebody already has a stash of tools.

One thing you need to know. Since your vehicle sometimes drives great, it is highly unlikely that you have a mechanical problem. You can forget about the low compression numbers reported by the dealer. Dealer does NOT have your best interest at heart. The sooner you realize that, better your mental health is going to be. You are over one thousand posts here. You should know that some of your worries are baseless.

It is difficult to find trustworthy repair shops. My assumption is that they are all crooks unless proved to me otherwise. I am telling you right now that you should assume your AAA approved guy is out to screw you unless proven otherwise This industry is rife with bad actors. That is why it is mandatory once you find a good one, to stick with it regardless of your model or year of the vehicle. Word of mouth is the best way to find a good place.

- Vikas

P.S. You could have invested that $102 in a tool to make your life easier.

P.P.S. I found Culver Tire and Auto @ 8651 West Washington Boulevard, Culver City, CA. Sadly, the reviews are all over the place :-( Google did not show the name "Culver Auto Clinic" as you had written in your reply.

P.P.P.S. If that is the place you are taking your truck, STOP NOW! Read all the reviews. They *WILL* charge you $120 to tell you have P0305 code.

 

[Durango]

Bill and Vikas,

Let's wait and see what the mechanic tells me before I faint!

My Durango has a built in scan tool that tells me the codes but it's a sequence of turning the ignition key but generally its a Chrysler secret until someone on a website told how to do it. When I told the code to the service tech I could tell he doesn't like it. Talk about rip offs.

I could always get a scan tool but in todays cars the car/truck already gives you the code. The coil packs is a no brainer from good guys like you and the mechanic to put in. I'll start there first and move on.

Anyway saturday is coming up soon.

Durango

 

[VNTS]

Do the key dance and monitor your codes.

How old are the plugs and what type? If some odd type plug put the factory Champs or Champ truck plugs in.

how is your gas milage? If you only were firing on 7 cylinders your mile would be bad.

If your still getting the code on cylinder #5 and you put in new plugs, swap the coil pack to another cylinder. I believe you can clear the code by removing the Pos on the batterry and turn the ign key to on position for 30 seconds and should clear the code.

Now drive it and see if the misfire follows the coil pack.

I would run some injector cleaner like techron. could have a dirty injector.


how has the idle been? Smooth or run rough???

 

[Vikas]

The owner is not in a position to do any of the tests you have mentioned. He really needs a friendly and honest mechanic to go through the list and charge him fair price.

Unfortunately, I am not sure if he will get that outcome :-(

- Vikas

 

[Durango]

VNTS,

I did the key dance and always got the code 0f: P0305

My plugs were replace early this year and used what ever that dealersip uses. Since it's Chrysler the I can only assume it was Champion brand.

Saturday I'll let the mechanice do his thing to diagnose what it may be but I will mention tha if the plugs needs to be changed then that's fine with me. The coil packs for sure will be changed. I'll at the same time have the code cleared and see what happens.

Sometimes I think running fuel injector cleaner is what got me into this mess. As I reported earlier I had an oil and filter changed by the dealership and then bought and put in a bottle of Gumout/Regain in the gas tank and LOL one week later I started having this problem!!!!

Since then my CEL light is on most of the time going on and off after about every week. Engine runs [censored] rough and when driving o the street it feels I lost one cylinder. When I hit the freeway it appears to go away but when I come to a stop the headache starts all over again. That's why mechanic number two.

Durango