There are symptoms of a bad distributor pickup.
You can test the distributor pickup coil in the 1990 and 1991 Dodge Dakota.
The pickup coil is the most important part of the ignition system.The 5.2L V8 Dodge Dakota is not going to start when it fails.
In three tests, you'll be able to tell if it's good or bad.The tests are done with a multimeter.
There is a Spanish version of the Cmo Probar La Bobina Captadora Del Distribuidor (1990-1991 5.2L V8 Dodge Dakota).
Your 5.2L V8 Dodge Dakota's ignition system is powered by the distributor pickup coil.The engine won't start when it fails.
There is a lack of spark and fuel injection.The distributor pickup coil is used as a camshaft and crankshaft position sensor by the fuel injection computer.
When the distributor pickup coil fails, you'll see the trouble code in the computer's memory.
There are wires coming out of the distributor pickup coil.There is one wire that supplies power.Ground is supplied by one wire.The pickup coil's signal is sent to the fuel injection computer by the other wire.
The pickup coil has a Hall-Effect sensor.It gets power and ground from your Dodge Dakota's fuel injection computer.
When the engine rotates, the pickup coil creates an ON/OFF signal.The signal is at 5 Volts DC.When the voltage signal is zero, it's off.
We can easily see the ON/OFF signal by connecting a multimeter to the pickup coil's signal wire.
When a pickup coil fails, it will stay stuck.An ON/OFF signal will not be created as the engine turns.
To get started with the distributor pickup coil's diagnostic, we're going to check to see if it creates the ON/OFF voltage signal.
We're going to connect a multimeter to the distributor's electrical wire.
The distributor pickup coil needs to be turned manually in order to successfully test it.Don't use the starter motor to start the engine.
To turn the engine by hand, use a 1/2 ratchet wrench and the appropriate sockets.You're not going to see the ON/OFF signal if you don't.
For this test to work, the distributor pickup coil must be connected to the engine harness.To read the pickup coil's signal, you'll need to connect your multimeter test lead to a back probe or wire piercing probe.There is an example of a wire piercing probe here.
Don't have a multimeter or need to upgrade it?I recommend buying a digital multimeter for automotive diagnostic testing.
The ignition coil needs to be disconnected.This is a precautionary measure.Don't remove the distributor cap.
Use the red multimeter test lead to probe the grey with the black wire.The distributor pickup coil needs to remain connected to the engine wiring harness to read its signal.
Once the multimeter test lead connections are set up, turn the engine hand with a 1/2 wrench and sockets on the crankshaft pulley.
As the engine is turning, you should see the switch on your multimeter.
The indicated ON/OFF DC voltage is read by the multimeter.The test result tells you that the distributor pickup coil is functioning correctly.
Something else is causing your 5.2L V8 Dakota to not start, since the distributor pickup coil is not malfunctioning.
The indicated ON/OFF DC voltage was not read by the multimeter.The distributor pickup coil can be found in this test result.
Make sure it has power and ground before you replace it.Make sure the pickup coil has power in the next test.