'00 Durango starts then dies immediately

Problem: When I start my Durango, the engine catches and revs up for a
split second and then when it goes to idle it just dies. There is not
sputter or knock, the RPM's just drop to zero and the engine dies. The
electrical components are all still on when it dies. If I start it and
the engine catches, I can immediately push the gas in and it revs up
and runs while I have the pedal down but as soon as I let off, the
RPM's just keep dropping until it dies. I actually got it to drive
because I thought it might have been something that could be "driven
out" so I drove it around the block. As I came to a turn I slowed down
and it died going around the corner. When it died, the power steering
went dead also and I had a really hard time steering. I was able to
start it again and make it home but I figured I should stop trying to
piddle with it because I had no idea what was wrong and it was getting
dark and I do not have a garage right now because we are remodeling.

History: I have a 2000 Dodge Durango 4.7L that I just got from a
dealer about a week ago. Before I bought it from the dealer, they said
that they had to replace the fuel injectors because one of them was
stuck open. After that, they said that the problem ended up being a
faulty ground and they fixed it also. I took it for a test drive right
after they fixed everything and while I was sitting in the parking lot
talking to my wife before we took it for a drive, it started idling
rough. We went on the test drive and everything seemed fine. I talked
with their mechanic when we got back and he said the rough idle was
probably due to them just replacing the fuel injectors. I turned it
off and let if sit for awhile and then took it for another test drive.
It ran fine. We came back a week later, test drove it and it ran
perfect, and we bought it. Today, I upgraded my speakers. I had the
radio on while I was putting the new speakers in and had the doors open
the whole time. When I got done, the battery was pretty low and when I
tried to start it, it had a hard time turning over but it did catch and
start. I left it running for a while, with the doors still open. I
went inside my house for about 15 minutes and when I came back out the
engine had stopped.



Is it possible that the battery does not have enough charge to keep the
motor running? I thought once the motor had started the battery could
be removed and the vehicle would continue to run. Am I wrong? Could
it be the battery? (I HOPE!!!) Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Problem: When I start my Durango, the engine catches and revs up for a
> split second and then when it goes to idle it just dies. There is not
> sputter or knock, the RPM's just drop to zero and the engine dies. The
> electrical components are all still on when it dies. If I start it and
> the engine catches, I can immediately push the gas in and it revs up
> and runs while I have the pedal down but as soon as I let off, the
> RPM's just keep dropping until it dies. I actually got it to drive
> because I thought it might have been something that could be "driven
> out" so I drove it around the block. As I came to a turn I slowed down
> and it died going around the corner. When it died, the power steering
> went dead also and I had a really hard time steering. I was able to
> start it again and make it home but I figured I should stop trying to
> piddle with it because I had no idea what was wrong and it was getting
> dark and I do not have a garage right now because we are remodeling.
>
> History: I have a 2000 Dodge Durango 4.7L that I just got from a
> dealer about a week ago. Before I bought it from the dealer, they said
> that they had to replace the fuel injectors because one of them was
> stuck open. After that, they said that the problem ended up being a
> faulty ground and they fixed it also. I took it for a test drive right
> after they fixed everything and while I was sitting in the parking lot
> talking to my wife before we took it for a drive, it started idling
> rough. We went on the test drive and everything seemed fine. I talked
> with their mechanic when we got back and he said the rough idle was
> probably due to them just replacing the fuel injectors. I turned it
> off and let if sit for awhile and then took it for another test drive.
> It ran fine. We came back a week later, test drove it and it ran
> perfect, and we bought it. Today, I upgraded my speakers. I had the
> radio on while I was putting the new speakers in and had the doors open
> the whole time. When I got done, the battery was pretty low and when I
> tried to start it, it had a hard time turning over but it did catch and
> start. I left it running for a while, with the doors still open. I
> went inside my house for about 15 minutes and when I came back out the
> engine had stopped.
>
>
>
> Is it possible that the battery does not have enough charge to keep the
> motor running? I thought once the motor had started the battery could
> be removed and the vehicle would continue to run. Am I wrong? Could
> it be the battery? (I HOPE!!!) Any advice will be greatly appreciat

If batt. got low enough(usually, DEAD), the computer can lose its memory
and may need re-learning. Drive thruout all operating ranges--3-5 miles
often sufficient--to re-learn it (not "re-teach"). HTH & it's that simple.
s