I've had my Dodge B150 for a while now and it actually already got a high mileage. So, I am already expecting something to fail sooner or later. The problem came sooner in the form of an HVAC malfunction. The cooling performance in this vehicle is rather poor, intermittent at best. Can you advise me on what to do?

You can diagnose what's causing the poor performance of your vehicle's HVAC by connecting a gauge set to high and low pressure service on the system. Although, poor cooling is usually caused by low charge in refrigerant, there are also other factors. Using the gauge, you can tell if the A/C system needs refrigerant. During an 80 degree day, a low pressure gauge should read around 56 psi or higher — this is indicative that your system has enough refrigerant. You can consult your owner's manual for the correct specifications for normal system operating pressures. For intermittent cooling, you should check whether you have faulty low pressure cutout switch or a faulty compressor clutch. If there is a vacuum leak in the HVAC system, you will experience automatic switch to defrost mode when accelerating.

Something frustrating has happened to my Dodge B150 few weeks ago. I noticed that the engine oil is always low, and I don't know if the engine is just sucking it up. I have to top up the oil for two straight weeks now. Can you help me how to save my engine oil?

You are probably dealing with engine oil leaks, and it's a good thing that you noticed it sooner. This kind of problem can cause major engine damage when not addressed immediately. When an oil leak occurs at the back of the engine, it could also cause the clutch to slip if you are driving on a stick. And that's dangerous. Engine oil leaks usually occur at the valve cover and oil pan gaskets, the crankshaft seals, and the timing chain cover. These are all made from materials that tend to harden, lose elasticity, and shrink as the engine ages. These, in turn, will cause the oil to leak. You can use a fluorescent engine oil dye to determine the exact source of leak. Seals and gaskets will need to be replaced if they can no longer prevent oil from leaking.

My B150 is a reliable vehicle and I've had it for years. Lately though, it's been having problem with performance. I noticed that it is either surging or bucking during acceleration. It has also begun stalling and backfiring as well as shaking when at idle. What should I do?

Rough idling, stalling, and backfiring are problems indicating that you have a bad distributor cap. This should be inspected carefully to see how the sparks are arcing when you start the engine. Both the internal and external surface of the cap must be kept clean. Any erosion, rust, or corrosion on the surface of the cap will result to misfires and hard start and acceleration. Even a slight carbon buildup could cause major headaches on ignition. Replacement of bad or damaged distributor cap should be able to solve your ignition problems.

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