•••OT: truck repair Q•••?

2003 dodge Dakota 4.7 v8
1) When I am parked, the rpm’s fluctuate 600-900 rpm. It surges I guess you’d say? Sometimes when I come to a stop it dies
2) my battery gauge reads nothing but my alternator is still showing 14.4 when I put the meter to the battery posts(while truck is running)

What say y’all?

I’d start with new battery. Does it settle down if you unhook one terminal while truck is running?
Sometimes a bad battery can pull too much juice from alt. so not enough goes to electronic stuff.

i"ll get the battery checked and go from there/ thanks

any codes to pull?

idle air control valve is a place to look , several videos on that for dodge Dakota


or idle position sensor

Clean the throttle body with gum cutter and bump the butterfly open a tad.

I'm guessing you got a vacuum leak... Had it happen before. And a bad battery gauge.

Check your grounds too!

Wouldn't hurt to clean the mass air flow sensor as well.

replaced the TPS sensor, all good on the rpm thing.
took the truck to o'reillys and had the alternator checked, all good there. cleaned the battery connections. gauge is reading good now

Is this your trapping vechile?

Yes