Dodge: hesitation and staling of a 2003 dodge dakota, vacuum problem, vacuum leak

Question
I own a 2003 dodge dakota sxt 4 wheel drive with a v6 3.9lt engine and automatic trannie.  The problem that I am having is that when I come to a stop and put the truck into park the motor rpms flucuate and when i am going up hills it will do that also when I am behind a slow moving vehichle where it feels like its going to stall.  Also when I was backing up it has stalled a few times also.  Could you help me figure what the problem might be.

Thanks for your help.


Answer
Michael,
A vacuum leak will cause a hesitation,check all the vacuum lines on the engine for cracks and loose connections.Also has it been a while since it was tuned up?What about the check engine light?has it been on?spark plugs not gapped correctly can cause this,a bad plug wire,if the engine is fluctuating r.p.m.s it sounds like a vacuum problem.Usually with the engine light it is a sensor causing it to come on.