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Dodge Dakota: Problems & Solutions
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Comments
This is on BP/AMOCO gas from Indiana, refilled in Wheeling WV.
AC did the trick in 90+ heat and humidity to make a jungle seem tame in comparison. I did get a tiny bit of internal condensation drip on the duct which directs air to the floor. It seems as though there is a slight bit of air bleed from the evaporator plenum and it was enough to chill the duct and for moisture to collect on it...no worries the floor mats (cannon) held it well.
I have an 01 SLT+ 4x4 4.7, auto, and have a question. I have the "parttime" 4wd and can guess the obvious with OFFROAD, but what is "offroad"? The manual talks about "slippery, loose road surfaces".
I know. I don't NEED a 4x4. I do occasionally *need* it with camping and dirt motorcycling. Mostly, I just wanted it. Just because. I only put about 5k/yr on the truck so extra maint is not really an issue.
Anyway, besides the obvious, what is OK for the system? Is it OK to use 4WH in rain? I guess first, is it needed to occasionally use 4WD so it doesn't get "rusty"? What damages the system on dry pavement? Seems like I have read that the Differential is damaged when turning on dry pavement.(?) More so in curves than straight?
I don't really want or need to turn on the 4WD button, but am concerned with the long-term health of my truck. I don't want the truck to suffer damage because I am ignornant of proper "maintenance". If there is no problem with lack of use, I'm OK. Otherwise fill me in...
Travis
The funny thing is that I never felt any dragging or pulling to one side until the squealing started. Has anyone else ever heard of this?????
Herb
When you tried to jack up you truck, were you on a flat level surface?
Good luck,
Bob
My guess is I got the wrong jack.
abou two weeks ago I sent her in to have the power steering pump looked at, due to the fact that I was experiencing some excessive whine from the engine bay. My analysis pointed to the power steering pump ( the old screwdriver to the ear trick). None the less, they agreed with me and ordered the part. Called me a week later to schedule the replacement.
What a difference! The engine is sooooo much smooother too. Could be my imagination, but there is definetly an audible reduction, especially at idle.
Kudo's to my dealer (service department) too!!! I told them that I had an almost inaudible click over rough roads that sounded like it was coming from under the dash, behind the airbag. Once the pump was replaced, they pulled the airbag cover and reattached some of the insulation to correct the problem. they even told me that it that the fix was a little more dificult than simply reattaching, because they didn't want to interfere with the airbag clearances. Now that is using the old noodle.
If anybody is looking for a dodge in the eastern suburbs of Cleveland, you have to go to Junction Auto at the corner of SR 322 and SR 44.
I'm one happy camper!!
Blue
THE PROBLEM, ANNOUNCED by federal regulators in a monthly list of automotive recalls on Tuesday, has been detected in 1997-2000 models of the Dakota and Durango and 1997-2001 models of the Dodge Ram pickup
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said about 216,100 of the trucks were included in the recall.
In some of the vehicles, sound muffling material inside the steering wheel could become detached and wind up disabling the driver’s side air bag system, NHTSA said.
The recall began in June but was not announced by NHTSA until this week.
Since its a known fact to me that OEM rotors are pure garbage my goal is to get Chrysler to fund replacement aftermarket units. Already priced out a Raybestos unit (made in USA by the way) from NAPA for $67.13 + tax.
I know its a long shot on getting Chrysler to work with me on this but I plan to hit the advisor with my report to the NHTSA on Dodge brakes. See what he says about it.
Stay tuned.
Are rotors only covered up to 12K?
WIll keep updates going..if anyone is interested.
Just returned from backpacking a portion the Tuscarora Trail in south central PA. It was uphill both ways, hot, rocky and dry. QC got us there and back, the rest we did the old fashion way.
Speaking of brakes, I am rapidly approaching 12,000 miles on my 00 Dakota. So far I have not had any problem with my brakes, although my 91 Dakota had all kinds of problems. If I am going to have problems I wish it would start now so that I could get them fixed under warranty.
Anyway.. No brake problems.. even my earlier "groves" have all but cleared up and even my tire tread looks almost new.. no uneven wear anywhere...
dhornung45@pipeline.com
because of warpage, I ordered a set of crossed drilled rotors from a Canadian company which
advertised in the back of Road and Track. I have had them for over 9
years with absolutely no trouble and my brake pads are lasting more than twice
as long as before. Additionally, they show no sign of wear after that length of time. I'm not sure if they have them for a Dakota but I used to be on the Ram mailing list and they had them for the 1500, 2500 and 3500. Several guys on the Ram list got them and were very pleased with them. If anyone does try them please let me know if they do have them, cause when
I do have to replace the rotors on my new Dak that is definitely the way
I'll go. They did go for about a hundred bucks but I believe you get what you
pay for. The company is:
Best Auto Parts
1537 Startop
Glocester, ON K1B3W5
Phone (613) 746-2378
They require specific info on your truck, so make sure you know what axle
you have. They have no email link but you can call at the above number, or fax at
613 746-2497 Attn Dan.
Ron 35
Also, can someone with the BOB tell me where the fuel filter is???
Thanks.
To the best of my knowledge (I don't have my BOB with me) the fuel filter is inside the tank. It is a sock style on the end of the fuel pickup. Typically, they do not need changing as often as an inline style. On my last truck (Ram 1500) I inspected it when I had to change the fuel pump at 50k/mi, and it was still relitivly clean, although I changed it anyway.
I have had the "the inside puddle problem" (A/C leaks to the inside of the vehicle) on a '73 and a '85 Volvo after minor accidents that shifted the A/C housing. This promoted the premature rusting out of the driver's side floor beside the moldy carpet. In both cases, the problem came to light many months after the insurance claim / repair work was done. Insurance company denied my claim that the leakage was due to the original accident. At some point in time some of us will have an accident in our QC's. Remember to have your A/C units checked too, not just the apparent body damage.
In regard to the fuel filter, I kind of figured it was in the tank because I sure didn't see an inline. We have to use the oxygenated fuels here in Denver because of air quality issues and I know that the ethanol is hard on the filters. I have 27K on my 2K Dakota and I had always replaced the fuel filter on my 98 GMC about every 15K. The fuel that we use here in the summer is not as bad as the winter stuff (especially the gas mileage) but I was just trying to stay ahead of the power curve so to speak!
Thanks again for the input. This site is a great source of info.
Unless your brake squeel is extreemly annoying... I would suggest you just live with it. An occasional squeek is "normal" especially upon first use after sitting in damp/humid weather for awhile.
Some folks actually remove their pads and lightly sand them to remove "glaze". It is said this process stops the squeel too.
My wife's '97 LHS had a terrible squeal on the left front brake when stopping. Pads and rotor were fine and in excellent condition.
I took the pads out and sanded them. Placing the sandpaper (I used 120 grit) on a smooth surface, obviously with the sand side up and rub the pad on the sandpaper. You're only looking to scuff the pad, not sand it down... Once you're finished with both pads, "hose off" the pads AND the rotor with brake cleaner. Let dry. Do not touch pad surface or rotor with dirty/oily or greasy fingers.
I put everything back together and not a peep since.
Good Luck,
Mike
He made several brake applications and agreed with me the bouncing is there. However, he still believes its the drums and not the rotors causing it. To drive my point home (no pun intended) I drove and from about 50 MPH applied the emergency brake (which only activates the brake shoes not the front pads) and lo and behold we experienced no boucning, shuddering, or shaking. THen I applied the foot brake (the brake pedal) and from 45 MPH down to about 30 MPH and the shuddeirng, bouncing reared its ugly head.
NExt phase, the zone manager from Detroit is paying the dealership a visit sometime next week and I have an appointment to discuss this whole messy affair with him.
Meanwhile, I spoke strongly about going aftermarket rotors and pads. The service manager kinda perked up and said, hey, we never did change out the pads did we? Nope never did was my reply. A thoughtful look appeared on said managers face and he rubbed his chin and suggested that maybe replacing pads too would be a good idea. I agreed, but again I insisted that Mopar OEM stuff was for the birds and I wanted aftermarket stuff from NAPA. Said manager asked "Did you price out the rotors from NAPA? Sure did was my reply. $67.00 per unit. And again, I expressed my discontent with OEM replacement parts from Mopar.
Finally, to seal the deal, I spoke volumes about various Dakota message boards and the postings regarding brake issues. He then interjected, "you outghta see how many Rams we get in here with brake problems, those guys are lucky to get 20K from a set of brakes"
Wow, I said. Thats amazing.
Then we shook hands (no spit shaking here) and parted ways until next week.
This should be very interesting. My first go around with a higher up stuffed shirt from a big company (other than the one I work for).
Stay tuned.
mopar67, I hope your brake issue is resolved properly, I hate to see a problem go for so long while trying to convince the dealership there is actually a problem (remember my idle crusade?).
Funny how they alter time and space to get you to buy, then when we need service.. we are suddenly the un-educated owner and have to PROVE OVER AND OVER there actually IS a problem, and that we know what we are talking about (sometimes more than they even know, especially thanks to the expertise shared here)..
My QC is only a few months old, and so far no problems. I haven't had the front wheels off yet, however when I removed the rear wheels to install my splash guards I noticed that two lug nuts were barely tightened down, not loose, but they broke loose very easily, the others where far more snug.
If DC can't even torque the lugs nuts evenly coming out of the factory, that might be the source of the problem.
I'm going to check the torque on my front wheels, does anyone know what the correct ft lb. torque is supposed to be?
TIA,
-----Alex-----
The recommended lug nut torque is in your owner's manual. I'm too lazy to run out to the garage and look, but I believe it's in the tire changing section and it is 90 - 110 ft lb.
I had to remove all four wheels to install wheel flares on the day I brought my new 2001 Dakota QC home last November, so all of my lug nuts have been torqued to 100 ft lb since day 1. I'm at 9K miles now and haven't had any brake problems yet, but it's too early to tell so I'll be crossing my fingers and hoping that any defects show up *before* I hit the 12K brake warranty limit.
number for the 4.7 Magnum. Thanks! Bill in NY
With approx. 4K miles on the last oil sample, the Wear Metals (parts per million) are: Copper@5, Iron@39, Chrome@2, Lead@0, Aluminum@6, Silicon@10, Molybdenum@8, Sodium@11, Tin@1.
Oil Conditions are: Water@Negative, Fuel@Positive (normal in gas engines), Antifreeze@Negative, Soot@0% allowable, Oxidation@49% allowable, Nitration@93% allowable, Sulphur Products@46% allowable.
I'm concerned about the nitration and sulphur since these appear to be elevated but this might be due the short (6 mile) trips to and from work.
Does anybody replace any of mentioned above. I just bought Bosch platinum plugs. They're supposed to be much better than original cheap Champions. Hopefully they're not to good. At the beginning engine had some delay when pressing the accelerator, probably the ignition had to adjust. After few miles everything went to normal. I wonder if the new plugs are gonna improve gas mileage and overall performance. Anybody has changed creepy rotors or shocks. I just hit 30K, and I am going to change transmission fluid. Would you recommend synthec and having the trany flushed. Please share your experience.
I just replaced the shocks all around with Edelbrock Performer IASs. Not enough travel yet to form an opinion. Decided to try these as I like performance handling but I also wanted some travel for the bumps and so on. They so far seem to be a decent shock.
Transmission fluid, it has been said on this forum many times, DO NOT USE ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE CORRECT MOPAR FLUID. Many shops replace with other types of ATF and claim it is compatable and the next thing you know it shifts like crap and need a rebuild that won't be covered by warranty.
my 00,slt,4x2,quad cab has 28,000 miles and it looks like i will need new rubber before christmas.these were the standard issue goodyear ,15 inch tires.....
anybody got any favorites for wear,ride,and mostly on road use?there is no snow where i'm moving to just tons of heavy rain.
thanks,
ps;factory tires were rotated every 5k.
Plan on putting these on my 01 also.
Another good choice is the Dunlop Sport Rover GTX in 235/70-15.
Ron35
It utilizes the new LOOONG LIFE coolant that does not requre constant changing. Changing the coolant is simply a waste of your time and $$. This is one reason that the BOB does not detail the coolant flushing procedure.
That said...
Be aware that the 4.7L V8 Hemi uses a BYPASS cooling system that mounts the thermostat down low on the engine. This type of system has several advantages over the ol' "thermostat on the top of the engine" design. The main benifet is that that this type of system actually maintins the ENGINE temperature and not simply the COOLANT temparture.
This is accomplished by ALWAYS flowing at least 50% of the coolant all of the time coupled with controlled "blending" of the hot/cold (engine out / radiator out) flows to maintain the temperature. Even during warmup when the flow thru the radiator is NONE... the flow is maintained thru the engine to distribute the thermal mass.
What does this mean to somone wanting to "flush" the cooling system?
Since the thermostat will be "in the way" of a total flushing, it would be best to pull the hoses and flush each section individually. (Radiator, Engine, Heater core) Do not bother with the silly "flush kit" that will not get to all areas anyway.
If you REALLY want to do somthing that will proloing the life of your rig, Ignore the coolant and flush the hydrolic systems. (Brakes, Clutch, auto tranny... etc).
http://www.forbes.com/2001/07/02/0629flint.html
If you do MORE research...you will discover that virtually ALL of Detroit's noteworthy automobiles were products of special "teams" that temporarily broke free from those corporate bonds to be creative. (Pontiac GTO, Ford Mustang, Corvette, Shelby Dodge ...etc)
I work for one of the largest companies on earth and understand how the corporate giant can overshadow the creativity of the individuals.
Some folks believe that Dilbert is a cartoon... I KNOW IT IS A DOCUMENTARY!!
We did not discuss specifics (I was multi-tasking in my "paperless" office and the service manager was multi-tasking also).
I can only guess as to what will transpire this Friday. I have extra TUMS in case.........
Thanks,
Ron35
Perhaps the system NEVER fails.... yea right!!
My buddy who has been a mechanic for 30 years tells me that the clutch SLAVE cylinder on Dodge trucks tends to blow a gasket in VERY cold wether if care is not taken using the clutch the first few times. He has replaced many of these slave cylinders on Dodge trucks in cold wether... AND BLEEDS THEM TOO.