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The ONLY reason we got rid of the Jeep was it had 200K miles on it and it would NOT run on gas with ethanol added; but ran fine on 100% gas. It was hard to find in my area so we decided to stop fighting the issue and upgrade to a newer vehicle. I found the Durango at a local dealer and the price was slashed because it was when gas prices spiked a few years ago and everyone was in a panic getting rid of big vehicles with V8s. Dealerships couldn't get rid of them so I was able to score a major deal and got it of 12K when it booked for nearly 17K.
The Jeep had a 5.2L Magnum with was the modern MoPar 318; an engine that has been around since the 60s. At 200K miles it still ran great (on pure gas) but since this vehicle was pre-OBDII, it didn't have the newer technology (knock sensor) to deal with poor quality gasoline. So when you filled up with 10% ethanol gas, it knocked and pinged like crazy. We really, really regret selling the old Jeep now. I actually wanted a WJ (99-04 Grand Cherokee) but my wife wanted something bigger.
to keep water from the spark plug base. I did not replace the coil on #7 but we did gel the outside of the coil tube (coil tubes have a ribbed rubber ring to keep water out of plug port). These changes seem to have put an end to the ruff idle when the roads are wet. Coils were @ $45. I did the above repairs about 3 weeks ago. I do plan to check every coil and silicone each coil tube this coming week. This is a very easy task. There are 2 little set screws holding down each coil. Once screws are removed pull up on coil tube. Then silicone rubber ribs. Carefully push tube back on to spark plug. Of course, disconnect wire to coil and only do one coil at a time.
There are some difference in the electronics and some internal (for the better) differences. Not impossible, but a bit more than an easy swap.
2004 Durango 5.7l Hemi just hit 100,000 miles
2 weeks ago we get stranded out in very rural eastern Washington, truck would start (with a jump) then immediately die, ended up having it towed 61 miles to the dealership where they said the computer needed to be reprogrammed for the key fob and that was what was causing the security system to kill the ignition. Had to replace the battery. Other than needing to think about new brakes sometime soon, the dealership said the truck was running great.
1 week and 300 miles later, my wife goes out to the truck and starts it up and there is a ticking sound coming from the engine. I go out and listen to it and it sounded like a lifter ticking. I told her not to drive it and I would get to it later in the week.
1 week later, I go out this morning to see what might be the problem, started it up and an awful knocking sound comes from the engine. Immediately shut off the engine knowing something other than a lifter is the problem. Now there is an oil pool in the driveway.
My wife starts reading online and finds this forum....
Now considering what to do next, I guess start looking for a new truck. Definately not a Dodge. What a load of crap!
If I would have known I would have all these problems after I bought this POS I surely would not have...... after I got all the recalls fixed, (instrument cluster, A/C switch, radio) my wife goes out today to take my kids to lunch and it sounds like a rod is comming through the block. Of couse I am at work. I have always wanted a Darango and with 5 kids it was a wonderful fit. Now even with regular oil changes and recommended matinance I am paying for have an expencive boat anchor. I seen someone was taking class action sign me up........ I can't aford another vehical or to replace an engine every 97k miles.
The early generation Hemi engines are -L E M O N S- and usually fail because of a broke connecting rod. This type of failure is usually UNHEARD of unless an engine is run without oil or severely abused.
www.NHTSA.GOV
Agreed though it could be a loose bearing, but by the description it doesn't sound that way.
I'm not a fan of our government but i really distrust lawyers for the scheming thieves they are.
www.NHTSA.gov
They gave me a case number and manager as well...he must have been about 18 years old. Nothing was ever solved, just said the hemi's are notorious from transmission problems. Good luck with Dodge.
The A518 4speed auto (and the hydraulic and electronic controlled version) were good, but outside issues killed many of these prematurely.
#1. INCORRECT TRANSMISSION FLUID. Even mechanics believed the myth that Dexron II was "the same" as ATF 3+ or 4+. And since Dexron was less than half the price; why pay more? They are totally different, and running Dexron of any kind drastically shortens the life of a Chrysler 4 speed automatic.
If ANYONE suggests you run anything than AFT 4+ transmission fluid in your hemi powered vehicles, IGNORE THEM COMPLETELY; no matter what expertise they pretend to have.
#2. Poorly designed fluid cooling circuits in some vehicles.
Some vehicles (Jeeps for one) had a "non drain back" check valve in the cooler line. This was a good idea but poorly executed. The valve would clog and negate the purpose of the cooler circuit thus running the transmission too hot, and shortening it life.
The 545RFE was a all new design and had has a few quirks. But I very rarely hear of complete catastrophic failures of these which was much more common in previous generations. The problem is dealership service departments SUCKS at many dealerships. They hire shade-tree mechanics that are NOT certified on these transmissions. They don't read the service bulletins (or service manuals), so they throw parts at them that don't solve the problem.
Like I said in an earlier post; most dealership owners are NOT interested in providing good service. They are interested in MONEY and they make that by moving a large volume of easy fixes through the service bays. Hard problems they blame on the customers. If you are getting bad service at a dealership, FIND ANOTHER. This is a reality in the car business now a days.
The older "LA" type engines are obsolete because they cannot meet the more strict EPA emissions. This is why the new 4.7 and 5.7(hemi) were developed. The older (and very reliable) engines WILL NOT work in the 2nd gen durango ('04 and up) because the electronics systems are not compatible.
The cruel reality is you cannot get away from this cheap. My BEST advise is to located a direct replacement engine, and pay a local honest mechanic to install it; then SELL YOUR DURANGO and try to recoup the some of your investment.
An easier route would be just trade it in as is on something else. If you can escalate this with Chrysler customer care you might get a concession on a trade in. Some have suggested contacting the media on this; I say go for it.
It is a cover up and the issue is well known but they are forbidden to acknowledge that it is a real problem.
Prices very greatly from area to area but I purchased another '04 5.7L hemi with only 60K miles from a wrecked Durango. Engine was $1600. I paid a mechanic that was a family friend to install it. Labor, oil, plugs, etc totaled $1600.
So we got away much cheaper than the $5500 dealer estimate for the same job with a re-manufactured engine.
Over all I'm not endeared to Chrysler products anymore. The old "Ma MoPar" would have NEVER put an engine in a vehicle that has such poor quality internal parts. And that company was an AMERICAN one. Ma MoPar is dead. After being raped by the Germans, and now the Italians are pimping her out just to sell crappy Fiat cars in the US.
What is this? The return of the Axis powers? Sheesh.
there is nothing you can do that i know of. i just bought the neighbors 04 hemi durango (136,000mi) across the street with a shattered rod. i found an engine from an 05 ram with 36,000 miles in a bone yard in wisconsin. put it in and now were running fine. i was beyond disappointed when i seen the internals of this 04 engine and i understand that if they were to make a recall, every engine would have to come back. they are ticking time bombs. good luck, my neighbor was quoted 9000.00 at the dealer and 5800.00 at the corner garage by my house. i found an engine for 2100.00 and put it in myself, took about 4 days.
again, good luck
hope all goes well for ya.
jeff