Dodge Dakota - III

bja4

Just picked my one week old 4x4 club-cab from the body shop within the Dodge dealer. The bed was offset about 7/8". The bed of the truck suck out past the cab on the right, and the cab stuck out past the bed on the left. The bumper was straight/aligned with the rest of the truck.
[ bed ]
[ bed ]
[ bed ]
[ cab ]
[ cab ]
[ cab ]

Only one hour of shop time was charged under warranty. They loosen some builts and then tighten the builts after proper alignment. No drilling of support rails, frame, ect. Thank God.
Although I had to let the (kid) technician drive the truck from my work to the dealership. I did not like this one bit. The dealership's shuttle wasn't available.
What's the best way to remove the webbing in the air box?

96g11

I don't really know the "best way" to remove the air box webbing but I used a pair of duck billed pliars. Just grab and twist the little suckers off. The webbing will break out quite easily and you would really have to try to break the air box as it is really quite sturdy. Just remember to remove the excess material with a sander or die grinder. Do not forget to make absolutly sure that all possibly loose material is removed from the top side of the airbox as any loose material could possibly end up in the intake "this could be bad". No reason to be paranoid, just cautious.

96g11

My window sticker shows multi speed automatic just under the base price. Then under optional equipment it lists transmission -4 speed automatic. Then in the fuel economy guide, lists 4-speed automatic trans w/ lockup torque converter. I was under the impression that the multi speed trans did not have a lockup converter. I guess I need to buy a service manuel on this thing, but I seem to get more accurate answers from all of you than from D.C.!!!

dbhfd

Just a personal note on the bedliners. I just had my bed sprayed with a Rhino liner and I couldn't be happier. I have had regular drop in bedliners and had not really known how disappointed I was until I got the spray in liner. Yes, it costs a little more but the benefits and cosmetics are outstanding. I paid $350 dollars and it's a lifetime gaurantee......any defects, gouges, or whatever is covered and is fixed without a problem.

Another thing for everybody.....just got the 2000 Dodge Dakota Service Manual in the mail.....I think it's the biggest book in the house. Its filled with everything you wanted to know. Highly recommend getting one. It is about $100 bucks though.....if you don't want to get one and have a question, I'll try to answer it and get as much of my moneys worth.

dbhfd

What engine do you have?

spike50

As asked above - What engine do you have? The 3.9L comes w/ a tried and true 4 sp auto w/ a lock-up converter. The 4.7L comes with a "4" multi-speed that actually has two 2nd gears but no lock-up converter.

andy_jordan

Edmunds has the owners group up an running - so lets get going and get Dodge Dakota in as one of the first topics.

What do you guys think, should we start with just Dakota, I understand that you can set up topics within the 'club' so we can put quad, club etc in there. These can only be started by bonnie-rick, you can't just start a topic but what do you guys think.

P.S. I am not trying to assume ownership, just thought I'd ask as I saw that it was up and running.

P.P.S. Only posting in this topic because I figure most everyone with a Dak looks here.

tpmiller1

You can be the lead dog of the ride ey.

pomyc

Good idea. While I don't post very often, I religously review the various Dakota topics within the Townhall (6 placemarks for me)and it would be nice to go directly to a owners group forum for our beloved Dakotas. One suggestion I might add regarding the setup of the "subtopics" maybe by model year. The reason I say this is, although I did not buy the Quad I am the very proud owner of a 2000 Dakota Club Cab (4.7L/auto/4x4/lsd/3.55). With the expection of the 4 doors, it is very similar to the Quad. In fact, I have taken away some very valuable information from those, such as yourself, who know much more than I on these subjects. I don't want to be exclusive of owners with other Dakota's but maybe it can be a starting point and we can go from there? Just a thought.

andy_jordan

that would be eh, eh.

OK,

Lets Go!

(No one says mush except in the movies).

andy_jordan

OK,

Bonnie rick now says we need two designated 'group leaders'.

If you guys want me to be one then that is OK, but if someone else wants to do it, I won't be offended. Anyway we are going to need at least one more - any volunteers?

I guess for the sake of credibility we need someone who regularly contributes - bookitty, macguy, tpmiller, et al.

(Not endorsing anyone or dropping them in it - just know those guys are always hanging around)

andy_jordan

E-mail me if you don't want to openly declare your lust for power in public forum ;-)

tpmiller1

cause, among other things, he does "on the lot" investigations on his Sundays, which, along with his informative posts, eminently qualifies him. Plus it would give a good north-south continent balance (as long as you guys don't write like you talk...)

pomyc

Not to mention he would be a great guard dog to ward off those individuals interested in chiming in with their "Toyota is better than Dodge" kind of bull

andy_jordan

I sent him an e-mail, asking him what he thought - watch this space.

bja4

Which is better? Which is cheaper? Ect.,ect., and ect. Any input would be helpful.

andy_jordan

Have a look at topic 252 Rhino liners vs. set in liners. Although it has been frozen there is some good info there and a lot of discussion about the relative merits of Rhino vs Line-X

henne

i vote themacguy, poor bookitty has too many of his own dodge problems, poor poor boo.

robert

wilmar1

Andy Jordan and Thermacguy have been drafted. It would be nice to have DAKOTA as the heading. We seem to have similar feelings about Dakotas regardless of the body styles and engine choices. Object is to offer help with problems and advice to those who have questions, as well as plain old news and information. Appreciate your efforts. Bill

jazztbone

I read the liners topic one night. Rhino and Line-x are pretty damn close. Seemed like a slight edge went to line-x. YMMV.

I'm getting sick of this. When I ordered in the beginning of Feb, I thought I was tough. I thought I could wait this thing out. I saw all of you Bookitty types gutting it out for months and months.

Well I'm not tough. I'm a big baby, and I'm going to die if I don't get my truck soon.

Yesterday DC said 4.7s are on restriction. My order has been on restriction for almost two months. I'm going out of town for 2 weeks on Monday. If I don't have some movement by the time I get back I've got to cancel.

Sorry dudes. You guys are real men - I'm a wuss.

-Joe Jackson

mrb9

Call your dealership and find about their allocation issue. I also oreded in Feb.(19th) When I called today they told me it was finished yesterday and shipped today. Quad, 4x4, SLT, LSD, 5spd, 4.7L, and all options except for 4W ABS. No restrictions ever put on it. I purcahsed from a large Dodge dealership in Oregon with a large allocation. Dealt with the Fleet Manager in ordering, I dont know if that made a difference in getting it done faster or not. But when I ordered it I told them they had until April 15th to get it to me or I would cancel and go some where else. They said "no Problem" and then started to sweat when production slowed. Give your dealer a call and find out if they allocation problems. If they can get mine done, then why not everyone else who has waited longer then me?????? Mrb9

dbhfd

Just as I said before, I had Rhino liner put in my quad cab....love it....no regrets.....no complaints. I will never own a drop in liner again. As far as choosing between line-x, rhino, arma-coatings or any other distributor, I think you'll get a good product either way you go. Rhino liners have been around the longest....as far as I know and they all pound the others ideas. Pick one....you'll be happy anyway you go. The only thing I would recommend is that you get it done in black. Colors tend to show more dirt. That's all I got.

technonerd1

Go for it Andy... It would be really nice to have all the Dakota topics grouped together for easier access. I also back Thermacguy if he is willing. Anyone who spends Sundays on car lots measuring truck boxes has my vote.

bobemoto

4.7L auto 4x4 lsd 3.55 abs SportPlus
Hope my dealer has some allocation left. I asked, but decided his answer has an inherent conflict of interest so I just hope.

bja4

I think I will go with Line-x after hearing some of the other posts. With Line-x, the dealer can have it done in under 2 hours. Plus the Line-x dealer is a lot closer to me. Now all I have to do is decide on a color. Black would probably look o.k. with a white truck. I wounder if dark blue would look o.k./better (same color as the Sport decals) ????
Waiting for a new truck is hard enough when it is built and delivered on time. I can't imagine waiting more than two or more months for a new truck. But man is it worth it, once you get the truck! Good things are sometimes worth waiting for.

linzh20

Forgive my ignorance but I thought the bed offset thing was all about "truck beds". Does the Durango have a bed? I thought it was a SUV. Who can enlighten me?
Bill

newquad

Bja4,
I have a white dakota quad and got the black Line-X liner. It looks great, since the accents on the truck are black (bumpers, etc). I would definately go with the black vs. the blue one

themacguy

I really don't quite know what to say. Thanks for the vote (?) of confidence. I went to work, got a few e:mails from a_j and others asking about the Edmund's 'club' thing (can read/write e:mails in the field, but can't get to Edmunds). Didn't really have a clue, except I'd seen something about it a while back on the home page or somewhere. Anyway, logged on, finally got to this topic and found I'd been 'drafted?!'

Yep, strange day indeed.

OK - I'll e:mail a_j now that I've sort of figured out what's going on. If it's all right with you guys we'll help ya'll lay out a format (better than most of the other groups, I'm sure.) and then, I suppose, we'll be up and running very soon.

One comment & request - I've not openly 'thanked' bookitty and bpeebles for their help in getting me to buy the Quad over other vehicles. So guys: Thanks! Now since an 'owners group' is on the way for the Quad(ders), I have this 'request': I'd like for there to be areas where bookitty, bpeebles, henne, ozark and others can be the VIPs that will be needed to pull this off. In my opinion if they can't help, this thing's dead before it starts. I just hang around here a lot, but these guys reply to some 'tough' questions with some incredibly detailed answers that actually help people - when they can't even get answers from the maker / dealer they've spent $25k with!

And, please go to 1721: particularly if you've not gotten your quad and have been waiting more than two months... it's important, and help keep balser from bailing on a Dak. Quad (at least totally)...

:-))

dbhfd

I have a black Rhino liner with a white 4x4 quadcab.....definately the right choice any liner system you go with.

andy_jordan

I will contact bonnie rick and arrange for the deed to be done.

Now its down to all of us - let's make this work and get DC to sit up, take notice and do something. Oh, and lets have fun.

littlejuan

Hey guys, my quad ordered 2/23= 4.7l, 5spd,SLT, loaded, has passed QC and is in KZ1 status. DC said it is scheduled to ship to rail head today, then railed to somewhere in Mass, then trucked to RI. I am off to Germany for 8 days. When I get back I will let you know how everything turns out. Hopefully the door and bed will be in alignment! Any other things i should look for? This is my first truck. thanks - john

andy_jordan

air pressure will be set for a full load, so if you are running empty bed you will want to lower it - particularly affects the rear wheels (obviously)

andy_jordan

I can't take this responsibility!!!!

Tee Hee.

OK guys here's what's happening.

We are going to be the fourth 'club' Couggar are there, next is Subaru, then MPV and then us.

I have suggested initial topics might be:

Dodge Dakota - General
Dodge Dakota - Quad Cab
Dodge Dakota - Maintenance
Dodge Dakota - Accessories

Any additions, deletions, ammendments etc. I have tried to keep things fairly general right now, we can always become more specialized as time goes on.

The other thing that Bonnie has asked for is a name for the club - she suggested Dodge Dakota Devotees or just Dodge Dakota, but can we think of something more creative?

Maybe the Dakota Disciples - of course incorporating the Quad Cab Chasers (otherwise known as the frustrated four-door fans).

Any ideas guys?

4daughters

Well it's good to finally breath. I have been in the back ground for months reading all the topics on the Dakota Quad. I ordered on 2/18 and drove it home on 3/28. The details: Forest Green Sport, 4x4; (Part time,) 4.7L, lsd, 3.55, Auto., sliding rear window and standard cassette/radio. No power overhd. or power convenience. Plain and simple. The low down on the topics: The "bed" was misaligned to the left approx. 3/4". After careful scrutiny I find it is the bed making the right wheel look as if it is protruding out slightly. No ticking from the engine compartment, at least not that I can hear. The "Sport" badging is very similar in color to the SLT, below the front bumper and actually I like it better then the fluorescent green I've seen on some Sports. No oil leaks, no water leaks at the sliding window, (I live in Washington State, so that is a good thing.) No grab handles falling off. I haven't looked into the oil filler cap buildup issue yet. The dealer's name is Vic Wright of Tom Matson Dodge in Auburn, Wash. He dealt with me in a very professional manner and I received the truck at $100 over invoice. To say the least I am very happy with my new truck. My Wife and children really like it too.
Thanks for the information.

andy_jordan

Welcome and congratulations, glad that you like the truck and have no problems - and 4 daughters!!!! I feel for you.

tpmiller1

Looks good to me, keep it simple. Don't know about "devotees" though. Sounds like something the TV talking heads call those who have just left the polls...

knkresort

First tank of gas was 17.29 mpg actual, overhead computer said 15.9 mpg. Quad w/ 4.7L, 3.55, 5sp, 2wd. Most(75%) was highway (55-70 mph). Did a small experiment, with cruise on, the mpg jumped up 2 mpg according to the overhead computer.

With my tonneau coming and when I get past the break-in period, maybe 20 mpg is not too far out of reach....

KnK

spike50

Categories look good to me. I don't think that a lot of specialized categories are worth it. Things all got blended together before because that's how life is - a mess.

Keeping with triple D's theme the club name could be Dodge Dakota Dents.

henne

i am so excited, we get our own club house, lets name it the dodge dakota tree house, i always wanted a tree house as a kid. hopefully we can keep the different topics to a min, i like to read and post in as few areas as possible, i and many others post multilple times on different topics and that gets messy, i hate to do it, but i find that there are some out there that are not aware of some of the topics we have here and i feel some of my info is really worth reading, although some of you may disagree hahahaha, anyway, i would love to help in anyway, we are here to help each other and ourselves. one day, one of us will have a problem and we can all email the stew out of the dealer or whoever it might be thats causing problems, i was hoping we were gonna get to do that for boo when his truck came in wrong. anyway, lets keep the topics down and just support each other.

the master of babble,

robert

renegade69

My Quad Cab is about 20 days old now. Took it on
its first hiway adventure. Had 600 miles on it
when we left, drove a total of 300 miles-150
each way. Semi hilly road, set the cruise at
2500 Rpm, 76-77 MPH. Three adults in the truck
no cargo. I averaged 16.2 MPG.

My truck has a 4.7, 5-spd, 3.55 gears, tire &
handle group. Reading your comments about the
bed on my truck, I checked the alignment. Mine
is off! It only needs to be moved a 1/4" to
the right, but Its not noticeable at all, I had
to look real hard to see it. I don't know if
I want the dealership messing with it and make
a mountain from a mole hill.

Club Name, Simple.

The Dodge BoyZ!

Later renegade69

wilmar1

renegade sez: The Dodge BoyZ! Maybe: Dakota Territory or Dodge Dakota.

ozark

or how about Dodge Dakota Territory? Very lethal intials. Kinda cool, but still thinking.

Club is a great idea Andy. Thanks for taking this on and getting the ball rolling.

henne

if we spell it like dodge dakota treehouse, its ddt, come on guys, "im trying over here" (from welcome back kotter) hahahaha

robert (gee i must really be bored tonight) hehehehe

bja4

First of all, did (4daughters) get the dealership to realign the truck bed?
Secondly, I like DDT for group name.
I am about to install some new Happijac anchors for my Northstar side-in camper. In the instructions that came with the anchors, it states to install the rear anchors in side wall of the bed just below the lower bed line. I really, really don't feel like putting these anchors in the side wall. I would rather place them on the rear bumper, like I did on my old Dakota. I think there should be enough metal in the rear bumper to support the anchors. Anybody out there done this on a 97 or newer Dakota?

mwolak

Just got my Dak in. (Ordered 2/10) What a truck! At the risk of sounding repetitive, thanks for al the information and good advice. No major defects to report. I walked side to side about 4 times and I think that the bed is misaligned 1/8" to 1/4". Didn't have a tape measure.

OWNER'S GROUP:
The less topics the better. I would even say keep it to one topic. All these Dak groups cross over a lot. (ie. Quad cab items discussed in the Club cab topic etc.) There are also a lot of duplicate posts to multiple topics. Which one of us would not monitor all the topics anyway. Why not just have one topic?

andy_jordan

Treehouse, yeah, OK.

DDT - in my case Dodge Dakota Tows (right now an XJ-S with a blown radiator hose - if anyone saw 19.5 liters of coolant on the 401 last night, that was me).

I agree we should try and keep the topics under control - that is one reason why not everyone can create topics, but I think we should try and cater to people who don't necessarily want to read through all the posts from the babblers (heen, if you are a babbler, what does that make me?).

A name, well, Dodge Dakota might do, because we all know that it stands for:

Dakota
Always
Kicks
Other
Trucks
[non-permissible content removed].

The period after [non-permissible content removed] is because it is obviously an abbreviation for Association ;-)

tpmiller1

gives a sense of where to read/post on a particular subject and most are going to review all four anyway, but now the cross posting won't be necesary.
I hope next we hear from Bookitty he's now the co-owner of a certain dodge dealership.

ozark

I agree with tpmiller that the four proposed topics sound pretty good. Of course we'll probably read all of them but it will sure make it easier to go back and find things on maintenance, accessories, etc. I am into this truck for the long haul (hopefully 200,000+ miles) and am sure I will be referring back to the postings in the future.

The only additional topic we might consider is one on mileage (as in improvement) since this seems to be a concern of most Dakota owners and many folks are already experimenting with fixes. But this could probably go under the heading of maintenance or the general Dakota topic. What do you think?

carls5

are fine with me. Makes it a lot easier to read. Also just plain old Dodge Dakota is fine with me. I like your definition of what Dakota stand for.
Carl

shannond2

After comparing models, researching options and prices, and reviewing this forum for several months, I decided to make the plunge and order a 4.7L, 4x2, SLT - loaded Dak Quad Cab. I instructed my salesman this morning to get the final price (agreed upon $100 over invoice) and then place the order.

Now the problem. My salesman said that he could not get the final price or place the order because the pricing mechanism for the 2000 Quad had been "disabled". He said this could happen for two different reasons: 1) orders are no longer being accepted for the 2000 or 2) D/C is going to put a increase price on the 2000 model. Sounds fishy to me, but so far my salesmen has been really upfront with me about everything and I have no real reason not to believe him.

Has anybody else heard anything like this?
Thanks in advance for any input.