Dodge Dakota - III

steve234

If I came off overly critical about slamming Fords, I apoligize. My intent was to say lets not take a good forum and waste it on the endless debate that happens comparing makes. I just had a realy bad experience in a boating forum that is almost enough to make one pull his keyboard out.

On the water spots issue: Check your water plant and ask what range their hardness, alkalinity and TDS/chlorides are in. If the hardness is over 120ppm a water softener may help, but get one that does not use salt. If the alkalinity is under60ppm, I do not recommend a softener. If the TDS is over 250ppm or chlorides are over 75ppm, then the problem may be salts in the water and would require a reverse-osmosis system to get it out. This is just a generalized look, but it may help.

themacguy

but I'm not. With the little 'irritations' we've had in some of our Topics lately, it was nice to see a little error give up a LOT of humor. That's about the funniest damn thing I've read here in a long time. :'-P

The Durango side step items use mounts along the full length of the cab area (wheel to wheel). Even if it would fit (it doesn't) the Quad, you don't want to 'tie' the bed to the cab with a tube or anything else. Any pickup bed must 'float' on its own.

ozark - I'd just leave the bed thing alone until Dodge issues some sort of fix. The 'look' isn't that noticeable on most, though flares & gravel guards might keep the 'cooties off the quarters' so to speak.

stvdmn - if you ever feel the need to "wash it down with the hoe and take her out for a short 'joy' ride" - be sure to let us know beforehand. Sounds like something we don't want to miss.

;''-))

henne

no, the sound/vibration dampener under the bed will not interfere with the receiver if it is for the correct truck, did you know that when we see the M.P.G. numbers on the stickers on autos they are at 35 city and 55 hwy, i have a 4.7, auto, 3.92 and i get 15mpg, and i drove 75 i tool a ling drive over the weekend and i set my cruise on 55 for 150 miles, and i got instead of 15mpg i got 20mpg, WOW!!!!! what a difference, some of you may have known this but i didnt, but who wants to drive 55 anyway, ill just spend more on fuel and less on something silly like food!

good luck all,

robert

knkresort

Steve,

Thanks, I think I must have misunderstood the Saab salesman, which is understandable since I bought it in Sweeden. (My Sweedish stinks, but his English was good)

Does this mean we will all be modifying our intake boxes?

How about air pressure in the tires? Any thoughts? (Quad with no load and highway driving. Tire and handling package...)

KnK

bigal31

Nice job on your explanation on #311!I almost understood it.LOL.
1 Question,if I go ahead and move my air intake,to say the front grill(ram air)will my gas mileage increase, as well as horsepower?

marsha7

I have not visited this topic for a short while, but I would like to thank you for your Post #93, where you responded to my query about gas mileage of cars vs trucks. When I buy my truck, my idea of heavy hauling is pine straw, and my definition of off-road is parking on the dirt shoulder of the road, it might make sense for me to use passenger car tires instead of huge truck tires, since I want a smooth ride and better mileage. I just want the truck because it is difficult to put 15 bales of pine straw in the back seat of a Y2K Intrepid, and it dirties the leather.

renegade69

Thanks for the reply on the A.R.E. lids. Sounds
like $690.00 is in the price range. I found a
dealer in a FANCY shop and he wanted $797.00!

Mileage update 1100 miles on truck, 4.7, 5-spd,
3.55 gears. Mileage is up alittle. From 16.2 to
16.9.

Later renegade69

spike50

Several years ago, we ran a small co-generation unit to produce all of the electricity and steam needs at a California manufacturing facility. Basically it was a turboprop engine out of a C-130 military troop transport airplane hooked to a generator. By cooling down the intake air, injecting a water stream into the intake, and also injecting steam directly into the combustion chambers, which were burning natural gas, the horsepower almost doubled from approx. 3,800 up to 6,000. At full power it produced about 5,500 kilowatts, which is small compared to today's standards. You could also see the horsepower swing with the outside air temp that varied between a 110 and 70 degrees F.

natdmann

I wouldnt bet my life that mileage will increase with forced cold air , but I would bet that it will not degrade it though. The only basis I have to go on, and this is only personal or very close knowledge, is dealing with Mustangs manufactured over the last ten years. One thing I do know is I have seen my own car benefit from a K&N airfilter and cold air kit, my mileage in the car actually got better. I also know that alot of Mustangs with alot of modifications designed for more power are actually getting as good or better gas mileage even when they use larger injectors, bigger fuel pumps, etc... But the computer in these cars "adapts" very well to changes. Most of the time more fuel delivery is achieved they also add more air delivery, like COLD AIR INDUCTION, K&N filters, and larger intakes. Hope this helps. Steve

natdmann

I post both from work and home. Home I believe is NATDMANN, work is STVDMAN. Also that is a V not a U. I use the handles as part of my name, STEVEN NATALE- stvdman= steve the man, natdmann=natale the man. Although STUDMAN isnt bad either. Sorry for the non-tech post.

2drive

There definitely is a connection between air temperature and engine horsepower. When I was a kid on my dad's farm, I preferred to do the field plowing after dark. Granted we worked with diesel powered tractors, but with the significantly colder air temperatures after dark, I always could plow faster at night, and I also noticed greater lugging capacity through the "tough spots".

wilmar1

If you will try www.4are.com, then click Special Offers, they will give you a $20.00 certificate when you buy their lid. Did it, and it worked fine. Wife & I walked across the street while they were installing the lid and flares, and had a great Mexican meal of enchiladas, tacos, beans & rice, and cerveza Mexicano for under $20.00. Consider the meal was on A.R.E. Muchos Gracias!

gbilhimer

Renegade, I live in Kansas City and had a Line-X bedliner sprayed in my Quad. It looks great and cost me $350 from Line-X of Olathe. I believe thye have 3 dealers in the KC area. I went with black in my Flame Red Quad.

96g11

Ok here's the scoop. Pun intended. By introducing fresh smooth air of the highest density available, engine efficiency will be improved. Cooler air (from the high pressure area ahead of radiator) is more dense and therefore contains a higher oxygen content. Engines burn oxygen, not fuel to make power. Sounds a little tricky but stay with me on this one. An internal combustion engine is simply an air pump. The more air in, the more efficient the engine is. As efficiency is increased, fuel mileage and power production will follow. It used to be with carbs we had to change jetting to handle the increased airflow and even that had limitations. Today with the advent of electronic fuel injection the computers can adapt to minor changes. By smoothing the intake and exhaust system, and using a trained right foot, mileage can be increased. Or on the other hand, with a heavy right foot power can be increased. Everything the factory does is a compromise. That big ugly box on top of our 4.7 engines is to decrease sound. If you don't mind a little "throat" to your motor modify it. If you like things quiet as a mouse leave it alone. What is hot rodding all about in the first place? To have fun with your truck!

andy_jordan

Dakota comes from factory with heavy load pressures, if you are running empty or light load you should be running at the light load specs.

You are right in saying that you will get better mileage with slightly higher pressures, but you will have lower overall costs if you run the correct pressures.

Increasing pressure without the load will lead to uneven wear on the rear tires and will reduce handling and traction (especially in the wet). By all means feel free to experiment with pressures but I would stay withing a couple of pounds of the low load pressures.

knkresort

I will check out the pressure this weekend when I am sure the tires will be cold and it is light outside. Unfortunately, with Daylight Savings time, it is dark when I leave home in the morning.

KnK

P.S. Second tank of gas was 17.3 mpg (4.7L 5sp, 3.55)

poconojoe

If I could do it over, I would get the spray in bedliner.

I've got a 99 x-cab. The mopar bedliner was a waste of money. It makes it difficult to access the few tie-downs that are there. You can't use a tension bar because the sides are not up against the bed wall, so you can't get good tension.

Has anyone found good tie downs that can be used with the bedliner. I've considered taking out the bedliner.

Thanks,

crazycanuck

Hello fellow canucklehead!! I am indeed from the city....the booming metropolis of Kamloops. Yourself? I am looking in town here at prices and have recieved a few email quotes from Vancouver area. Lower mainland quotes are about 3-4000 cheaper. I guess buying local is out. Thanks for the holler.

crazycanuck

Thanks for the input. I am going to drive the quad with 5.9 again... Then I'll try the 4.7. I guess since I was so impressed with the truck/5.9 combo, I am already biased to that motor. I doubt I could go wrong with either. Sounds like most are quite pleased with the 4.7. Took the quad in the hills around here and was pretty damn impressed with the traction in 2-3 feet of snow.
I have relatively little experience with 4wheel but 4 hi was great goin up...and 4 low coming down. What a blast. The dog thought it was great too. The wife couldn't make it that trip...he he he...too bad we can't post pics on here...would be nice to see some owner's Dakotas...Anyway, enough blabbering....Thanks again all.

R.

beevo1

Hey...I'm two weeks away from purchasing a Quad. I'm going with the Forrest Green Sport 4x4, leaning towards the 4.7. The big questions that I have are whether to go automatic or manual (Dodge transmissions ....little worried)and the 3.33 or the 3.92. Could you guys give me the merits of each of these choices. As far as towing it will be a Sea-Doo at the most. I will be taking it off road a bit though. Need your info.

themacguy

Sure, you can post pix in a Topic posting. It's done all the time on Edmund's. I've seen a rear 3/4 view of a Silverado recently in one of the later Topics (1700's, I think). You can even have moving pix if that's your thing. I saw a moving blimp in here today in the 1700's, 1758? maybe). All that's required is a fair knowledge of HTML. In fact, it's one of my pet 'things' about the Quad owner's club we're working on. I'll clear it with a_j (andy_jordan) first as I'm sure he has already presented the pix issue (where / how) to Edmunds. We'll be asking everyone to send to us (with certain guidelines on the pix themselves) your pix for posting in a 'neat' manner, or show you how to do it yourselves. This way we don't have to do a bunch of crash coursing on HTML for posting them here in the Topics.

That said, if you can use the brackets to place linking info for an external site in your post (as most of us do from time to time), you could probably figure out the HTML command string to input your image(s). It's not that tough. I believe some of the more common HTML commands are shown in the 'FAQ's or Help area' that Edmunds has for the Town Hall users - including 'img rsc.'

Hey, we're going to have a FIRST CLASS place with our owner's club space. Not to worry. :-))

resqman

I have only seen Black side molding on the Dakota. The Durango has color matched molding. Does anyone know if you can get color matched molding for a Dakota? At $20 from the factory, it seems cheap insurance against dings and paint chips.

I guess I could order Durango molding and apply myself but I would have to order two each of front door moldings to get enough length to cover the longer rear door on the Quad. I am sure the parts are more expensive than $20.

iowabigguy

I've been monitoring (lurking) here for the past 10 days. I ordered a 2k quad cab 4.7l slt 5spd 2wd on 3/25. I found out today that all dakota orders are being delayed by a shortage if 8" wide wheels. The guy who explained this to me is the one who orders all the trucks a Jims Dodge in Omaha Nebraska. I went to him concerned with some of the horror stories I've seen here concerning wait time. He assured me this is a temporary problem which should ease in a week or two. They quoted me a 7 to 10 week time frame from order to delivery. He indicated the biggest problem with the Loooooong wait time some of you are experiencing is dealer allocation. The smaller dealers don't have enough trucks allocated to cover orders but they take the orders anyway hoping you get tired of waiting and buy something else off of the lot. The guy seemed to know what he is talking about. I sat down and spoke to the salesman and told him what I wanted. He put it into his computer and printed out a list with 2 prices for each item, MSRP and Invoice. Both columns were added up and he pointed to the invoice price as what I could buy the truck for, less my trade-in and since I was ordering he suggested I join Farm Bureau so as to get the 500 dollar rebate. (Farm Bureau membership is $45 and you must be a member for 30 days before you take delivery on the truck). I also got $900 more for my trade than Kelly Blue Book said it was worth as a trade. Jim's Dodge is a 5 star dealership and I have bought several cars from them over the last 10 years. I have no interest in the dealership other than friendship that has developed over the years but if you wand a good deal on a Quad Cab I feel you won't find a much better deal elsewhere unless you are married to the owners daughter (or son to be politically correct) I look forward to the establishment of the Dakota users group and hopefully many new friends. Rick "iowabigguy"

bookitty

Forest Green is a super color. As far as 5 speed versus automatic, that is a matter of personal choice. Off road the 5 speed offers a bit more control, as it does on snow and icy road conditions allowing gearing down instead of using the service brakes. For towing, both the automatic and the 3.92 offer advantages in maximizing towing efforts with a heavy trailer. For towing "water whizzers" or snowmobiles, the 3.55 (you referred to a 3.33 in error) would be sufficient to get the job done. The 3.55 offers slightly higher mileage, and lower RPM. If you tow in very hilly terrain, the 3.92 may offer less lugging of the engine. I live in Eastern PA and spend time in NJ as well at our beach house. The terrain is somewhat hilly in PA, and the Jersey Shore is relatively flat. I tow only on occasion and have ordered the 4.7 with 3.55 rear(s). My original order came in with the 3.92, and I refused the truck. So, I may feel stronger about it than others. There are a great number of people on this forum who know lots more than I, so keep posting under the various Quad related topics until you gain enough information to make an intelligent decision. Good luck.

Bookitty

mikeydeddens

HELP!!!!!!!!!

I have a 97 Dakota with the V6. It makes a terrible racket, it is especially loud at idle. It sounds kind of like valve train noise, like a flat lifter but it is awfully loud. Some others have the opinion that it is the timing chain or the drive gear for the distributor rotor.

Anybody got any ideas?

mikeydeddens

I had trouble with my tranny. It would not shift into O/D and then finally quite shifting all together at about 16,000 miles. Tried a couple of times to get it fixed without results. The second time it broke as I pulled into my driveway after I had picked it up from the dealer. I finally had to call Chrysler and tell them they could shove the truck you know where unless it was fixed properly this time and in a timely manner. I referenced the lemon laws a lot and finally got some satisfaction. They even rented me a loaner car. The dealer took a transmission out of a new truck that was on their lot and put it in my truck. Haven't had a problem with it since. I drive the piss out of it and the odometer reads 80,000.

4daughters

After much discussion on the A.R.E. caps/tops/shells, I have a question, (not directly related to that particular brand.) I will not be adding a spray in bedliner or any other one for that matter, (possibly later,) but would like to know if there is something I should do to the rails before setting a cap on. Not to sound off the wall but possibly spray WD40 or simply leave it dry and clean? The cap itself is either going to be cab high or tapered higher, then straight back.
Just a note: As of this writing my truck is in the shop getting the bed realigned to the cab.

newquad

I used a hairdryer as suggested to remove the sport decal, however there is the adhesive residue left over. How do I remove this? I saw that someone used wax, but what kind, and how?
Thanks

newquad

Never mind about the previous post. I used some car wax, a little elbow grease, and voila! the adhesive was gone. Looks much sharper without those stickers.

rmr71676

I ordered a Dakota CC on March 20th and was told to expect a 6 to 8 week wait. On rare occassions, it may be only a month, but my dealer said not to bet on it. With that in mind, my money for downpayment is stuck in a CD until April 20th. The problem: I got a call yesterday saying my order is in. I stopped by the dealership after hours and sure enough it was. I don't want to get screwed into paying extra for them to keep it 2 weeks, or be forced to finance more than I had planned on. Is there anything I can do if the dealer gives me a hard time? Thanks.

bookitty

Talk to the dealer, and see if he'll let you sign a demand note for 14 days. Failing to get him to do that, see if he'll hold your CD as collateral for that period of time. Believe me that they have done crazier and more creative deals than this one. Also, he may hold it for two weeks because it did arrive earlier than predicted. Worse case scenario would be if they were to charge you for holding the vehicle, and then you would have to would determine from the bank how much of a penalty for early withdrawal. Weigh all of the above and go for it. Enjoy your truck.

Bookitty

andy_jordan

Agree with bookitty (of course), one other thing you may be able to do if they seem a bit unsure is make a partial payment using your credit card. This obviously depends upon circumstances, but your CD would mature prior to the credit card payment being due so the cost to you would be reduced - just the inability to use the credit card for other purchases.

tpmiller1

Just to clarify, is the CD the down payment and the balance a loan? From the same bank? Even if not from the same bank, seems to me between financer, bank (if different) and dealer something can be worked out for 2 weeks.

catnip2377

Does anyone know where I can get information on the 2001 Dakota, or does anyone know of any changes that are going to be made? Thanks

mrb9

Today as I pulled up to my Barber's shop to get a hair cut I noticed not one but two, yes count them 2 quad cab dakotas. I went inside and joined an ongoing discussion about the merits of this new truck. As I have yet to receive mine (quad-waiter) I was very happy to hear two good stories of Happy Quaders. Both 4.7L , 1 auto- 1 5spd, both 3.55(3.92 in mine). But most important they were both very very happy with their trucks. NO COMPLAINTS from either one. And when we talked price,LOL. And I was K's lower then both(thanks to this and other forums), lets just say they were not to happy about that, but anyway I told them both about Edmunds.com and our little rag-tag group of present and future quaders. So look for them to join in soon. Just real world info I thought I would share. Thanks Mrb9

renegade69

From the homework I have done, brand really
does matter in a bed cover. Some covers
actually rest on the top of the bed rails,
with time they will rub the paint off. Some
dealers will apply a foam sticky back tape
on the bed rails to reduce the wear. My
opinion, do just as much homework on this
subject as you have buying that beautiful
jewel in your driveway.

good luck renegade69

Ps. never heard of the wd-40 thing, what's that?

4daughters

Sorry, I thought that WD-40 was a household name. It is simply a very good versatile lubricant spray that does many things. One being a rust preventative. I just thought it would put a protective layer between the cap and truck rail.
The WD-40 reference address: http://www.wd40.com

bpeebles

(4daughters) I have an ARE cab-hi (The CX series)
The installer put TWO layers of thick foam tape on the CAP before inching it down on to the bedrails. He first removed the brake lamp bulb from the cab and wired in the new on in the cap.
This guy has been installing caps for many many years. He said that removing the 4 clamps will allow the cap to be lifted off at my convienence.
There is a plug in the wire going to the cap brakelight to ease removal of cap.

Trivia follows...
BTW... WD40 is a WATER DISPLACER (formula # 40) that was originally made for a government project.
The maker then went into production and the stuff is now available even in wallmart. It is used for everything BUT a water displacer.

knkresort

I would think the most important part of installing a tonneau that touches the bed rail is to make sure the bed rail has no dirt on it. Any dirt will rub and scratch the rail over time. Eventually water will get in there and rust will start. Such an ugly thing...

KnK

knkresort

While I was reading posts with the TV on, I heard my dealer advertise 2000 Quads "for as low as $19,995." He normally has 4-6 on the lot, must have gotten a new shipment in... First ad I have heard specifically for the Quad made by a local dealer and not a D/C ad.

KnK

thewink1

noticed several posts on the relative merits of spray in liners and questions about costs. my two cents...i went with line x and it is absolutely beautiful. line x of brownwood (texas) charged me $300 over the rail which is better than most of the prices i've seen posted and they do a great spray job. also gave a lifetime warantee on scratch and gouge repair. the reason line x prices vary so much is that each dealer sets their own price and warantee so caveat emptor.
hope this helps

themacguy

The way I've always prepped vehicles that I race (lots of decals - each year different) AND my street driven cars / trucks / bikes is to use WD-40 to remove (actually dissolves) the glue residue. Won't hurt the paint. Cleans off with soap; dry; done deal. Slick.

willywill

hello, i have a 2000 dakota club cab and does anyone have a K&N filter. Do they work and how much do they cost???
Thank Will

newquad

Thanks themacguy for the tip on using WD40 for the glue residue. I will use that today to get the other side stickers off!

andy_jordan

OK, here goes.

I use synthetic, and am a fan of the benefits of it, so bear that in mind.

I would say that 3000 miles was probably a little too early to be thinking about synthetic, waiting until 5000 is probably a better bet just to make sure everything is seated properly. It shouldn't matter in modern engines, but better safe than sorry.

If you switch to synthetic then you can, theoretically, leave longer between oil change intervals. My advice would be to stick with the recommendations for the truck - but that means 7,500 miles for most people.

I would suggest a good quality oil, I use Mobil 1, but Castrol Syntec, Amsoil etc will also do the job. Make sure you use a good quality filter though - Mobil 1 is good, please, please don't use Fram.

I wouldn't suggest sticking with 10w-30 that you have used before - 5w-30 is a better bet, or maybe even 5w-50.

I have the skid plates, but I also have a friend with a lift so I don't have too much hassle, but yes they can get in the way. I wouldn't think that it warrants removal though, a little bit of care is really all that's needed - hey it's an oil change, you gotta get a bit dirty :-)

I'll leave it at that for now, if this turns into another discussion on synthetic vs. natural I'll weigh in with more.

tpmiller1

Couldn't agree with you more about "other sites" where there is more dissing than information. The Dak threads and posters on this site are in a class by themselves. More than once I have simply told other site(s) users to come here. By far the class Dakota site on the net.

ozark

Hey I'm not worried about me getting dirty. It the truck I'm worried about..know what I mean :-).

andy_jordan

spilt oil as chassis lubrication!!

My Jaguar has it as a design feature :-)

keg3

have the k&n for the 4.7l(i'm sure thats what engine you're referring to) its the same filter as the 99 5.2l . i cant think of the part # off hand, maybe #2084. anyway, i've noticed some extra power at higher rpm's (highway). and a little increase in gas mileage (highway). not too much increase if any in low end torque. it was around 45 bucks at autozone, couldnt hurt getting one.

marsha7

with all due respect to Andy, "use the crude." Real oil is still a darn good lubricant, you are usually certain how long to go between changes, and, I guess, I would rather stick with "the devil I know" rather than "the devil I don't know."