Dodge Dakota Problems. Please help!

mopar67

however when you subscribe to alldata, you must select make, year, model and ENGINE...alas I had a 2000 K club cab. Therefore the TSB on the idle is probably useless to you as we are talking two different animals here. Different design, manufacuture, components,etc.

Sorry could not be of more help to you.

mullins87

I thought you had a '00 Dakota. My mistake.

rubberman

Thanks to dustyk and others who chattered about my oil sludge (which is apparently the accepted term) in my '94 Dakota. I believe I learned a very expensive lesson. The new engine in it will be babied! BTW, the type of driving that we use it for is almost all short city commutes in Ohio, so it fits several of the conditions dustyk mentioned that promote sludge.

One other item I found interesting was that the mechanic who replaced my engine said he would never add oil "cleaners" to the engine. He claimed that rather than dissolving the sludge they more often loosen it up and plug the pump suction screen. He said he had a flurry of engine replacements the week following the promotion of a new oil cleaner product. Interesting...

mullins87

How's Mike's arm? Will he have to go through with the bone graft? Did the insurance company step up?

I was just thinking about him as I am getting ready to go for a ride today.

dustyk

Yes, I've seen this problem, too. Many years ago when I did auto repair I would occasionally run across a vehicle that would have its oil pump screen clogged. On several occasions the customer mentioned that he or someone else had just added something to clean the engine internally.

Of course, there were those occasions when screens were clogged just from infrequent oil changes or other improper maintenance. I once removed the oil drain plug from a Ford six and nothing came out, even though there was a reading on the dipstick.

Dusty

dakotaowner

Has anyone experienced Tannsmission Slipping Problems? I hasve 2001 Quad cab with just over 10,000 miles on it and It has been in the shop six times and is still in the shop for over two weeks now. Service manager called me and told me "they are perplexed and do not know what the problem is" Thet have replaced the TCM, the rear sensor on the Tranny, Reprogrammed the TCM, I have a lemon case pending right now. Had a dodge before never had one problem.

danodw

Mike had an X-ray done a couple of days ago. It looks like his bone is growing back thanks to the bone stimulator. Not out of the woods yet. Doc says we need to wait another month or so to be sure. He will have to have phys therapy on his on his arm when its all over. I have an attorney working on the insurance CO. So far they have paid off the bike and offered $2,500 in med pay. My attorney seems to think he can get the rest of the med pay to pay off the bills minus his fee but still looking into it. Our med bills are now almost 25K. Also his knee is not healing very well but they said it would take time for the skin to grow back. He wants to go back to work, but the Doc want let him. Mike's very independent and likes to take care of himself so not being able to do that is hurting him as bad as the injury, plus I'm paying his bills until he can go back to work. A parents job never ends (LOL). Doc also said it will take time but he should have full use of his arm. He'll have to live with the scars. Ride safe and watch out for others.

danodw

So why don't they just replace the Transmission and be done with it. You may have a bad transmission or the dealership service dept. just doesn't know what they are doing. Maybe seek out a more experience dealership, that is what I had to do with some of the problems I had. I went round and round for months with D/C on some problems I had that was never fixed. It was because the dealership I was dealing with just didn't know what they were doing. Now that I found a dealership that has experience, they fix me up every time I have a problem with my truck, the first time. Just yesterday I was at my Insurance office and when I came out my truck would not start. It was very hot outside and I was upset.
I called D/C roadside assistance, They sent a toe truck in 15 minutes, took me to Jack of diamonds dealership, which is the one I now use because they have a very good service dept. they replaced the battery, checked out the whole system and I was on my way in 20 minutes. They said they have a lot of delco batteries going bad. Didn't cost me a dime. Point is maybe you should check out another service dept.

judithb1

Just bought a 1998 dakota, ext. cab, V-8, auto, 4x4. We love it, but right after we bought it we went on vacation. Now we are trying to use the truck, but it seems to "flood out" or quite simply just cut off. First, it was hard to keep lit when I first started it after it sat for the week. Started ok, but when took my foot off accelerator, it died immediately. After a few minutes it was okay, until I took it on the road. After slowing down at an intersection, it died again. Any ideas as to what to look at first?

mad42

6 months old and the drive shaft has turned to rust in CA desert climate. Dealer says that is normal, not galvanized or painted. Said I have to buy a higher class of vehicle if I wanted paint on the drive shaft. I believe even Pintos came with painted drive shafts. All problems reported are "characteristic" and not repairable under warranty. New transmission is now leaking at rear seal - "characteristic". Piece of Crap.

bpeebles

Ford and Chevy use ALUMINUM driveshafts... they look great for years... but since they do not have to handle any real POWER... the aluminum is OK for those vehicles. (saves weight too!)

I am not JUSTIFYING the unpainted steel. I noticed my driveshaft was rusting too. (from the copious roadsalt used in the winter) Heck...even the FRAME is painted... you would think that a presecion-balanced component like the driveshaft could get a coat of paint!

Which tranny do you have? NV3500, 45RFE...other?

mopar67

really isn't a functional problem at all. Just look at Uhaul trucks, UPS trucks, big rigs, etc. ALL of them will have rust.
As bpeebles stated, Ford and GM use aluminum driveshafts that indeed look nice for a long time.
But do you want aluminum for a driveshaft when you really have to work your truck? I wouldn't.

FYI....my Suzuki also has a steel driveshaft and even though it has yet to see winter, it also has rust on it.

sacprof

I had what sounds like a similar experience with my 97 in April. Sounds like we have the same vehicle, mine is a 318 engine. One morning the engine started and immediately cut off. Did that several more times and by this time was outside the garage. Left it there and took bus to work. Due to other commitments I couldn't work on it for a week. The battery was dead so hooked up the charger off and on for a couple days. Tried to start, same problem. Heard on a talk show out of Fresno that there is a fuel solenoid which need 12 volts to keep fuel going. I replaced the original battery and it has worked fine ever since. Seems strange to have a battery failure with those symptoms.
The truck has been great, have 65,000mi now. Anybody else hear of this type of failure?

mad42

bpeebles/mopar67 - Sorry, to be so cheap as to not even paint the driveshaft is stupid. The dealers excuse was "if you want quality you should buy a higher class of vehicle". Funny none of this was mentioned before I bought it.
I would never try to use this vehicle for "work", it couldn't handle it. I bought the V6 because I didn't want the poor gas milage of a V8. In reality, it gets worse gas milage. My friend has the 4.7L V8 and gets 3-4 mpg better on the highway. This thing cannot go 65mph up a 3-4 % grade EMPTY in 5th gear. Besides all the other problems - stumbling, stiff/light steering, airbox that doesn't work properly, backlash in drivetrain, excessive pitch and roll - which are all "characteristic" according to the dealer, the gearbox failed at 230 miles. Now the new gearbox is leaking at the rear seal which is also "normal".
There is nothing wrong with aluminum. It is one third the strength but also one third the weight. It certainly would have plenty of strength for this thing but may not handle the fatigue of the lurching due to the backlash and stumbling.
FYI my '84 Mitsu 2.6L with 170k miles has no rust on the driveshaft and can go up the I5 grapevine at 70mph with my dirt bike and gear in back.
A warranty is not worth anything unless the dealer admits something is wrong. Two other same configuration vehicles I drove do not have the steering problem but they call it "characteristic" anyway.
It is a Piece of Crap.

judithb1

thanks for the input on the cut off problems! We have 80K on this truck and since we bought it used, have no way of knowing what has been done, but we will look at the battery situation. Thanks again.

dustyk

After forty years of working with and around automobiles, I have yet to even hear of a driveshaft related problem due to rust, much less a failure.

The last time I was at our Chevy dealership to get a part, I noticed five or six used aluminum driveshafts laying on the floor next to the parts dept. I don't know why they had been replaced, but obviously there was a problem with them.

Dusty

mopar67

LIkewise dustyk.
Shoulda seen our old IH Pickup.....the driveshaft which was VERY rusty made the rest of the of the rig look positively pristine!

bcarter3

Very strange. I have an '01 CC 2wd, 4.7, auto and when I looked at the driveshaft there was no sign of rust at all. I went and got a magnet and lo and behold it is aluminum!!! Maybe the 4wd vehicles have steel driveshafts for added strength.

bpeebles

(bcarter3) Very interesting... You may be right, perhaps the 2WD does get an aluminum driveshaft.

mad42

bpeebles/bcarter3 - This thing is the SXT 2WD with V6 and manual. Your 4.7V8 can probably use the alloy shft since the auto cushions the drive. You also would not notice the problem of the engine RPM hanging up when shifting. The crappy fuel injection system takes 3-4 seconds to come down so I end up dragging it down with the clutch, reverse loading the shaft then taking back up the backlash when I step on the throttle again.
If the shaft is thick enough it could rust for years without a problem or at least until the warranty runs out. That is the sort of prehistoric engineering that goes into dodge vehicles.

mopar67

The "crappy" FI system on your v-6 is not crappy. The revs stay up there a bit between shifts not due to prehistoric engineering, but due to EPA emissions parameters. Ever drive an Asian vehicle with a stick? Yup, they will seem to "hang" on a shift to. This is to keep the A/F fairly constant and cut down on the catalyst being overloaded with raw fuel. If you have doubts, I invite you to drive my Vitara 5 Speed, rusty driveshaft and all, and you will see the EXACT same shift characteristics you describe. If you still have doubts, you can also try my neighbors Corolla 5 speed and experience the same thing.
Let me know if you are aware of driveshaft failure due to rust.
BTW...my Vitara driveshaft is rusty as well and the vehicle is not even a year old......think I should get rid of it?

bpeebles

I am not sure why you think that. I have a 230HP V8 with the NV3500 5SP manual. (Special orderd from factory to my specs) Your V6 uses as much (perhaps more) gasoline than the 4.7L V8 and makes less power. The SXT has some minor trim differences from the standard Dak but there are no real performance differences.

With my Powerslot brake rotors, ceramic brake pads and Edelbrock IAS shock absorbers. My Dak may handle better than an SXT and definatly STOPS better.

And yes my RPMs tend to linger during shifting. It also reduces the engine-braking when slowing down.

You are correct about the rear axle having wayy to much "slop" in it. There is NO WAY that I can stay in first gear and try to go slow. The drivetrain just hammers back and forth between accelerate/decelerate. I have even considerd having it rebuilt to tighter tolerances.

mad42

In the old days of carburetters they put in vacuum delays on the throttle to keep the mixture from going rich on the overrun. The whole point of electronic fuel injection is you can control the F/A ratio whether you are cruising, on the throttle or overrun. My Alfa GTV6 with Bosch FI doesn't have the hanging RPM problem, my 911 with mechanical FI (cuts the fuel on the overrun until the RPMs drop) doesn't, even my '84 Mitsu with a carb doesn't hang like this (and has CO emissions that barely register on the CA smog test). I know emission regulations have changed but other manufacturers have solved the problem. Perhaps they need to upgrade from an 8 bit 2mHz computer in the FI system.
bpeebles- I understand you replacing the shocks. This thing is badly underdamped. A local off-road shop says there isn't enough room in the front to put a real set of shocks. The "handling package" is a joke. A tiny rear sway bar that would be undersized on an MG. I don't know how you can rebuild the rear end to tighter tolerances. You might be able to shim the ring and pinion but I suspect most if it is either the splines in the transmission being too loose or the differential gears.
I usually take it out of gear when slowing for lights since it slows down faster. Another problem is it has absolutely no feel in the clutch pedal. Like stepping on a wet sponge. Not being able to hear the motor or feel the clutch you have to go by seat of the pants or watch the tachometer when starting off.
I don't know if the problem was rust but I have seen a fair number of trucks (mostly delivery type) with the drive shaft hanging down on the road. Obviously U-joint failure but wouldn't doubt it being due to poor fit due to the retainers rusting away. I don't think rust on a new vehicle is acceptable.
I am certainly not throwing a lot of money into this thing to fix dodge's problems. It already lost $6K in value rolling it out the door according to the dealer. Given the attitude of dodge and the dealer I would never waste my money on chrysler products again. They are a Piece of Crap.

mopar67

I must admit, I got rid of my Dak due to numberous issues. But I haven't taken others to task for enjoying and driving their dakotas. That's their choice. Bpeebles stated his was in the shop a lot. So was mine. The difference is bpeebles enjoys his Dak despite the problems whereas I saw diminishing returns in the future.
Does that make the Dakota bad? Overall, no. MINE was but everyone at some point in their life gets a bad vehicle. Doesn't matter if its Asian, German, American,etc. One time or another, a lemon makes its way out the back door to a dealers lot.

I'm not sure I understand your issue with rust. Especially on the driveshaft. But you're entitled to rationalize your purchase.
Good luck with whatever vehicle you choose.

cparkes1

2000 dakota v6, auto trans & positrac rear end.i have a noise at 55kl. on the pull that has beenpresent since new and after 4 visits and 2 complete diff changes ,it is back with a vengance. truck is slated to go to shop mon aug5/02.this is only problem we have had since new ,but my confidence in this truck is now waining as it is just about out of warranty at 60,000 km,ie 36,000 miles. any help or suggestions on how to deal with matter ? thanks
cookie monster, ft. ogden ,fla.

mullins87

Does it happen only at a certain speed, or only when turning where the rear tires are spinning at different speeds? I'm afraid I don't completely understand your post.

bookitty

Cookie, the three things that you must do with recurring problems that a dealer fails to properly solve, is document, document, and document. This changes the warranty factor in that the dealer cannot seem to fix the problem. Tell the dealer that if he does not address the problem so that it no longer recurs, that he will be hearing from you and/or your attorney (but be very nice, calm and factual). If the problem continues, write a letter to the dealer with a copy to D/C and send by certified mail. You may not have to go to the expense of engaging an attorney. But keep your records of all that has transpired. If the dealer cannot repair it to your complete satisfaction, then they must get some help from the manufacturer. Usually, a warranty claim on the part of an end user does not expire (due to time and/or mileage) when it fails to correct the specific troubled area.

Bookitty

dustyk

Good advice from Bookitty. Make sure you keep all of your paperwork.

It sounds like the dealer has been replacing components. If so, despite the few components in one and the availability of specialty tools, correctly setting up a differential is a near a science. The technician who services one should be specifically trained, and a good one will be very experienced.

I've seen a lot of differentials serviced and I would estimate that 80% of them came back with a problem. It takes someone who's very patient and particular and your not likely to find a person like that in a flat rate service department.

I would strongly push for an entire third member (rear axle) assembly, housing and all. This would mean that the differential has been set up at the manufacturing facility and thereby take the field service factor out of the equation.

It's not that it can't be done, by I would have little confidence in the dealer's service dept to be able to do this type of repair competently. Differential problems are generally very rare and infrequent for most dealerships, giving little opportunity for a technician to become really proficient at servicing them.

Keep us posted.

Good luck and best regards,
Dusty

cparkes1

thank you for your info, you are correct in assuming that they replaced components only. on mon. i will shoot for the whole new 3rd member ie- complete rearend .i am normally a passive person but i am tired of excuses, this problem should have been addressed long ago . this is now the 3rd diff. stay tuned as to the outcome as mon.aug 5th isn't that far away. thanks to all who responded. i will post results of mon. visit.
regards &later COOKIE

tacitus

The clutch pulsates and vibrates as a function of engine speed. Started doing it suddenly last winter. It has not gotten worse but with 131,000 on the original clutch, I'm starting to worry. The noise goes away when the clutch is depressed ever so slightly. It seems to be less noisy once the engine is warm. The transmission shifts as smooth as silk just like always. Am I playing roulette with the clutch or should I bit the bullet and get the clutch and "what ever else needs to be fixed" repaired before something bad happens? I'll be getting a new Ram next spring but want a reliable vehicle this winter. Suggestons? Comments?

dodgetrukn

Sounds like the throwout bearing on the clutch fork going bad..When pushing on the clutch pedal the load on the bearing is less.. Even If you put tranny in nuetral (vehicle parked) you should also hear the noise and the sound will increase/decrease with engine speed.
Get someone to rev engine while you hold a wood dowel to front of tranny, or however you can
listen closely to that clutch fork area. Gonna have to pull off tranny to get to throwout bearing.
Note: when replacing clutch, always replace throwout bearing. When I do those jobs, I also replace the fork.. My 2 cents.. Good luck. Ger

henne

I returned your email. If you need anything else, please let me know and good luck.

Robert

cparkes1

well the big day of reconning has come and gone and desto chrysler pacified me till tomorrow when i drop the truck off, in the intern i let them know i call customer service in detroit to have the problem profiled and told the service manager that he needed to call the tech dept. i also told them i was aware of the lemon law after 3 attemps about the buy back option &if the problem isn;t rectified this time that my attorney will be dealing with it.they didn;t seemed to concerned as they didn;t have time for a 5 min test drive to verify that the problem has appeared for a 4th time and 3 rear ends later. thanks to all those whom helled me and i shall post tomorrow's outcome here.
regards &later cookie

henne

Great, I am glad that you stuck to your guns and laid your cards on the table. Hopefully things will come out in the end.

Good luck,

Robert

cparkes1

well dropped the dak off tues morn with my proffessional letter attached, thanks to all whom helped, letting them know i am an educated consumer & not a dummy. irecieved no response from the service manager other than he stapled the letter to the repair order and customer no and hung it on the mirror and wished us a good day.as of925pm wed aug7/02 i have heard nothing. if i have not heard anything by fri noon i shall call detroit again and suggest they keep the vehicle and they can call the dealer than me to explain whats going on. its amazing, they build these things in a couple of hours but can't fix a simple problem like a rear axle changeout in 5 days. thanks to all who helped &stay tuned.
regards &later COOKIE

cparkes1

well 4 days have elapsed since taking my dak in for warranty work.was told at 4.45 to come in and pick truck up that it was ready[fri aug9th. spoke to service manager and he told me that the dc district rep and teck dept. in detroit have detirmed that the culprit was the drive shaft and that they had one checked for baance and shipped and they installedit and the problem has dissappered.i test drove the truck and must admitt that the noise is no longer there but i am very skeptical. my next question to them was why did it take 2 years and 3 differentials later to resolve the problem. they were very evasive on answering saying that a lot of the rear axle &driveshaft are made of aluminum. we shall see ./ the noise usually comes back about every 65 days after a diff replacement so we shall see. they also took the diff out & inspected it and added new synthedic rear lube with an anti galling fluid. does any one have any thoughts on this latest fix to my rear axle noise problem ? any &all answers will be filed for future ref.
regards & later and thanks to all those who helped me cookie

bookitty

Cookie, the replacement of the drive shaft may be a viable solution, in that an out of balance propeller shaft and/or sloppy universal joints can be a cause of excessive vibration. Probably, the reason that they didn't catch it before, is that they did not call the factory for more expert advice. The factory technician most likely asked if the dealer checked the drive (propeller) shaft and suggested that they do so. As for the fluid change, it couldn't hurt and the anti galling fluid is to assure that the gears do not bond via galvanization to the shafts. It is akin to using never seize. I have seen brake shoes on rough terrain machines gall so tightly as to put a first class welding job to shame. But Cookie, only time and mileage will tell. My bet is that your truck is "cured." Good luck.

Bookitty

henne

that repair does make sense. I have a friend that has a chevy 1500 with whinning and he had 3 rearends replaced until gm sent out a bulletin about a driveshaft balance/whinning problem and that did it. On my truck they took a driveshaft off a truck on the lot since it is a easy, quick thing and that didnt fix my prob so that was looked into on mine also.

I hope that this is it for you!

Robert

02_dak_qc

I have a 02 4wd QC with a 4.7L engine and an automatic transmission. I've noticed over the past month or so that when I take off in the morning, I occasionally hear a clunking sound towards the back-end of the truck around 23 mph (it's not the door locks locking because that happens at 15 mph). It sounds as if it's coming from the rear differential and feels as if the tranny just shifted (but not very smoothly). As I mentioned it only happens in the morning (occasionally) and only the first time I reach that speed limit. The rest of the times I stop and start, I don't experience the sound. Nor do I experience the problem when I leave work in the afternoon. Any ideas? I have not used the 4wd yet as there hasn't been a need but presume I will in the next 6 months or so as I live in Wisconsin. Since I still have less than 4,000 miles on the truck, I can wait and get it covered under warranty if the problem progresses but would like to know now if this is common and/or if others are experiencing this? Any info you can share is greatly appreciated. Thanks...

mullins87

How's Mike doing these days?

danodw

Mike's not doing so good. Everything has heeled except for his knee, which is growing the skin back slowly. His arm is the problem. Both forearm bones on his left arm has plates and screws. One bone is growing back good. The other bone, by an x-ray, does not look like it is growing at all. That means bone graft. Doc wants him too come back in 2 months and take some more x-rays to be sure the bone is not growing and then go from there. Mike begged to get release to light duty so maybe he could go back to work. Doc didn't want too but said he would but mike should not pick up more than 5 to 10LBs and doesn't want him doing that all the time. Mikes job want let him come back until he can do more. No one will give him a job. He's depressed because he wants to work and go to school. Money is very tight. Attorney is still trying to help but that is not looking good. Med Bills keep going up. My guess , he want be working for the next year are longer and two more surgeries, one bone graft and one to remove the plates. One mistake changed his hole life and he's having a hard time dealing with it, more so because he can't get no help.

mullins87

I'm sorry to hear things aren't good. We'll keep him in our thoughts and prayers.

jhorl

I'm also sorry to hear that. Easier said than done, but try to keep a positive attitude.
John

budman8

HI FOLKS,maybe you can help me.1997 dakota sport,3.9L v6. the truck has 100k miles. in great shape with regular maintenance. this problem surfaces only about twice a month and lasts only a few minutes and disappears. while driving, i'll push on the gas pedal and there's no response for a few seconds, then the engine kicks in and accelerates to meet the pedal demand. when this happened yesterday, i immediately pulled into a station. in idle,it sounded like a plug was missing.after getting gas (89 octane plus)i just,just touched the gas pedal and the engine reved to about 2500rpm and dropped to idle, about 650 rpm. its almost like the pedal and the engine each have a mind of their own.also noticed that it doesn't seem to happen when there's at least a half tank+ of gas.you guys seem to be the fountain of knowledge!

please, any suggestions or ideas before i start under the hood.
thank you

mullins87

At first glance I'd say make sure the TPS is functioning properly, i.e. look for a short.

ford_bii

My QC has developed a whirring noise when the AC compressor is running. Very noticible when accelerating from a stop when the RPMs hit 3k+. It's just a strange buzzy whirring sound that dissipates as the RPMS drop, and is NOT THERE while the AC is not running. Sounds like it is coming from the back of the engine (near the firewall). I'm going to have the dealer check it out when I get it inspected this month. Anybody have any ideas?

danodw

I've had an on going problem with my AC. Every time I had it checked it would not duplicate the problem while at the service dept. Problem; Sometimes AC will not cool and sometimes it will freeze me out. All fan speeds work except the low setting. At low fan the snow flake will blink off and on mostly staying off and fan sometimes blows a light air and sometimes dose not blow at all. This is only at low speed fan with AC on. When snow flake blinks off ac does not cool and sometimes fan does not work. It was doing it Monday so I stop everything I was doing and drove 30 miles to the dealership. I showed them what it was doing and made the appointment to come back the next day. They don't know what is wrong but admit something is wrong. They rented me a car and still have my truck. I went back to see if anyone came up with something. They are waiting on D/C to call them back. They had my dash tore apart. I hate seeing it that way because now I am sure to have rattles. Hope not. Has anyone had this problem and if so what was the fix. Whats next?

danodw

My wife picked up our truck Friday. They found the AC problem. Told her it was a sensor under the hood that went out. She didn't understand. They ordered the part, said it would be a week or longer to come in and then we could make a return appointment to have it replaced. I'll go back at that time and see what it is that they are replacing. Didn't have to take my dash apart but they did it anyway. I'll post it when they replace the part.

mullins87

killjoy75

Looking into buying a 1999 dakota sport regular cab with the big tires and the high suspension 3.9 v6. Asking price is 11,900 with just under 16k on the odometer. how is this truck what do you all think about it please post a messsage