Dodge Dakota: Problems & Solutions

knkresort

Tnanks, I will have them take a look at it the next time it goes in.

KnK

henne

well, my quad is going in for the 3rd time for its whine in the rear. they have rebuilt the rearend twice already. for those of you that missed what happened, the manual says for heavy towing change the rear end fluid to synthetic, well i talked to my service baboon in mississippi, oops i mean manager when i first got the truck after reading this and he said since i bought the towing package the rear end automaticly gets the syth lube. NOT!!!! tore my rear end up when i pulled my 5000lb boat over 1100miles when i moved to virginia and it hasnt been right since. if it doesnt get fixed this time im going to the dc rep. my new local dealer here in virginia has been more that polite and respectful. no excuses just yes sir and no sir, but its time to get this done.

sorry all, just need to whine about my whiney hiney.

robert

yank2

Robert I am having the same trouble. They had my truck for 25 days. I got it back no whine for 100 miles. Took back to dealer left over night was told they heard no whine DC says to drive for 1000 to 1500 miles and they will check it again. Let service manager drive truck for 80 miles He says it the best truck he has driven. You have to be deaf not to hear whine. I am looking for a none deaf Dealer rep.

themacguy

Butt seriously, I had a 75 Vette that went in 1/2 a dozen times for that same crapola. GM finally replaced it with a set of Zoom gears and it went away for a while. When it came back to them again, they finally looked at the rear alignment and found it off (out of tolerance) by 1/2 inch from one side or the other - outside of the IRS). It turned out to be a manufacturing flaw in about 1,000 units supplied to them. They replaced it and the rear tie rods with some hiney (heim?) joints, and it went 80k with nary a 'whine.' Though our Dakotas are solid rear axle dealies, I'd suspect a manufacturing flaw. Ya'll both scream & holler and maybe a whole bad bunch'll show up and get D/C to get a TSB put out on the problem.

iowabigguy

If I'm not mistaken I believe there was manufacturing problems in either the Ram or Dakota rear ends or possibly both. Somewhere along the line when I was researching my Quad purchase I came across an article on an automotive web site or maybe the Chrysler Buzz site that indicated DC was replacing the supplier of their rear end assemblies for the year 2001 model run. If I come across it again I'll post the URL. Rick

henne

i know that the cherokee rearend is or was made by dana and they had alot of problems, dc said they were going to switch to american axle manufacturing but i have heard nothing about the ram or dakota other than whine,whine, whine, whine! hahahahaha NOT!

Robert

ferous

Please post which rear end you have if you are getting a "whine". I haven't heard if it's the 3.92 or 3.55 or both.

bobsyvee

There was a post on one of the Dakota topics sometime back (May?), with the same problem. The fix seemed to include some special adjustment fixtures from Dodge. The Ring & Pinion gear adjustment was the culprit, and I don't think DC had released the information to the dealer service departments at that time.

yank2

I have the 355 and the 50 mile an hour whine

henne

i have the 3.92 with locking diff. but mine didnt whine until they rebuilt it after heavy towing without synth lube in rear, which i was told by the service baboon that the towing package included syth in the rearend.

robert

blubelle

I noticed in a few past posts that some were experiencing pull even when the alignment was certified to be OK. Just a thought, but in Volvo's that used rack and pinion steering you could have the center ie neutral adjustment of the rack and pinion off. We used to check this out by jacking up the front end and seeing if the wheels would drift to the left or right with the engine running. When this is not centered you can have the same left or right pull as if the wheel were out of alignment. For what its worth.

rotondim

Hello blubelle. You have noticed a 'defect' that has plagued a number of members. I own a 2000 Club Cab with the same problem. In the 2000 build it was prevalent with the Tire and Handling package, larger tires. I raised this issue with the dealer and got the Regional DC tech involved. The tech claimed that this was OK because other Dakota's exhibited the same problem and no one was complaining about it, therefore DC didn't consider it a problem. I almost went balistic when I was told this. If you pursue this with DC and get it resolved please post the fix because there are a number of us out here with the same problem and/or lack of quality control.

yank2

the bed on the truck is out of alignment. Don't let them move the rear that when my rear whine started.

henne

does anyone remember who had their rearend whine fixed once the dealer found out there was a special tool that you need to use to align the gears in the pumpkin. my dealer says he cant do any better and has never heard of a tool for this job. someone here posted it along time ago.

please help,

robert

slickwilliedj

I'M SOON BE A OWNER OF A 2001 WHITE QUAD SPORT, THOUGHT I GIVE MY PIECE OF INFO ON WAXES AN DWHAT I'VE FOUND WORKS WELL.. ACCORDING TO CONSUMERS REPORTS LATEST TEST OF WAXES/POL THE BEST OVER ALL WAS NEW FINISH LIQUID.I'VE USES THIS WAX OFF AND ON OVER THE PAST 10 YRS AND HAVE GOTTON GREAT RESULT EASY ON /EASY OFF GREAT SHINE AND PROTECTION. OTHER PRODUCTS I STRONGLY RECOMMENED ARE: MOTHERS CALFORNIA GOLD CLEANER/WAX OR REG CARNUBA,MEGUIRES BODY SCRUB(DIFFICULT AREAS OR ONCE A YEAR)AND/OR CLAY BARING WHICH IS HARMLESS AND NOT ABRASIVE,ANY OF THE NEW TIRE GEL PROTECTANTS,(THE GEL WILL LAST LONGER,LESS MESS AND EASIER TO APPLY WILL NOT RUN ON YOUR RIMS OR DRIVEWAY FOR U TO SLIP AND BREAK YOUR BACK ON!. ALSO FOUND THAT MOTHERS BACK TO BLACK WORKS GREAT ON MOLDINGS AND BUMPERS. FOR A WINDOW CLEANER USE RUBBING ALCOHOL AND WATER(MIX HALF AND HALF)BEST WINDOW CLEANER YOU EVER USED FOUND THAT OUT FROM A PRO MIRRIOR INSTALLER(DON'T USE IT ON TINTS HOWEVER BEST THING FOR THOSE ARE HOT SOAP AND WATER OR JUST PLAIN WATER DEPENDING ON HOW DIRTY THEY ARE, KEEP RAIN X ON ALL WINDOWS (DO WHEN UYOU WAX YOU'LL BE AMAZED OF THE DIFFERENCE(BRING A COMB CAUSE YOU'LL WANT TO PART THAT HAIR! IF I THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE I WILL POST. IF YOU HAVE ?'S JUST ASK I HAVE OVER 10YRS EXP IN DETAILING.

bpeebles

(henne) I have BOB right here with me and there are a myriad of 'special' tools that are available during a rebuild of a differential. There is a special "Pinion Height Block" which is used with a micrometer to measure critical clearances. There is a "Ring Gear Backlash" measurement that also requires a special depth gauge. (should be less than 9 THOUSANDTHS of an inch!!) Also feeler gauges are needed to check other critical clearances. I counted 38 special tools with partnumbers.... not including the feeler gauges, micrometers and depth gauges that everyone has lying around in their garage ;-)

BOTTOM LINE Properly assembling a differential may be the MOST difficult task on any vehicle due the skill that is required. There are a lot of measurements and mathematics involved to get the tolerances just right. There is even a table of "gear tooth contact patterns" that can be visually inspected to ascertain if all of the tolerances actually worked out. (There are conditions under which all tolerances are within spec but the contact pattern is still incorrect.)

blubelle

I know the body ie bed is aligned on the frame from simple measurements. The dealer is going to look it over 9/11 in the shop however I told them I did not want any fixes with out my OK. I don't trust them although I don't have any specific reason to feel this way about this dealership. In the next few days I will get under the rig again and determine why it is not centered on the frame. Might even fix it. I'm sure not going to let the dealer mess with the rear end or form "bend" the frame or hangers. Will post results.

bucky44

Anyone have 94 Dodge Dakota electrical schematics which they can post or email me? I have an electrical problem which involves the power windows, blower switch, and air bag sensor system. I recently purchased a Chilton's manual for the truck, but it appears to only cover the schematics for a basic truck and not one which has all the bells and whistles. Other brands of manuals are of no help either. Thanks.

bucky4@helicon.net

bpeebles

As many of you are aware, I have had a replacement oil-fill cap on order from the dealer since May. These caps were apparently being replaced all over the country and there were none left anywhere in the DC warehouses.

The new cap is a different design from the original one.It has several design enhancements to overcome the problems that the 'old' design seemed to have. (New P/N= 53032389AC date of manufacture=7/6/00)
1) NO MORE O-ring... now the seal is a rubber 'flap' that is embedded into the cap.
2) No longer hollow .... The new design has a 'cover' on the inside that should reduce heat-loss. (The old cap would allow condensation to accumulate on the underside)

For those of you that have joined us since last winter ... the 4.7LV8 has a tendency to accumulate an oil-water emulsion in the oil-fill tube in cold/damp weather. (There is a TSB regarding this fact.) Over time, this emulsion (which is acidic) will 'attack' the rubber O-ring on the oil-fill cap and make it get 'sticky'.

If your oil-fill cap is hard to remove...you have the problem and should have the cap replaced under warrantee

bobsyvee

I'm not sure one customer with a problem would constitute requiring a recall. I have friends with Durangos in that range that have no problems with their suspensions. While ball joints should last a lot longer than 47k miles, that fellow should thank DC for giving him money for parts that were almost 12k miles out of warranty.

Two mechanics told him the ball joints were shot, the dealer told him TWICE that they weren't. Why did he go to the same dealer the second time? And then a third time after driving 11,000 miles on bad ball joints.
my 2 pennies.

newquad

This may seem like a dumb question, but what tools are necessary to perform an oil change/filter on the 4X2 4.7l auto Quad? I've always taken my truck in to have it done, but thought I'd try my hand at doing it myself. Thanks.

steve234

The trouble with mechanics is knowing who to trust. On my 72 Comet I had one service station mechanic tell me that my tires were shot at 3K, but they managed to make it another 20K (good in 72). I also had a mechanic tell me that my ball joints were shot at under 12K. They managed to take another 95K of abuse before I replaced them. In that case, the small Ford and Mercs did not use spring loaded ball joints, so when they were unloaded on the rack, they just seem to flop around. It is definitely a good idea to find a mechanic that is trustworthy and stick with him.

bpeebles

Gentlemen.. (Or Ladies)

I did not mean to start any arguments. Of course you are correct about this NOT constituting a recall. HOWEVER I prefer to be informed and welcome the information. It is not our place to question why this individual did (or did not)
go to another dealer. The fact remains that the ball joints were a problem...enough said on that.

=======

I too, had a local mechanic tell me I had abnormal tire wear on a car with 6000 miles on it. This local mechanic had NO way to make money off of me by pointing out the tires... He knew it was a new car. He suggested I take it to the dealer. I ended up getting a FREE alignment and 4 FREE tires. This mechanic did, however, earn my trust.

BOTTOM LINE
I would sooner trust a mechanic that has no vested interest in diagnosing a car under warrantee.
The dealers, however, are scrutinized for doing warrantee work and will tend to NOT do something if they can "get away" with it. Doing warantee work takes real $$ out of a dealers pocket. (Policy varies with corporate culture)

rhyswf

Okay guys. The 4WD service Light has lit on my 01 Quad. On 1600 mark on Odometer. Manual says this indicateds malfuncting 4WD system. Interesting, since I only have a 2WD version of the Quad. Maybe I'd better take a look under that Truck.

Any ideas anyone?

Thanks

Rhys

dragonhawk

Since I don't have a quad yet, this is all hearsay. A LOOONNNNNGG way back in now-frozen posts there were several discussions about oil-changing challenges:

1. Finding the dern filter. Recommended solution is to look at the picture of the engine in the Dakota catalogue.
2. Loosening it for the first change, since the factory puts it on so tight (one person said to have someone else do the first change for this reason).
3. Skid plate (if you have it) gets in the way; I think you have to take it off first.
4. When the filter is loosened it will drip all over. One solution offered(sheer brilliance in my opinion) was to get a plastic 2-liter soda bottle, cut off and discard the top, and put it over the filter while you are unscrewing it to catch the oil. It was recommended to use gloves because of hot oil. I don't recall anyone mentioning use of other unusual tools.
5. Finally, there was a lot of discussion about how much new oil the engine would actually take (some said 5 qts, some said 6). One person recommended to let the oil drain for a couple hours to ensure all of the old stuff is out.

FYI--there is currently a lot of active discussion on one of the other quad sites regarding the best type of filter to use.

joekos

I have a'00 QC with 3.9l engine and 4-sp O.D. trans. Since new, I've had doubts with the transmission's shifting.
The initial problem was that it would shift from 1st to 3rd in approximately 100ft. Do the same thing when cornering after a stop. Also, when on the road and in cruise, if the trans. computer determined a shift down was needed (as when climbing a hill), the damned thing would shift into 1st and take off like a rocket. Several times I needed to brake quickly to avoid rear ending the Yugo in front of me. But, when on the highway behind that 45mph Yugo, I'd try to pass and the damned thing wouldn't shift to anything without me putting my foot almost to the radiator.
I took it to the dealer for a 'check up', and they supposedly adjusted the "kick down linkage". Since then, there has been no change to the Cruise downshifting, BUT!!! now when I try to pass or pull into fast traffic, the trans somehow finds neutral until I let off the gas. Now, the Yugo almost rear ended me. Anyone else out there having auto trans fun????? I'd like to hear from ya'

nortx01qc

rhyswf - You are not the only one with this problem. My light came on after only 200 miles and when I took it to the dealer, they said they could not clear it out. I was told "a fuse for the 4X4 was installed causing the computer to look for the 4 wheel drive stuff. The only fix is to replace the instrument cluster." I have been waiting for a week and a half for a 2001 cluster to come in. Service rep (DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THAT)claims they have not been released from factory. Another problem I have they claim is related to this is the headlights. If I shut the truck off and then turn off the lights, the headlights come back on in the off position.

So don't feel alone in feeling like should have the rest of your 4X4 installed.

Nortx

(maybe its a tx heat thing)

sr_body

How hard is it to change differential fluids? I need to change to Redline synth, but shops want $140-$190 to do it. If I have some common hand tools and a good service manual can I do it? I'm kinda leaning towards paying to shops to do it since the labor charge is indicative of a more difficult process. On the other hand, the money I save doing it myself I can put towards headers or something.

victx

I've also noticed on occassion that my headlights come on after shutting off the truck and turning off the lights. It is not consistent, but I was starting to think they were supposed to stay on as I noticed after a while they would turn off.

Possibly related to this....I was doing a stereo install and had taken off the dash (had to unplug headlight switch and 4x4 switch. I had to drive the vehicle with the dash off and noticed that the 4x4 service light came on and also the headlights were on, like daytime running lights.

Please post any resolutions if you discover them before I do. Thanks.

myersed

Is there a TSB re: the rplacement of the cap.

Mine is almost impossible to remove now, with 12K miles on the vehicle. I almost had to get may 14" pliers out to remove it the last time I changed the oil two weeks ago!

Ed

rhyswf

Thanks for information. Will take copy of your post when I go for service appointment I have for Wednesday.

Can you believe this heat?

Thanks

Rhys

rhyswf

Vic

If you shut off ignition before the turning off lights the headlights should remain on (cabin lights fade out) for a minute or two as a courtesy feature.

Rhys

bpeebles

I am not aware of a TSB for replacing the
oil-filler-cap. When I realized that the rubber
O-ring on my original cap was turning into mush, I
mentioned it when I took my rig in for an oil
change. (This was back in May 2000)

They orderd a replacement cap. The "parts" people were able to determine that there were 100s of them on order around the country. They caps were on 'backorder'.

Here we are many months later and I finally get my
new cap. (with MUCH improved design)

bsparx

I took my 00 to Oil Changers for the first service to let someone else crack the factory filter. I also brought 3 qt.s Red Line diff oil (it takes about 2 1/2) and asked them to do it. They used a vacuum pump to pull out the old oil, instead of opening the diff and letting it drain, where you risk the gasket and risk not perfecting torque all around the pumpkin when you tighten it up again. I guess the risk with the pump is that you don't get it all, but they pumped it dry, then did the engine oil change (to QS synth 5w 30) then pumped it out again before adding the Red Line. The extra charge for that job was less than $20. Moral of the story: Try your local quickie-lube and then be the manager on your own job. They have the tools, just not necessarily the experience. Let them get dirty, its cheap enough...just my $.02.
Ben

bassman43

I have a 2000 Club cab 4WD Dakota. I have been having a problem with the rear brakes pulsing during light braking pretty much since I first got the truck. The problem has gradually gotten worse. It seems to be at its worst when braking lightly on smooth roads and the whole back of the truck will shake. I took it to a dealer and they thought the rear brake drums were out of round and replaced them but the problem is still there. The original sticker lists this truck as having rear abs. Could this problem be caused by the rear abs system? Any suggestions? I love this truck (it's my 2nd Dakota) but this brake shake is starting to drive me nuts!

andy_jordan

What tire pressure are you running?

When the truck comes from the factory the rear tires are inflated for a full load, if you are running empty then you should lower the pressure in the rear tires (to around 34psi from memory). Try that and see if it makes things a little more stable.

I don't think that is your problem, but I think it may be making the symptoms worse.

bookitty

Would someone please post the stock number of the Mobil 1 oil filter for the 4.7 engine. I misplaced the number supplied on a previous post, and my service station operator cannot get the filter through Mobil, only the synthetic oil. Thanks.

Bookitty

Bookitty

ohc_baby

I'm told that I was the first in the southeast to have the mystery 4x4 service light. A factory rep flew down and could find nothing. My invoice states that they disconnected the battery, cycled the ignition a few times, and let the truck sit for 5 minutes (discharged the capacitors, is all). Once reconnected, everything worked and still no light.

yank2

M1-204 4.7 filter

bookitty

Yank, thank you for your posting. I wrote it on a piece of paper, and will also save your posting in my Dodge file.

Bookitty

bpeebles

(bassman43) Since the drums have already been replaced, It sure sounds as if the ABS is acting up. A good mechanic will know how to disable the ABS temporarily.(By pulling a fuse or pulling some connectiors) If this makes the problem cease... then the ABS is absolutely the problem.
Fixing it may prove elusive however...

themacguy

My front disks, and apparently a whole bunch of others, went bad rather quickly on mine. They made the REAR of the truck shake. They are thin and VERY susceptible to water warping them. My 85 Dodge Prospector did the same thing and shook in back with very little pressure applied. BOTH of these vehicles seemed to have a 'sweet spot' that you could delicately feel (find) at some point during braking to smooth out the shake with smooth, applied pressure. They shook so bad they'd give you a headache. Replacing the rotors did the trick on mine. Yours though is probably the rear.

raptor01

Last week I dropped my son and his belongings off at college (Embry Riddle Aeronautical University)upon returning I hit a heavy rain storm and noticed water dripping inside my glove box. This does not happen when I wash the truck. I did have the AC on in the fresh air mode. I seem to recall another post with this problem but can't locate it. Anyone else have this problem or a fix?
Gas mileage varied from 17.2 to 18.5 (4.7, auto)
440 miles door step to dorm step.

jones27

I mentioned the condensation in the glove box after I traveled to Arkansas in July. I think it is condensation dripping from the AC vent line that runs behind the glove box to the passenger vent. If I take it to the dealer, he'll give me his best guess and tell me, "That's common!"

A little insulation around the vent tube might stop this, but I don't know. If you get a better answer from your dealer, let me know.

steve234

If you have any cool air flow in an unisulated conduit during a high humidity situation, the ambient air will condensate on the conduit and drip. The catch is reaching all the uninsulated areas to insulate.

Has anyone with brake problems tried non-OEM rotors? From what I have heard about Jeep and some of the problems here, I wonder if I should plan on getting performance brakes in the future.

themacguy

I'm trying to get a pair of drilled rotors as of next week (parts guy says there are several different sets available); I'll let you know how it works out. I just cannot seem to keep a pair of front rotors on a Dodge truck!

bpeebles

(themacguy) Here are few URLs that may be of interest to you. The StainlessSteelBrakes Corp. claims that theires ie a TRUE bolt-on kit that contains EVERY piece of required hardware.

http://users.jnlk.com/dakrt/4wheeldisc.htm
http://www.stillen.com/brakes/rotors/rotors.html
http://www.ssbrakes.com

Here is a really interesting item about cyrogenically treating the steel before putting in to use.

http://www.frozenrotors.com/raceproven.htm

themacguy

you'd have the sites bookmarked somewhere. I'm just going to start asking you first - it'll save me a bunch of time and hassle (and prob'ly $$$). You people never cease to amaze me (in a nice sort of way). ;-)

bookitty

And heretofore he shall ne known as;
"THE ULTIMATE SOURCE"

Bookitty

bookitty

And heretofore he shall ne known as;
"THE ULTIMATE SOURCE"

Bookitty

PS Jack please change: "You people never cease to amaze me (in a nice sort
of way). ;-)"

To;
" You peebles never cease to amaze me (in a nice sort of way). ;-)"