Dodge Dakota: Problems & Solutions

ron35

slickwilliedj - If you had this problem with the O2 sensors at 35K shouldn't it have been covered by your basic warranty or the federal emisions warranty which extends even further.

Ron

slickwilliedj

ron, since I took delivery in Oct 2000 the truck is out of the basic warranty. The federal emissions warranty is for 8yrs/80k and only covers the catylitic converter and pcm unless your in calf which I'm not....

 I could only wish they were covered $$$$):

dakowner

I got my truck back after leaving it at the dealership for the day. They replaced the intermediate shaft. The service manager said there was unacceptable play in it. They think the truck rolled off the line with the defective shaft. One symptom (since the day I bought it) that I hadn't mentioned or thought about was the same "clunky" sound/feeling when applying the brakes rather firmly. I figured this was something related to the rear anti-lock brakes. Doesn't do that now either. This is what led them to believe the intermediate shaft was defective from the factory. I have to say my Dodge dealer really treated me fairly on this service trip.

tjump42

I've a 2k Dak QC 4x4, got approaching 100k on it with nil issues for which I am very grateful. Truck has seen a number of road trips out west ( I live in Austin, TX ) and beach trips and just keeps rolling over the miles.

Truck is always cleaned promptly after returning from the beach ( promptly being within 48 hours, usually within 2 hours ) - but it is hard to believe that I've gotten it PERFECTLY cleaned each time.

Sometime in the last year the clutch pedal has started to induce a wrong sound - a squeal or a squeek - but only when it is dry / warm. Totally silent and smooth freshly cleaned, or if it's raining. Do some downtown driving in hot/dry weather and then it starts.

It's a pretty significant should, louder outside the truck than inside, and I can feel a friction induced into the pedal motion that makes it much harder to balance the truck on the clutch on an incline or similar.

I'm concerned something significant it wearing out, but having a hard time getting my mainteance shop to pinpoint it ... it's not the kind of thing they'll see if I drop the truck in the AM fork pickup in the PM.

So, I'm wondering, any words of wisdom for the experienced out there?

I'm concerned that something is getting worn out in a bad way, from lefover sand or rock, or just salt-spray exposure.

Thanks in advance,
-t

mopar67

My guess would be the throw out bearing...known as clutch release bearing.

bpeebles

Are you suggesting that this "squeek" is heard with the engine NOT RUNNING as you push the clutch pedal? What about as you RELEASE the clutch pedal?

Does the sound seem to be louder under the hood? Or is it more like from UNDER the vehicle?

The answer to these questiions will help us guide you to a better diagnosis.

(I think I know what it is but would prefer to wait until you answer the above questions.)

BTW: The throwout bearing is only spinning with the clutch PUSHED-IN and the engine IS running. If you are hearing this "squeek" when the engine is NOT running, then it is somthing else.

jody

THE SMALL PANEL WINDOW IN THE KING CAB ONLY REQUIRES A SLIM SCEW DRIVER TO OPEN.

toadmantim

I was brousing for my problem and it kind of sounds like this...earlier this year my blower motor stopped blowing...we did trouble shoot some of it. It was in the winter time and all I wanted was heat...so we by passed the controls and installed a switch to operate the blower. Now it's summer and my A/C (which did work when the heater control switch was working)won't blow cold air. Any suggestions on how to fix this problem?

Toadmantim

dustyk

T,

With that many miles on it there are a number of things it could be. I'm intriqued by the fact that water or moisture has a positive impact on this noise. My first guess would've been either the clutch release bearing or the release fork. Both are inside the bell housing...sorry, clutch housing, and as such are more difficult to get wet from anything but extremely forceful spraying action.

Since you are feeling some kind of resistance or change in the mechanical operation of the clutch pedal, you're reasonable sure the noise is eminating from outside the vehicle, and water has an effect, I'm thinking that it might be the operating rod on the clutch slave cylinder. If it is the clutch slave cylinder is replaceable without breaking into the clutch housing. In addition, on Dakotas I've seen this as the most commonly replaced item at high mileage for the inconsistent resistance symptom that you've mentioned.

Suggestion. With the engine off and the emergency brake applied, have someone operate the clutch pedal while you are underneath the vehicle. The hydraulic clutch line goes into the left side of the clutch housing (driver's side). Hold onto to this line while the pedal is being depressed and see if you can feel anything.

Let us know what you find out.

Best regards,
Dusty

jody

Auto Zone has a diagnostic tester that they lend to anyone who has I.D. The don't advertise this fact, but it is good to know.
 My '99 dakota has 70,000 miles and the speedometer went out, in turn the , the ABS light came on AND the red brake lamp. The problem turned out to be the speed sensor valve, mounted on the rear differential housing. What really sucks is that you might think you can do without the speedometer for awhile, but when the ABS light comes on,it's telling you that it automatically turned itself off. Better not slam on your breaks!

bpeebles

Jody, That speed sensor is also used as an input to the automatic transmission computer to determine shift points.

tjump42

Yes, squeek happens regardless of whether engine is running or not.

Sound definitely louder outside the vehicle than inside - under hood or standing next to vehicle.

Dustyk: I'll try to get a friend to help me out on that score, not truly knowing my way around the "guts" may slow this down though.

I do appreciate all help gang, sound is driving me nutz and it's one of those things that is hard to make happen in the morning when I can usually get to my service dude.

-t

glzr2

Okay, I'm getting my nerve up to tackle the job of replacing all my fluids ('02 4x4 4.7 45RFE auto). I'm starting with the Auto Trans first. I have accumulated the following supplies;
- Fram trans filter
- 6qt C+ ATF
- 1, 3oz tube RTV silicone (see concerns below)
- Roll of extra fine sand paper
- BOB

I have a couple concerns. One is what do I do about the gasket/seal. BOB and one auto parts store said to clean and reuse the existing rubber gasket, but the dealership and another auto parts store said not to reuse the gasket, and only use silicone sealant(that's why I bought it). Do I buy a new rubber gasket? Who is right (pertaining to best practice, not what is possible)? This leads to my second concern, silicone sealer scares me. I have had bad experiences in the past with head gaskets that seemed to never seal using silicone. If I use only the silicone, how big of a bead? Do I apply to both pan and body? Do I apply the bead and let it set before assembly? How long do I let it set?

Thanks,

Gordon

dustyk

Gordon, sometime in the '70s Chrysler began using a black silicone RTV sealant in place of a transmission pan gasket. In my opinion, that was a good thing. The older A904-A727 pan gaskets were cork, and just like the number of times I've chiseled cork valve cover gaskets off of Chevy small blocks, I never liked doing the same thing on the flange of ATs. Chrysler did go to a decent composition gasket later, then just started using RTV.

Now most of the aftermarket transmission filters I've used for Chrysler products come with a gasket. Using a gasket has a slight isolation affect from noise, but I think you'll need an instrument to detect the difference. If your leary of using RTV, using the gasket is not a wrong thing to do. Just unnecessary.

The obvious disadvantage with using a gasket is the potential for a leak, and in my opinion, more than a likely thing. If you're going to change the filter every 20,000 miles, it probably isn't a problem since you'll be removing the pan and reinstalling a new gasket before a significant leak occurs.

Other problems with using a gasket is distorting the flange on the oil pan from improper or over tightening. Also, once at their correct torque, ATF will have a deteriorating effect on all but the very best gasket materials, causing the gasket to swell and soften. Then after a while you will notice that the oil pan bolts apperar loose or not at correct torque specification.

In my opinion RTV is the best way to seal the transmission pan. I use the Mopar RTV sealant. I've found that it applies and cures better. In a pinch I've use Permatex "Ultra Black Hi-Temp RTV Silicone Gasket Maker," number 598B. I would highly recommend NOT using the Permatex "Black Silicone Adhesive Sealant," number 16B.

After you've dropped the fluid, clean the oil pan carefully. Believe it or not I use a strong liquid dish soap and hot water. Scrape all of the old RTV off of the flange surfaces of the transmission and the oil pan. Re-wash the pan. You can use a strong solvent to soften the old RTV if you're impatient. But I would then soap and water wash, then dry with a clean towel.

Run a 1/4 inch bead all around the flange on the oil pan in a line that intersects the centerline of each bolt hole. Make sure that there is a quantity of RTV that completely goes around both sides of each bolt hole. Set the pan aside. Depending on the ambient temperatures, wait approximately 5-10 minutes before reinstalling the oil pan. You want the RTV to be at a semi-congealed state. It must be pliable enough to reform itself. If it gels to a non-tacky state, you'll have to start over.

The tricky part is getting the flange on the transmission clean. ATF will want to drip out of the transmission for about four days (just kidding, of course), leaving several areas constantly wet with ATF. What I do is get the oil pan ready and wipe the transmission flange with a solvent filled cloth. Before ATF can start dripping again and running over the surface of the transmission flange somewhere, I quickly reinstall the oil pan, having several bolts at the ready.

Because I'm basically anal, I wait an hour sometimes to allow the ATF so reduce dripping. This makes it easier and I've always got something else to do around the shop or yard that can divert my attention.

Anyway, once you get some bolts started just install the rest and torque to 105 inch pounds. Allow the pan to sit in place approximately one-half hour then you can refill.

Best regards,
Dusty

dustyk

I believe I am now an honorary member of the Dakota Sway Bar Bushing Club, at least I hope it's the sway bar bushings since that's a simple fix. Without loosening the sway bar from the stabilizer links I can't tell for sure. I suppose it could be A-arm bushings, but I'm betting on the sway bar.

I started hearing the noise intermittently a few weeks ago. We've had extremely wet weather lately. At 27077 miles the noise is there all the time now.

So at 19 months this is my first reason to take it back to Dodge.

Dusty

sunburn

I noticed my first out of warranty problem today. I parked my 02 QC (46800 mi)in the driveway this afternoon and when I walked into the garage I saw three small drops of oil on the floor about where the rear differential would sit. I looked under the truck and saw that the front of the rear diff had a thin film of oil around it. Looks like a leaking pinion seal. I'll have to call my neighborhood mechanic tomorrow to make an appointment to get it fixed.

2guns

I had the same prob. there is a resistor pack on the passenger side fire wall in the engine compartment that will blow. it looks like a wire harnes hooked to a plate with 2 screws holding it. pop that out and see if the coils(resistors) are blown like a dryer heating element. its a cheap fix. I had to hit my contacts with wd40 and mine still works.

2guns

mine has always made a whirrrr sound when depressed running or not. 138k and still runnin.

2guns

remove pads, clean rotor of any metal or rust (break cleaner and rag), sand pads with sand paper, wipe clean and reinstall.

2guns

this is a big topic, but here is the readers digest version. just because the syn LOOKS thinner at room temp does not mean it is not a true 5w30 at op temps. synthetic oils work better but it depends on the type you get. there are 2 or 3 different type syn base stocks. for the most part mobil 1 is a great oil. I use AMSOIL and with a bypass kit and go 12 to 15k between oil changes (via oil analysis). use the recomended viscosity and go with the synthetic of your choice.the diff between 5 and 10w is that 5 flows like 5w at cold temps and 10 flows like a 10w at cold temps. which is a little slowerto pump up. both flow like a 30w at op temps. 10w30 wont hurt you and may have better lubrication characteristics.

2guns

an air filter is like a chain link fence. softballs bounce off, tennis balls get caught, golf balls go right thru. once the fence is half full of tennis balls the engine has a harder time breathing and after the filter is completly cloged it will pull some of those tennis balls thru. K&n's are good along with amsoil. both are better then paper. the oil covered gause breaths better then paper thus allowing more air flow(good for engine)

2guns

there are a lot of unanswered ?'s here...miles, plugs,wires,clean throttle body etc. mine does that more noticable when the ac is on. but a shot of intake cleaner and a cap and rotor fix's that problem. there is a spot where the throttle cable rests on the intake. if all else fails try to build that up with tape to see if this helps short term it may help you find a better solution after more trouble shooting.

glzr2

Sorry for not getting back in a timely fashion, but I changed my trans fluid and frt/rr diff fluid on July 17. I want to thank Dusty and Elisa for the informative posting. They really helped.

~400 miles and no leaks, and the truck sat at the airport for a week.

Everything went smoothly, just really time consuming. I slowly dropped the trans pan by unscrewing the rear screws first, allowing the fluid to drain from the back of the pan while I worked in the yard. After I had unscrewed all the screws at the rear and all the screws along the sides, leaving the front screws only 1/4 loosened, I still felt like there was too much fluid to drop the whole pan, so I stuck a tube down into the pan and siphoned a lot more fluid out. I was then able to hold the pan while taking out the front screws, and although I had drained most of the fluid, I still splashed a little while lowering the pan. I had the front of the truck jacked up, so I replaced seven qts of fluid, and I have to buy one more qt.

The diff's were easy to drain, but the front was a pain in the rear because of the limited space to loosen the bolts. After finally getting the frt cover off and cleaning the old sealant off, I practiced re-assembling the cover to the diff, pretending it had RTV on it and tried not to touch anything. I couldn't do it because of tight space and the vacuum hose nozzle. I ended up taking a hammer to the nozzle and turning it to a more vertical position. After practising a few more times with the nozzle in the new position, I felt comfortable enough to apply the RTV and attach the cover. It when right on without touching any surfaces. I curse (my neighbors can testify) engineers that package things inaccessibly when they are supposed to be routinely maintained. The rear diff was easy.

Re-filling the diff's was challenging. Anybody have a trick?

Besides the accessibility of the frt diff cover, I found the biggest pain was removing the old RTV sealant.

I still have to add up the receipts to find out how much I saved, if anything, by changing the fluids myself. I had a few capital expenses such as a torque wrench and the service manual that I will try to bake into the cost for a one time pay back.

Next is the xfer case, brake rotors and pads.

Gordon

bpeebles

One "trick" to refilling the front diff is to feed the oil down the breather hose. On my 2000 Dak, the top of the front-diff breather hose is up near the battery. It just goes straight down to the front diff cover and plugs into it.

I found refilling the rear diff is not a big deal because of the large amount of clearance around and above it.

QUESTION: How much 'gunk' did you actually get out of each of the gearcases? (was it really worth all the trouble of breaking the seals on the diffs rather than sucking it out?)

ron35

glzr2 - I did my differentials, manual transmission and transfer case a while ago. I have to agree with you on that front differential, I had to do mine twice before I got it right. Had quite a few rehearsals that second time. On refilling the differentials I did not have a problem. I used a pump (actually listed as a marine pump which I got at Walmart and put it over the top of the 1 quart Redline lube that I used and it worked well. I believe it cost $6.95.

Ron

glzr2

I believe, or would like to after all that work, that I did remove more gunk with the complete removal of the cover.

However, in my opinion, and please tell me if I am wrong, but in the future I plan on replacing my front diff fluid less often than the rear now that I have removed the cover completely and removed almost all the gunk (possibly only sucking out the old oil). If you do not use 4wd very often, is it necessary to change the front diff as often as the rear, and now that I have redline oil in the diff's, how often should I change fluid?

bpeebles

All good questions. I will offer my opionions below.

If you do not use 4wd very often, is it necessary to change the front diff as often as the rear?
The front differential is ALWAYS engauged and churning the gears as the vehicle moves. The only disenguagement that occours is in the xfer case so the front axle is freewheeling. (It is not like the old days where each wheel is disenguaged and the front diff does not move.)

now that I have redline oil in the diff's, how often should I change fluid? I do not plan to EVER change my fluids again now that I have RedLine in there. I do verify the levels once in a while.

mhall02

Hey Ron, I bought that same little pump at Wal-Mart, worked great for filling my 5-speed. The only reason I drained it was because it had the wrong fluid in it, I have a NV-2500 (1991 model) 5 speed and it had heavy gear lube in it, actually uses 10W30 motor oil. It would grind going into second when it was cold, no more of that.

To others, as far as front and rear axle fluid changing, you guys must have a lot of time on your hands. Unless it gets contaminated or low, I would never mess with it. I had a '78 Ford F-100 that had the original rear end in it when it was totaled last year, Dad bought it new and I bought it from him in '86, had over 220,000 miles w/ no rearend problems and my father in laws '82 Ram had the original fuid in the rear when he sold it (nearly 200,000 miles). How many people people have their trucks that long? I guess if its easy enough to do, go for it but I do not plan on doing anything other than checking the level.

dustyk

The rear differential was exceptionally clean on mine at 10,000 miles. No metal grit, just that gray residue from the clutches. However, I would never have known if I didn't remove the cover.

I helped a friend of mine a few weeks ago change the rear axle fluid on his GMC. At 15,400 miles he had evidence of a chipped tooth, a fair amount of metal grit and filings (not a limited slip). If nothing else he now knows to keep an eye on it.

Best regards,
Dusty

glzr2

Mike,
According to my wife, I will have my truck for a looong time, and that's ok, but since I know that, I want to keep it well maintained. I also put ~30k on it a year, so I want to make sure it lasts said period (long) of time. I could have taken it in to a shop, but I'm a little adventurous and fortunately it turned out ok.

I didn't notice any metal chips, just dark in color. Boy does that oil stink.

I didn't notice anything wrong with the trans fluid, but the magnet was caked. When I first looked at the pan, I really thought I was in trouble, because I thought it was a chuck of the tranny, but then I remembered the magnet.

I'm going to change the plugs this weekend. I think I will go with the Bosch Platinum Plus. When changing the plugs, should I run any fuel system cleaner? Before or after changing the plugs?

Thanks,
Gordon

ron35

mhall02 - I have an 2K Dak 4.7 5 speed and when I changed the manual transmission fluid at 50K miles I had quite a few metal filings on the plug magnet. I used Redline Manual Transmission Lube, I'm not sure if it would be applicable for the NV 2500. It might be worthwhile asking the techs at Redline. I emailed them and found them to be very helpful with specific recommendations for the differentials, transfer case and the manual transmission. You may have a valid point about changing the differentials because the lube in mine was still quite clean and I did not see any metal filings in there. I plan on keeping the synthetic lube in the differentials for the life of the truck. If you think we're bad about changing the differentials consider this - another forum I'm on, the Dakota Mailing List (DML), had a guy who changed his differential fluid (synthetic) every 20K miles, now that's bigtime overkill.

Ron35

iowabigguy

Quote "the Dakota Mailing List (DML), had a guy who changed his differential fluid (synthetic) every 20K miles, now that's bigtime overkill."

The B schedule maintenance for the new Dodge Ram has you changing the differential fluid every 15,000 miles and is spec'd as synthetic 75W140. That is really overkill and tells me that there is some underlying problem if it has to be changed that often. Rick

cparkes1

i thank all whom responded to my call for help. after presurizing the emmision system with air and finding no leaks we again changed out the solonoid valve and the light stayed off for approx 3000 miles but has again came back on so know is getting frustating as the fuel cap and smog pump have also been done and i am due for a ontario emmision test again this spring and the federal test agency will not even begin the test if any lights are on. will keep trying to find the problem short of putting tape over the lite.ha/ha/
 regards to all. cookie

slickwilliedj

what codes are u getting from the pcm? I just has a similar problem and had 2 o2 sensors bad at the same time, I went ahead a replaced all 4 and no all is fine... look one page back for my orig post

dustyk

Gordon,

Within the first 8000 miles on my '03 4.7 auto Dakota I started to get a slight bumpy idle periodically. This would come and go and, as it turned out, was predominantly a cold weather thing. I installed new Bosch 4418 Platinum+4s at 10711 miles and at first thought the bumpy idle thing had gone away, but it later returned once or twice.

When the weather turned warmer I threw in some injector cleaner and I did notice a slight difference in idle quality. I've since repeated the injector treatment again. With the exception of yesterday the idle has been very good and stable for the last 15,000 miles or so. I installed a new air filter and cleaned the Idle Air Control Motor plunger at 20K and the gas mileage on mine has been averaging 18.06 for the last ten tanks.

The intermittent bumpy idle thing is directly linked to a drop in the idle speed. I'm not sure what causes this. For a while I was suspecting that the engine computer was sensing an erratic injector, but I'm really not sure.

Best regards,
Dusty

glzr2

Dusty,
I have not experienced low, rough or bumpy idle, but I have been experiencing lower mpg. I drive mostly highway miles with an average between 19.5 to 20 mpg. For the passed three to four weeks, I have averaged around 17 to 17.5 mpg. I changed the plugs on Sunday, replacing stock with Bosch Plat +2, because I was worried about some peoples results with the +4's. Before changing the plugs, I added fuel injector cleaner at the last fill-up. Today, on the way to work (58miles), I was back up to 20+ mpg at an average speed of 75mph with some higher passing speeds. I will have to continue to monitor.

I have read that some people have increased their MPG after replacing their fluids with high end synthetics, but I didn't notice any positive results after switching to red line. My MPG stayed around 17 to 17.5 until I changed the plugs and ran the injector cleaner.

Any other maintenance tricks I can do to keep my MPG up? I do have a tonneau cover, red line in diff's and trans, Bosch +2, K&N air filter.

Next maintenance project is to overhaul the brakes. Replacing the front rotors, pads, and possibly draining/replacing brake fluid.

Gordon

iowabigguy

I changed out the rear end lube in my Ram 9 1/4" rear end this weekend.

I used a suction pump to pull out the lube before I pulled the cover plate. I put the used lube in a clear plastic container. I held the container up to the light and it looked like it was really clean. No particles settled into the bottom of the container.

Once I pulled the cover and got the last 1/2 cup or so all over me I inspected the insides. I found maybe a teaspoon of dark gray gunk on the magnet. I'm assuming it was metallic rather than material from the LSD clutches as it was only on the magnet.

The contact pattern on the ring gear looked good. Full contact the width and centered top to bottom on the teeth.

I bought the manual specified sealer and found it to be a different color than the factory sealer. The new stuff was light gray and the factory looked like red Georgia clay.

It scraped off pretty good with a plastic putty knife and I finished up with what looked like a tooth brush with stainless steel bristles.

I wiped the insides out with a clean lintfree cloth and cleaned the cover and contact surface on the differential with lacquer thinner. I put the sealer on the cover and installed it torquing the bolts to about 30 ftlbs.

We had a family get together to go to so we took the wife's car and let the sealer set up overnight.

The following day I put the 75W140 Redline synthetic lube into the rear and test drove with no problems and so far no leaks.

The Redline contained said no limited slip additive was required and I did not use any.

Based on my inspection of the rear end and the condition of the old lube I think next time I will just suction out the old stuff and put in new without pulling the cover.

Now I've got 15,000 miles to decide if I want to tackle the lube change for the transmission. Rick

sunburn

I had the rear pinion seal replaced today in my 02 QC. It started leaking two weeks ago while I was towing my camper back from PA. It leaked enough to spray a little onto the gas tank and drip three drops onto the garage floor. It hasn't appeared to leak any since then. The extra heat generated from towing must have contributed to the leak somehow. The fact that it stopped is interesting.

bpeebles

(sunburn) This almost sounds as of the vent is plugged and pressure pushed some lube out of the seal.... or perhaps it was overfilled a bit.

I would not consider your description very serious and would just keep an eye on it for now.

cparkes1

well after getting a site where i can check out my codes free instead of paying $40 a crack , i found that by turning the key of and on 3 times and then depressing the trip odomater that the computer goes into a check mode and low and behold the code p0441 came up in the mileage window
cause=insufficient or excessive vapor flow detected during evaporative system operation. this the same old gas cap problem &related solonoid etc. we have changed every thing out 2 times now, so i am really baffeled.
regards cookie parkes

bpeebles

It is a good thing that, and all other emmission-control items, are coverd for 10 years and 100K miles on your 2000 Dak.

It is the dealers problem and dime.

You should insist that they pay for a loner vehicle until they have it fixed.

cparkes1

thanks for your response, in regards to obtaining warranty, that is another problem. dealer says its not emission related and that this problem is not covered by such under warranty. i had a bad enough experience getting the previous rearend problem fixed, and if it wasn:t for the fact i documented everything and the gracious help from members of this board, i probably would still be trying to deal with it. i think in this case i will get my local mech who is as qualified and a lot cheaper to help me resolve this problem as i will not go thru the process of dealing with D.C.and their dealerships. truck now has92000 kilometers or approx 62,000miles.thanks for every ones help and will post outcome when problem is resolved.
regards &later COOKIE

glzr2

I have had this problem in the past and had the power door lock solenoid replaced once under warranty. All was fine for 1/2 year. About three weeks ago the problem came and went. It hasn't happen again until today. This morning, I was driving along and at 15mph all four doors locked, and then they immediately unlocked and proceeded to keep unlocking. It's as annoying as having a small child playing with the door locks. In the passed it would continue to lock and then unlock, but today it just kept unlocking. At lunch today, there wasn't a problem.

Has anyone experience this problem?

BTW, I misrepresented my MPG. I average 19.5 to 20mpg on highway only, which, recently declined to 17 to 17.5. I am now back up to ~20mpg on highway only.

dustyk

Cookie,

P0441 codes are usually te result of a open vapor return line on Dakotas. There are two different systems used on newer Dakotas: the standard system which uses a Leak Down Pump, and a On-board Refueling Vapor Recovery (ORVR) system.

Refer to the VECI label that is attached to the underside of the hood. This will schematically show you routing of the hoses going from the fuel tank to the vapor canister and other system components. Check these hoses. A very common problem are these rubber hoses becoming cracked, rendering the evaporative system essentially inoperative. This causes a P0441 code.

Yes, a defective gas cap can do this, too, but the hoses disintegrating is a common enough problem that I'm surprized your dealer technical staff isn't aware of this.

Best regards,
Dusty

Best regards,

dustyk

Received a notice the other day for a safety recall to repair the wiper motor. The recall states that water may enter the wiper motor and cause a failure.

This applies to late 2002 through 2004 Dakotas and Durangos.

Regards,
Dusty

cparkes1

dusty ,thanks for your suggestion re hoses etc. i will check these out. i try to keep the engine compartment clean &the hoses look reasonably good but will double check. a tip i would like to share is i was able to get the reset sequence of f of dakota mailing list.com on how to reset the ecm computer to clear faults and it worked. the following is how to do it. DISCONNECT THE NEGATIVE SIDE OF THE BATTERY , THEN CYCLE THE KEY TO THE ON POSITION AND HOLD FOR 20 SECONDS, RE HOOK THE BATTERY TERMINAL AND IT WILL CLEAR ALL CODES. this worked on my 2000 v-6 dakota.
i now know how to bring up the fault codes and to clear the ecm without going to the dealer, saving some money.
regards &later cookie

waynesan2

My '01 4.7L 4WD has a slow drip leak of power steering fluid just right of the driver's side front wheel. The leak appears to be coming from the Rack and Pinion Steering Gear, not the pump.Could this possibly have been agravated by bad tie rods which everyone seems to have had? I've never had my tie rods checked and I have about 43K mileage. Anyone else have or know about this problem? Thanks.

bpeebles

Careful doing it this way.

 You will remove all "learning" that your onboard computer has done. The engine may run pretty crappy and stall for several hundred miles. (every time the ambient temperture changes...it will have to "learn" how to idle agian)

Also, If you have an automatic xmission, it may shift rough for awhile.

bpeebles

I have never heard of "bad tie rods" on the Dakotas. Please elaberate where you heard this?

The only front suspension issues I have heard about are the BALL JOINTS which can be replaced with MOOG brand units with grease nipples.

waynesan2

Bpeebles, thanks for responding. I meant Ball Joints, not tie rods. Do you think loose ball joints could cause the Rack & Pinion Steering Gear to leak?