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Dodge Dakota - Quad Cab
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Comments
ahasher - you were one of our members I was specifically thinking of - that would be a long ride...
and Ben - do you really think you need to ask??? So what if your missing two doors, From the mods you've done to the truck, the "Beach Beauty" could most possibly be the hit of the party!!!
Keep those replies rolling in (It keeps me from doing REAL work on a Friday!!!
Well almost, I have printouts of bpeebles posts under the passenger seat in a manilla folder.
Let me know when weekends are usually good for me and I've never been to that part of PA....so tell me is the fishing good up there.
If I go, then bpeebles HAS to be there too!
So.. I quickly paid the $48 or so for the venvisor brand ( I prefer the dark smoke color). Now.. bugflectors are cosmetic only ...
Michigan could hold a Quad Meeting in my neighborhood. Came home from work last night to find the 3rd Quad in our subdivision. The funny thing is that all 3 are the same color. At least I have a Century Cap to look different. We added another one at work last week. So now we have a Red, Blue, Green and Driftwood colors.
BTW, don't do the max zoom out on Yahoo! Maps. It's difficult to tell where Forksville is while looking at North America, part of South America, Greenland, and a good portion of the Artic! Might as well have said "Somewhere in the Northern Hemisphere".
Prior to the install of my LUND Exterminator (3 piece), my windshield looked like fly paper...no more with the bug deflector.
I installed mine low profile, the LUND nameplate is just visible over the grill, it has a indented area that shows the hood emblem (for those who care) and when driving, and looking down the hood, is hardly visible.
Anyone else have results of a deflectors performance?
PS, How about Memphis, someone saw Elvis last week and he was driving a Quad.
ahasher, I posted earlier that the PCI deflector that is on my '01 QC collects bugs, but does little in terms of deflecting. The bugs are bad here in PA right now and the QC windshield collects a ton of bugs during a one hour evening drive.
Ken
Ken
Now I'm in AZ and don't have much need for it.
What I would like to know is... Is there anything you can use on them to keep them "new" looking? They get hazy after a few years in the sun, eh?
Also... hogger4... I did see that DC is planning a redesigned Dak in '03... Probably mocking the recent Ram changes...
Bookitty
Paul.
Figured you may be interested in the current [8/01] edition of Consumer Reports. They did a review on the Compact Crew Cab PUs: Ford Exp. Sport Trac, Dak QC, Toy Tac, Chev. S-10, and the Nissan Frontier.
It's the 1st time, IIRC, that they trashed a Nissan ["Highs: Only its rugged looks; Lows: Ride, steering, interior space, engine noise, access, fuel economy."].
In overall ratings, the Ford Exp. Sport Trac gets the nod, while in reliability the Toy Tac wins. The Dak QC 4.7 was the worst performer for fuel eco [13 mpg Overall], but the only one with a V8. I don't get nearly that bad mileage with my '00 4.7 CC [SLT+, 4WD, the works]; my overall mpg is ~16 [not much difference loaded/empty bed].
You 4.7 QC folks can chime in here--- is your mpg that low?? I know that the V8 Daks are pretty bad in the mpg dept., but I didn't think it was dismal. BTW, the Toy Tac had the best O/A mpg at 16.
Comments, protests? Just don't shoot the messenger.
Regards,
Ted
With a Flowmaster catback and JET CHIP II, I was averaging 18.1 MPG, mostly highway at no higher then 65 MPH.
Have since added z-tube, 180 t-stat and Autolite 3923s and have had too much fun with a heavy right foot, haven't seen 16 MPG yet.
Second, rating the Sport-trac as #1 is ridiculous. I guess they didn't make any sudden maneuvers in that one.
That's only two reasons I place no stock in magazine "ratings". Info in forums like this is where I would (and did) better form an opinion as to whether a vehicle is worth my money. Real people doing real things with their truck.
JimH
The S-10 had a smaller rear seat area and bed. Xterra (same platform as Frontier) front seats seemed really low to me, had IMO funky "modern" instrumentation. Full size Tundra rear seat area smaller than Dak. And, no offense to Sport Track owners, it looks odd to me. The bed is too narrow and the cab looks like some sort of pod.
I was interested in Tacoma, but preferred QC styling and decided to live with any so called lesser quality than Toyota. So far I've only found minor issues. I also like the V8 option on Dakota and have to like the 90 degree rear doors.
I've asked a lot questions to this group about this or that, but the bottom line is I really enjoy owning and driving my QC. You know it's a good sign when you're always looking forward to driving the vehicle whatever the destination. And you park far away from other cars and you keep looking back at your rig as you walk away.
I had to try on all the Trucks just to see If I could fit into them and the Dodge QC with the Electric Driver's side was the only Small Truck that I could fit in, and since I was now having to spend an extra 10 grand for that ability, I simply decided to Spend all the way and get My Present QC 4x4, lsd, 3.55 T&H, HD everything, Amberfire, 4.7L auto AWD, tow pkg factory installed, I got everything except for Leather, sliding rear window, an cd-in-dash. presently am getting 16.5mpg in city driving, an when i drive to Dallas, I live in Houston, I get around 21 mpg on the Overhead thing, is that thing accurate? Should I go and have the Overhead thing Calibrated at the dealership? I have the 265/70/16 tire's... just over 10grand miles.
I dont have any noise coming from the rear end, How would one know if the rear-end has the Synthetic Oil in it, and how often should the rear end oil be changed and How much longer does the Synthetic Oil in the rear-end Last? would it be better to run the Synthetic year round? I dont presently tow anything, though I am planning on getting a boat someday :-)
I made a trip down to the dealership and checked out the ones on some of the used Dakotas/Durangos and Rams that were on the lot. It seemed to me the Mopar ones weren't much better. I was impressed with the "Truck Logic" ones which is a brand I've never heard of, and haven't been able to find at any stores in my area or online parts stores. I'll probably go with the Lund Exterminator since it was recommended on this board and is available locally, thanks for all the feed back.
Regarding the rear end whine and synthetic fluid...I changed my rear end fluid to synthetic at 86 miles the day after bringing it home. I live in Colorado Springs and bought my truck in Denver. On the 60 mile drive home I noticed a slight whine in the rear end that occurred while coasting downhill in gear, only around 50mph. After the switch to synthetic I haven't heard the noise since. I can't say for sure if it went away because of the synthetic or perhaps it was just a matter of then gears needing some time to mesh properly.
I'm no Petroleum Engineer, however I was very surprised at the visual appearance of the factory fluid that I removed from the rear end. Considering it had only around 2 hours of running time on it, 86 total miles, most of which were at highway speeds of 50-60mph on a relatively cool April day. The fluid was noticeably cloudy/milky in appearance and to me seemed to have already began to look slightly darkened.
Since a number of people on this board have reported having rear end problems switching to the synthetic fluid might be a wise investment whether you plan on towing or not. It's easily done on your own, all you need is a wrench, drain pan, 2.2 qts of synthetic fluid, a tube of silicone gasket maker, and an hour of time. The Mobil 1 fluid is about $8 per qt, and the whole thing should run less than $30.
Whether its a matter of the Dakota being tough on rear end fluid or a matter of the factory fluid being substandard, or possibly a combination of the two, a small investment of time and money in the beginning might save a big headache down the line.
Sorry for the long post but here is a nice trick for all the do-it-yourself-ERs out there regarding rear end fluid changes. Go to the sporting goods department at Wal-Mart and get one of those fuel primer ball, like the ones used on outboard boat motors to pump the fuel from the gas tank to the carbs. The ones for Evenrudes have the larger ball and fuel lines already attached. You simply put one end in the rear end through the fill hole, and the other in old one-gallon milk jug and squeeze the primer ball and "pump" the old fluid out. This is very quick and effective and removes around 90% of the old fluid without the hassle of taking off the rear end cover and redoing the gasket. I can change my fluid in about 10 minutes using this method.
If you are doing the initial switch to synthetic you will want to remove the rear end cover and get all the old fluid out, but this works great on changes after that. Also those of us that tow and launch boats with their QCs will want to keep a sharp eye out for any signs of water in the old rear end fluid, and do a complete change if there are any signs of water. I'm not sure I trust the rubber plug on the rear end against the added pressure of being submerged, especially as it gets older and more brittle.
Enough Already!!
I Hope Everyone has a Safe and Happy 4th
-----Alex-----
The best way for these things to work is on a state by state or regional basis to get a core group of attenders. These events should always be open to other Dak-eers that want to make the bigger driving commitments. You'll always have internet friends at the other ends of the country that can't make it. You should have the get together anyway and then send them the pictures. That could inspire others to get started on local chapters that could grow into something bigger later.
My biggest concern is that wives and kids probably don't care to much about light bulb temperatures, oil changes, tire pressures, etc. - come to think of it that might get a bit long for the day's only activity. Need a place with other recreational possibilities.
Tim
Best discussed in Dodge Dakota Owners - Maintenance Topic
The v-6 was fine once upon a time, but new technology has surpassed it.
With this error Bpeeples you are risking losing credibility.
Check out the Allpar site for technical details of the 4.7 and 5.7 engines.
Here's the URL http://www.moparchat.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28307
Anyways, Just to let you know.
Thanks
Tom.
Thank-You
There was a recall on the 4x4 switch,which was re programmed 2 months back...No problems!
got motor oil change last week and as soon as i got home and put the transmission in reverse. I heard this loud "CHUG" then awful metal grind.
Had it towed back to the dealership 2 hours later.
Service Adviser said "tranny" went out!
Is this common on all 2001 Dakota Quad Cabs4x4 OR
Was I sold a "LEMON"
signed,
Very Upset Dakota Owner!