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Dodge Dakota
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Comments
Toodles!
Jaksyn
Redhead
I bought a Dodge Dakota with the V6 engine and it was listed as a $500 option. The base engine being the 4cylinder (standard) The $500 figure is correct. I wish now that I could have gone with the V8, but practibility and common sense won out. I just do not need all that piZZZZaz and power! Especially here in West Central Florida, the "blue hair" mecca of the planet! I hope this helps. -Peggy Louise
1. I plan to use my new dakota for hauling canoes, kayaks, aand camping tuff. No heavy hauling except firewood and dirt occasionally. But kayacks / canoes almost every weekend. Max weight under 500 lbs on a regual basis. I live where it is flat (Houston) and spend a good portion on freeways.. That said, I am wonderin about v6 vs 5.2 v8. Any comments ?
Also references to tranny problems ? What tranny problems ? Automatic or manual ?
Thanks guys...
honestly!
I am trying to find out if any other people are having problems with there power steering
pumps on 97 or 98 Dakota. The problem is not constant but for a new truck should not be happening. When decelerating something seems
to plug up and cause fluid to be forced out the fill
cap. Of course Dodge denies that there is a problem, but I have talked with one other Dakota owner that had the same problem. Also with the paint flaking off front bumper. Just had it repainted for 2 time. Otherwise the truck has been great. It is 1997 Dakota sport 6 cly reg cab.
Any other with info please let me know.
Thanks Randy
delivery of my 1997 SLT ext cab on April 1 1997.
Two weeks later the hose popped off of the power steering pump and it became very hard to steer:^(
The dealer simply reattached the hose and filled the fluid. Two weeks later the pump froze and caused the belt to pop off. (The pulley froze) This caused the alternator, water pump and everything else on the belt (which is everything) to stop working. Had to be towed in.
Then, the dealer replaced the pump and belt.
That, my friends it the only problem I had with the Dakota in over 1 year of ownership. I've got 20,000 miles on it. I just chalk it up to an assemply problem. Someone in the factory didn't tighten a hose clamp screw. The failure of the pump I attribute to driving the truck 1/2 hour without power steering fluid for lubrication. The dealer should have replaced it the first time instead of just patching it.
Comments:
1) Power steering problem listed in previous post.
2) Engine is very smooth, quiet but believe it or not, seems underpowered to me. Tons of torque off the line but horsepower drops off above 3000rpm. I think what we have here is a lot of low end torque for towing and load carrying but 0-60 is not that good. The engine is powerful for what it should be used for but you won't win any stoplight drag races with it:^) (My wife's 96 2.8liter stratus is faster to 60 but I can tow a boat trailer.)
3) Gas mileage is 16-16.5 consistently. You may consider that good or bad compared to what you are used to.
4) Ride is too soft. Big bumps cause the truck to oscillate several times before returning to steady state. I am planning to put stiffer gas shocks to remedy this. (I have the optional handling package)
5) Limited slip rear end has very slight jitter when starting from a dead stop. So slight that I am the only one to notice it so far.
6) Truck is very quiet and very comfortable inside. The standard seats and appointments are very nice and comfortable.
7) A little tough to park in tight spots due to it's size. It is nearly 3 feet longer than my previous 1986 Ford Ranger. I'm still getting used to the size. I like it except when it comes time to park.
8) It's a 1/2 ton rated truck. You can throw a half ton in the back and not even know it's there.
9) The optional Infinity and Alpine CD system is great. It adds to comfort level on long trips.
10)It survived a hail storm that dented the hoods of the small Hondas next to me on the freeway. (They called in the local radio station complaining about this. I just drove home.)
11) I have not had one squeak or rattle in the entire time I owned this truck. There are no paint problems or fit and finish problems at all.
12) Contrary to what I read in this list, my auto tranny is extremely smooth and quiet. It shifts perfectly and always at the right time. I must have gotten a defective one:^)
Those are my pro and con comments. Hope it helps anyone trying to make a decision.
Tim
Currently have an 89 Nissan King Cab; considered replacement, but it's too small.
Let me hear about the good and the bad ........
If you want 18+mpg from a Dakota, you will be lucky to get that with the 3.9LV6! Maybe you could with the 4cyl. though. I drive a 1998 3.9L V6 Auto and do not get over 16mpg in town. I have not had a chance to check the highway mpg yet.
I've been a MOPAR fan since my high school days back during the great performance wars in the late 60's and early 70's. When I heard of this new sports truck coming out with V-8 power I had to get one. And let me tell anyone who's reading this, Dodge did a great job, I get comments all the time on how great the truck looks, and anyone I let drive it, really like the power and feel on the road. The upgraded suspension with huge Goodyear Eagle LS's mounted on those sharp looking 15 X 8 in aluminum rims really grip the road. By the way, if anyone else has this option and has noticed unusual wear on the outside front tires, Have a good alignment shop compensate by adjusting the toe spec about 1/16 per side to eliminate the scrubbing.
I live in upstate New York, and drive almost 50 miles to work one way. Yep, that's approx. 500 miles per week, and with 40,000 miles on it up to now, it drives as good as the first day I picked it up. I do run only synthetic oil with a Prolong boost. I'm just about ready to change the trans fluid and rear end and plan on using synthetics there to.
The 318 they thru in this is really a smooth little number. I can cruse down the NYS Thruway at 75 MPH and only turn about 2200 RPM, with the 3.55 limited slip rear end! That's not even half the red line! I have the overhead console, and the MPG has stayed between 17.5 and 18 since I've bought it. Anybody want to argue on the reason to buy a V-8 over a V-6!!
I'm now debating on trading it in on the RT. I've seen a few around and they really look sharp. Haven't seen any short boxes yet. It's gotta be a hell of a runner! I see Edmunds doesn't list the options yet in their sight, but the RT lists about $3000 more on the window, anyone got the dealer costs?
Haaa... who needs it, I can baby mine around in comfort and at any time, SMOKE almost any stock truck on the road.
Happy motoring
I like the truck, but this has been very frustrating. Nothing like the 95 Ram 4x4 I sold to buy this truck. Any help you can lend will be appreciated. Right now I've asked for a replacement vehicles, as this falls well within the Lemon Law requirements.
Thanks!!
Unhappy!!!
What does your service department say about the noisy shifters?
The 5.9 for the Dakota is only in the R/T model. It's a street muscle truck through and through. I don't know 'bout the reliability stuff, but it will smoke almost anything off the line now that Dodge shoehorned that 5.9 into the Dakota.
the Dakota 5.9 is the same 5.9 in the Ram. I have friends with 5.9 Rams, no complaints so far (both '97 models)
everyone:
I want to put a dual exhaust system on my 5.2 V-8 Dakota (wish the 5.9 was avail. in 4x4). I've never done dual exhaust before and have heard (comments in the 'Coupes' section of TownHall) that I need to be careful not to mess up the balance between the intake and outake. I don't want to get too in depth in what I have to change. Anybody have suggestions...ie from the cats back or headers back? Pipe size? FlowMaster? etc...
I'm not real interested in raising the horse power, just getting a good solid rumble. None of that glass pack stuff.
Thanx!
I'm looking at a 1994 Dakota ext Cab v-8 slt 4x4
It has all the extra's and a bedliner and camper top.(probably take that off) But it has 98,000 miles. That kind of mileage scares me just a little bit. Edmund's say's it's worth $11,446. I called the dealer and he said he wanted $9,950. By the end of the conversation he wanted me to come check it out and he dropped the price to $9,500. I can't go look at it until this weekend but i think if i take $9,000 cash with me. He will probably take it. SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME THEIR PAST EXPERIENCE WITH DAKOTA'S AND MILEAGE LIKE THIS.
I think high mileage is the only way i can afford a truck like this.
Thanks feel free to E-mail me!!!
I'm just visiting this forum, I usually hang out
at the Durango site and have been doing so for 6 months. One problem someone reported was water and or mud splashing into the engine compartment thru large openings in the front wheel wells of the Durango. Since the Dakota has the same sheet metal on the front I thought any of you with the same concerns might benefit from my solution to the problem. Below is a "reprint" of a post I made earlier on the Durango site:
Before I got my D I had read about the large
openings in the front wheel wells and the frame.
I think Purdy was the one that reported mud being splashed onto the engine thru the holes. I had forgotten about it until a couple of weeks ago when I was driving through one of the summer thunder storms Va. is famous for. I drove into a large puddle and water must have splashed onto the exhaust manifold, for a second there I though I had a fire under the hood...turns out it was steam. I agree with others on this forum that it cannot be good for the engine, starter and other components to have water, mud etc. constantly splashed onto these parts. I
fixed the problem with a design taken from my old
Pathfinder. It had rubber splash guards installed
over the openings to keep out unwanted debris
and water. I made templates from paper and using these, cut rubber flaps to cover the holes. The rubber is held in place with automotive nylon
fasteners. The result looks like it came from the
factory (I don't know why they don't do it). Most
of the work was in making the templates to fit
around the brake lines and the opening in the
plastic inner fender. After the rubber was cut it took about 30 mins. a side to install. A side benefit is there seems to be less brake dust on the front wheels, there must have been a lot of air coming thru the grill and going out those holes and thru the front wheels, carrying brake dust with it. If anyone is interested in a materials list and detailed instructions on how to install these, E-mail me. I would also be willing to mail people on this forum a complete "kit" (at cost, about $15 a side) with the rubber, cut to size, and the fasteners to hold them in place.
Ken
Anybody experiencing this?
Knocking sounds like it's high up in the engine compartment, is in perfect timing with the idle of the engine, and becomes almost unnoticeable after revving up over 1500-1800 RPMs. Also, it can be felt in the steering wheel, dash, and or shifter if you've got a manual tranny.
One lame-o service center at a dealership I took it to said it was the exhaust "baffling" where the two manifold out-takes merge into the one pipe to go to the catalytic converter. That's a load if I've ever heard one. The knock is not always present, gets louder after being run for a while, and is obviously much higher in the engine than the relatively low lying exhaust pipe merger point. Bunch of crooks!
Anyhow, I took my truck to another Dodge dealer and the mechanic knew what it was before I even popped the hood. There's a black plastic valve housing about 3" long and 1 1/2" in diameter mounted to the firewall on the driver's side of the engine compartment, all the way at the top of the firewall. Has 2 or 3 hoses attached to it. Put your finger on it when you hear the knock (careful, it can be pretty hot). If it feels like someone's tapping it with a hammer, BINGO! Go see your service center and have 'em order the replacement part. It's not going to hurt anything, the knocking just gets annoying.
I'll see if I can get the service bulletin # and post it here later.
What figures do I use to calculate a good offer on a 1998 Dodge Dakota SLT (+)?
on my '94 extended Dak, the overdrive goes out at highway speeds, but only sporadically. scared me good the first time it happened. now i just know to re-engage the o/d. don't know if this is causing longer term harm or not. problem first showed up w/about 8k miles. doesn't appear to be an aging problem. also, it's not getting worse. happens maybe once every other month or so. i'm around 48k mi now.
sport 4x2 with the 5.2l v-8, posted hp rating of 230 and torque rating of 300 ft lbs. Mostly will be using the vehicle for highway commuting, however I live in the Seattle area and would like to be able to do a little camping in it possible driving over some mild low level mountain passes < 4000ft. looking strictly at the specs I can equip the Dakota to have a payload capacity of 2000# and a max towing capacity of around 6500#. Ideally a few times a year I would like to strap on a small 7-8 foot camper (dry weight 1200-1400#) and tow a small ski boat (2500#) for a total GVCW (gross vehicle combination weight) of maybe 8000- 8500 #. I see ratings of Dakota's with towing packages claiming over 10000# GVCW. Will this truck do it!!! I am also considering the new F 150's but they are a little spendier 25K vs 20k and it would displace some of the tools from my garage. The specs are fairly comparable it just seems that the Dakota has everything that the F150 has but in a smaller package, which is preferable since I currently drive an RX7 and like the sportiness. Any thoughts would be appreciated
what is a good deal for a 1997 dakota p/u club cab slt,v6,fully loaded,4/2 with 110000 miles(from a dealer)
Well, he was lamenting the fact that he gets terrible mileage that his V6 gets. He gets about 17 on the highway. On that trip I got 19 mpg on two separate tanks of gas. I probably averaged close to 18 mpg on that trip. Needless to say, the gut and I were pretty suprised. I have heard similar reports that the V6 isn't significantly better than the 5.2L V8 when it comes to mileage.
A couple important caveats when considering gas mileage:
Highway mileage can vary significantly. When I drove about 60 mph (on the rough, narrow roads up north) I got 19 mpg. When I set the cruise at 72 on the big highways, I got closer to 16 mpg. All highway driving with the same load and dirver, but fairly different numbers due to speed.
Individuals obviously have their own habits when it comes to acceleration, passing, etc. Mileage will vary a great deal due to this.
So, my personal feeling is, I'd rather have the V8 for the available power for towing, passing, etc. and drive it more sensibly. I don't think the mileage is much different from driving a V6 that you end up pushing a bit more to squeeze out better performance.
Take it or leave it.
I agree with you: the 318/v8 would be the better overall choice. It's simply NOT having to work as hard as the v6. I've talked to several truck owners over the years & it seems the v6's, though powerful, are still working too hard to get any measurable mpg difference worth mentioning...
my two-cents.....