Dodge Dakota Crew Cab - II

shoepeg · March 2000

themacguy

haven't installed yet, but their web site has
instruction for the install, seem like it will be a piece of cake, the folks at Starboards are
on the ball, making sure you get the right thing.

The jewel came with factory wheel flares so I've got that aced.

jones27 · March 2000

I have a "Sportmaster" soft tonneau cover. It has the snaps instead of the grooved seal. I choose the snaps because when it gets cold, it is very hard to seal that plastic seal together. I can role the cover back and tie it back so that I have access to the whole bed. I paid $159 for the cover and installed it myself in about 15 minutes.

I also have a sprayed in liner made by Carefree. Paid $425 for it. I asked the dealer what the difference between his liner and Xliners and Rhino Liners and he told me it his had a higher tensil strength and didn't need to be applied as thick. Also, Rhino (I don't know about X-Liners) sand down the surface of the bed to get good adhesion. Carefree heats up the bed so that the paint and the coating make a good chemical adhesion to each other. Who knows which one will work better for you......it's all a matter of personal preference.

rjoder · March 2000

I was just wondering if anyone has installed the wheel flares on a 2wd quad with the tire and handling package? Any thoughts on how it looks?

snowedin · March 2000

the service dept. just phoned to say they would have to install a new "seat rail assembly" as the squeak seems to originate there and they were unsuccessful trying everything else (tightening,lubricating,ect.). unfortunately, they will have to order the part and i will need to bring the truck in again. so, it may be a while before it gets remedied.

knkresort · March 2000

Is there a website for the "Sportmaster"? I would like to see a picture. Also, does it snap to the truck box or is there a rail that it snaps to?

Thanks,

KnK

gallen1586 · March 2000

I installed the wheel flares on my 2wd quad they look great they match the color of the truck perfect! I have the standard 7in. wheels I think they would look better with your wider tires and wheels. I plan to change my tires to 30x9.50's.

henne · March 2000

i have the 2 wheel drive with handleing package and tow group, the truck looks naked without the flares, i put all 4 on myself in about 30 min, its a no brainer, it looks great now, cant tell if it was factory or after the fact, and yes they are the mopar flares, go get them, retail is like 265.00 i think, i got mine for about 230.00

robert

shannond2 · March 2000

I'm getting ready to order the 2wd in an SLT two-tone with the tire and handling package. Has anyone installed the wheel flares on a 2wd two-tone? Sounds like gallen1586 installed his on a solid color truck. I'm with henne - I think the truck looks naked without the flares, but my salesmen said he thought the flares wouldn't look too good with the 2wd two-tone. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Also, does it seem that the 2wd are being built and delivered a little faster than the 4wd. My dealer says it shouldn't take any longer than 8 weeks, but I'm leary after seeing all the delay problems posted here.

renegade69 · March 2000

I have a quad 2WD, tire and handling package
and ordered the flares. I installed them myself.
Took my time and only took about 45 min. to
install.

Regarding the 2-tone paint and the flares, look
at some of the 4WD trucks in 2-tone paint and in
your color and look at the color of the flares.
Then it's quite simple, if you like the combo
order that color from the parts dept. and
install 'em yourself.

Good Luck
renegade69

cowtownkid · March 2000

I have to agree with Henne, truck looks like a "Big legged girl in a speedo" without em...I had Dealer order & install before I picked up truck, cost $290.00. At least they are Mopar. Has any body really...really, noticed the two ratios in the Autos 2nd gear? I have picked up on this 2nd ratio one time, and it was very pronounced...havent been able to duplicate again, though I haven't been trying. It was a suprise though, and very, very impressive. Will take another half City half Country cruise on tank of gas and post mileage. Quad has 762 miles. Fellows I dodged a bullet on Tuesday, with Tornados, Hail, and everything else happening I was leaving town in Quad & think I outran the destruction...With the 4.7 under the hood, how could you not outrun Hell on Fire?

cowtownkid

jones27 · March 2000

Below are links to Sportmaster and Extang covers. Both use a rail system that clamps to your bed. The clamps do not touch the bed of the truck except under the bedrail. There are three supports on the Sportmaster and I can access the bed from the front or back without removing the whole cover. You can also drop the tailgate without disturbing the cover. Oops, I paid $259, not $159.

The Extang cover comes with snaps that you can loosen and swivel. This will allow you to tighten the cover in the summer and loosen the cover in the winter. But, the snaps will not move along the rail system. They are fixed in place.

I went with the Sportmaster because (it was $20 cheaper) the snaps can be moved around the rail system. Handy if a snap breaks and you need to replace it.....then you don't have to replace the whole rail! It also has some adjustment that is made in the tailgate rail to allow for summer and winter usage.

It's your choice......here are the links:

http://www.pickupspecialties.com/prod03.htm

http://www.pickupspecialties.com/extangclassic.htm

poolman57 · March 2000

Well, 1500 miles later after receiving my quad, I can't seem to complain about anything. My quad has everything including the stereo controls on the steering wheel which are absolutely awesome. The only options I didn't get were the engine block heater, full time 4WD, 4 wheel antilocks, and the rear window defroster (I got the rear slider instead and I also can't remember the last time the rear window on a pickup frosted!) Anyway, for those of you who don't believe I got everything, my sticker was $29,495. Don't think for a minute I paid that either.

Anyway, my 1500 mile update is that I gained 1 mpg once the motor broke in. For those of you who don't remember, I have the 5.9, auto, 3.92 lsd, black, sport, 4WD. I went from 13 to 14 in the city....... I can't wait for a road trip to see what it will get then and this thing will absolutely squall the tires.......alot like my '70 Dodge Coronet R/T with a 440.

I guess I am gonna have to take mine in and have the seat checked because mine squeaks too. I gets pretty annoying if I don't have the 8 speaker infiniti sound system cranked up (I really like the way the rear view mirror dances when the bass hits! It's tremendous).

Enough about mine...... keep me informed about everyone else's. :-)

Jeff

rjoder · March 2000

For the information regarding the wheel flares. It looks like I should be getting some soon...

newquad · March 2000

Thanks for the update on the seat squeak problem. I agree, unless the stereo is turned up, the noise is very annoying. I'm going to make an appt. ASAP.

yank2 · March 2000

Dealer has had my Quad for four days no loner Waiting for CD on wheel sticking out. Told them was was said on Edmunds no luck. I wonder if anybody from DC looks at this. As far as Tonneau covers Andy Jordan is right only way to go is ARE. I like the Quad only have 267 miles on it but the service is something else they gave me a 100000 mile warranty but I get better service on my two 3/4 ton fords.

pargolfer · April 2000

Ordered the 4x2 V6 Quad on March 1st from Chicago area and it arrived on March 28th - dealer was amazed after telling me 6 to 8 weeks - have not really driven it yet but did notice the wheel sticking out a little more on 1 side so will try to get the bed aligned - looks sharp with the dark garnet and 2 tone - got it loaded up inside - not sure I shouldn't have gotten the 4.9 but was shooting for higher mileage - time and the computer will tell.

gallen1586 · April 2000

I have seen a dark garent with driftwood bottom and driftwoood flares it looks great!

bobemoto · April 2000

Does anyone have any experience with the Downey SST Tonneau Cover (http://www.dp-sst.com/2sst-info.htm)?

96g11 · April 2000

Has anyone done a body lift on a dakota? I want to put 31" tires on mine. 4x2 4.7l 3.92 limited slip. I saw one in a 4x4 mag with a 3" body lift and 5" suspension lift. He had 35" tires. That is more extreme that I want. Just wondering if anyone has done one and if there were any snags. Also how do you recalibrate the speedo? I understand the speed pickup is in the rear diff? There has to be an easy way to do it since the truck is offered with so many different tire options from the factory. Many thanks!!!

jtjohn1 · April 2000

Hello All,
Got my Dak Quad about 2 weeks ago (ordered either last week of Jan 1st week of Feb LDSG 4X4 with th 4.7, Auto and pretty much optioned out.) I checked the bed after reading all of the posts and sure enough it was out of alignment by 1/2 inch. Got that fixed but now my brakes are acting funny. They will fade when you are at a stop light (go right to the floor if you don't pump them back up!) The dealer cant seem to find anything wrong with them though they are going to go ahead and replace the Master Cylinder. Anybody else have any problems with the brakes?? Also the dreaded ticking noise is coming from my engine compartment the dealer said it is the injectors but I told him to look at the TSBs. I thought that the TSB only applied to Daks manufactured up to a certain date. Has anybody recently picked theres up and still had the ticking noise??

Thanks

Jeff

bigal31 · April 2000

96g11,I 've been looking into lifts(all kinds)and there isn't one out yet for the "2000" Quads.Mine is a 4x4 4,7L.No one ,I mean no one has anything! It seems that there are like 6-8 changes from the "99" models.And its creating a few problems,mainly the rack-in-pinion steering.
I want to do a suspension lift,at least 5" to run 33"-35"(I have 31") tires.I might need the body lift too,to fit the 35"....If I go that radical.
I would like to know the mag. that you saw the body lift in.The only lift I've seen is in Petersens 4 wheel and off road mag.Let me tell you that lift isn't just a body lift,it has 39.5" tires! Its awesome and is the same color as mine.
Let me know the mag.Anyone else that has any info,chime in,this is my favorite subject..
Allen-

engine16c · April 2000

I have a Sportmaster Cover on my Chevy S-19, my son has one on his Toyota, when my Dakota Quad arrived I'll have one on it. I think they are great. Mine has snaps. The only problems is in cold weather, below 50 degrees, it is very hard to put on. If you are able to leave one side snapped, it goes on easier. Sportsmaster has a web site, but they will only sell through a dealer. If you email them they will tell you where the closest dealer is.

spike50 · April 2000

Only one I've seen is in the same magazine. The March, April, and May 2000 Petersen's 4 Wheel & Off-Road has "Project 4 x Quad" Parts 1, 2, 3.

Question: I can see doing small lifts for slightly bigger tires but going up that high seems to be more dangerous than valuable. I see that the project Quad has "bogger" tires, which to me implies mud holes. Although I've never done it, it would seem that there would be uneven bottoms in mud holes and that would create an even higher potential for a "super-lift" truck to tip over.

Finally, can a truck, like the one in the magazine, be a daily driver?

jcody1 · April 2000

no ticking noise or problematic brakes with mine. I am still getting that hesitation (or engine miss) about once a day or so. Has anyone noticed that with their 4.7 liter???

rjoder · April 2000

After getting the driver side door aligned along with the bed of the truck I have had no problems. The engine runs with no ticking noises, the transmission is silky smooth, and my Brakes are functioning correctly. However, I did experience the same type of problem with an Isuzu. I would get to a stop light and the brakes would go straight to the floor. The problem ended up being a trailer wiring harness that I had was shorting out. It is possible it could be an electrical problem...

grad57 · April 2000

Answer to Shannond2. I think the wheel Flares on the tutone looks very nice. Was wondering if your salesman might of been thinking of ordering them in your upper color. They should be in driftwood on any tutone. As for your wait time I made the deal on 02/11 Dealer ordered on 02/14 Left on railcar on 03/18 arrived at my dealer in Iowa on 03/31. It is V6 2 Wheel Drive SLT tutone Bronze and Driftwood.

bigal31 · April 2000

I think your right ,that's why the have the roll cages in the box..Ya that truck is too radical for everyday use,its for 90% off road I'm sure. I want mine to be a little more practical.33"-35" tires would be plenty,Not those 39.5",although it's a "BAD" looking rig.I love it.
Allen-

bigal31 · April 2000

For those of you who might be interested,here is a direct link to the truck we are talking about go to #11 on the page.
www.4adodge.com/glossary/sema/index.html
Allen-

jones27 · April 2000

Please explain this bed alignment thing to me. I checked my right rear tire and sure as hell, it sticks out farther than the left side. I also measured from the frame to the outside of each wheel well and that measurement is the same. Are we really talking about the bed of the truck being off misaligned on the frame (side to side) or are we talking about the right wheel on the axle? I need to know before I drop in to see my "Friendly Dodge Dealer."

Or by the way, my drivers seat had a little problem, too. Three loose bolts and one missing bolt that hold the seat to the truck frame. Makes me wonder how many other bolts are missing!

yank2 · April 2000

My Dealer tryed to fix. He had the truck three days came back with wheel sticking out more. They clam they try to move rear end and that the bed was on right. Waiting on DC?

jones27 · April 2000

That is what I was afraid of.....if the bed lines up with the cab and the bed is the same distance from frame on both sides, but the wheel sticks out......is the axle too long on the right side and it really doesn't have anything to do with bed alignment at all.

96g11 · April 2000

Allen you sound like my kind of guy! I have driven lifted trucks in Texas most of my life. High water is a way of life in Houston. Anyway, pick up PETERSON'S 4wheel & OFF ROAD May 2000 issue. Page 22!!!!! I am gonna have that picture enlarged and framed!!! Keep bugging fabtech motorsports for a lift, the squeaky mouse gets the cheese..or something like that..hahah.
To answer spike50, safety is in the hands of a driver. I have never even come close to flipping any of my lifted trucks. With a lift comes large and wider tires. I even did a 50 mph power slide on the freeway to avoid a van that had hit the wall, and I was driving an isuzu p/u with 5" lift and 33" tires. My old daily driver was a Dodge fullsize stepside with 38.5" tires and 12" lift. Never a problem, Never an accident. Trucks don't crash, drivers do!

96g11 · April 2000

I found a way to increase airflow even more. Anyone following has read about removing the webbing in the air filter box and installing a hose from the grill area to the airbox.
Next step, pick up a 3" pvc "lazy 90 degree elbow (called a lazy street 90 by plumbers) Cut back a 1/4" notch on the large end and slide it directly over the throttle body. Fits like a glove! 1 hose clamp will do the trick. Then just run a pice of 3" pvc to the air box and use a 3" coulpler. The coupler will fit the outside of the airbox perfectly with just a little force. Makes a tight fit. Sand and paint the whole thing black and it looks like a factory unit. Total cost $4.57 plus a can of epoxy spray paint. I have installed several high dollar "Ice man" as well as "k&n" intake kits for friends (I'm the local shade tree guy around here) and mine looks just as good. Gives a really throaty sound from under the hood under heavy accelleration!!! Gotta love it! If you cannot find the "lazy 90, use a standard street 90 and streach the factory black hose between the coupling and the 90. Use the factory clamps and it will hold very tight.

ozark · April 2000

bigal, thanks for link to sema site. Best group of modified quads I've seen. Helps to see the accessories. Now, if the aftermarket suppliers would get with it. I called Westin last week. The customer service rep said they were shipping another batch of nerf bars for the Dakota Quad. I should hear from my local truck acc. dealer this week. I can't bring myself to pay the dealer prices.

quadder · April 2000

I saw an interesting Quad Dakota over the weekend. An older couple had just bought a white sport model but it had a chrome grille. I asked about it and the man said he didn't care for the white grille and asked the dealer to change it. So they swapped grilles with a white SLT quad on the lot. I saw it and they both look fine. What's more, this guy had the Dakota Sport decals removed from both sides of the truck. Said they looked too sporty. It looked pretty clean without them. Keep on Quadding :-)

newquad · April 2000

I also have a white Sport, and wondered how those Sport decals are removed. Is it difficult? I think it would look much cleaner without them as well.

andy_jordan · April 2000

The removal of decals is a very tricky exercise!!!!

Use a hairdryer on them and they should lift right off.

Told you it was tricky!!

bmille4 · April 2000

Looking into buying a '00 Dakota soon. I know I want the 4.7 v8, 4x4 but I have not decided whether or not to go with the auto tranny or manual. Towing capacity will be a concern in the future. What max. capacity can I expect with the 5 manual?

bigal31 · April 2000

96g11
I can't wait it is making me nuts all this waiting on lift kits (a lot of people on this site can understand the pain that is waiting...I won't list names,bookitty..sorry)Just trying to lighting things up!
I'm on my way to get the May issue..Did anyone get my link? Except for Ozark...He is the only one that gave me any feedback,Thanks by the way..
On that site you can see Quads accessorized,nicely I might add.Keep me posted on those westin nerfs..I'm still undecided as to which ones to go with..
Allen

newquad · April 2000

Thanks Andy for the way to get the decals off. Very tricky indeed..... :-)
Susan

96g11 · April 2000

Allen my man! Great link! I'll take a #2 with a large order of fries please. That # 12 is a rich man's dream come true. If I ever hit that Texas lotto.......

knkresort · April 2000

I really enjoyed the link. I also liked #2, but prefer mine with onion rings...

KnK

gbilhimer · April 2000

When I first took delivery I removed the Sport and also the Dodge decals from the sides and tailgate. it is easy with a hair dryer although you may need to remove some of adhesive with a little wax. The truck sure looks better, the only emblems on it now are the small Quad Cab badges and the Ram's head in the hood. I bought the factory fender flare kit after reading about them here. I paid $255 plus tax from my local dealer. it only took 3 days to get them! Very easy to install and really improves the looks of the truck! I believe they will also help protect the paint with the wide tires. I have 3700 miles on my 4.7 auto,3.55 lsd Sport. No troubles so far and mileage seems to average around 16-17 unless towing my motorcycle trailer.
Happy Quadding Everyone!

bigal31 · April 2000

Thanks for your 2 cents.I have also talked with "Tuff Country","Superlift","Rancho" among all the others. Tuff Country told me a little about the rack-in-pinion problem,although I still don't understand it completly.As far as the "scrub radius"problem that you referred to,won't the lift itself fix that? I mean lifting a truck 5-6" is one way to get around that right?
Anyway I guess I have to wait. This summer isn't that far off(looking on the bright side).If anyone else has Info. on this topic please do tell!
Allen-

robusaf · April 2000

Can someone tell me where I can find info on 2001 Dakotas? I am overseas so my references are limited to the Internet... Thanks.

slr9589 · April 2000

well i do not know how feros gets the the great mpg's....flaps or no flaps!!!my slt/5spd/3.55/4.7/is into it's third tank of petrol and is averaging 17 mpg. the gas warning light and bell seems to come on when the indicator shows 1/8 of a tank.....BUT if you pump right then you can only put in 17 gallons.....does that seem right?
flexible flaps it will ....
no liner or cap ......will do a bed mat of p/t plywood...
all for now....slr

jcody1 · April 2000

comes on when you still have about 5 gallons left in the tank. I can easily go another 30-50 miles after the light comes on and still only pump in 21/22 gallons in the 24 gallon tank.

amend1 · April 2000

Haven't posted here in a while-been out driving/enjoying my Dakota QC. Got it in Feb.-4.7, auto, 4wd, Forest Green and have about 2500mi on it. I love this thing!! Only complaint is that it's a little thirsty. Drove it upstate (NY) last week with a full load of wood and it didn't even know it. Been watching the posts on the transmission servicing and it seems that it would be prudent to stick to the Mopar fluids when doing same. No problem there-my question is whether anyone knows if the torque converter has a drain plug in it. Late model vehicles usually don't but since they claim to have put so much thought into building this engine/trans combo, I was hoping they would break with tradition.
Love reading all the informative posts here-keep up the good work.

henne · April 2000

no torque converter in the multispeed tranny, i know its kinda odd but its the truth

themacguy · April 2000

that the tranny has no torque converter since my window sticker says:
"2000 Dakota Pickup 2WD 8 cyl, 4.7 L (287 cid), multipoint fuel injection. 4-speed automatic trans. w / lockup torque converter."
Very strange company, D/C. I guess they don't even read their own spec sheets before marketing & sales get a hold of the products. I wonder what else is not quite copacetic in their vehicles. :-O

Dodge Dakota Crew Cab - II

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