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Comments
Anyway, just curious thats all.
ANy brand of petrol which works best for you?
Shawn
But seriously. Perhaps they are used to putting 5 quarts on the invoice regardless of what car they service. Not very ethical in my opinion.
Drive Safe,
Joe
What are others experiencing? When idling, does your oil pressure settle down to sub-40? Has anyone ever had an oil pressure sensor or gauge go bad or do I really have something going wrong?
I also use Mobil 1 5w30 but have since bagged the Fram filter and have gone with Purolator filter. I notice the motor is slightly quieter on startup. If you by chance using Fram, I'd get it changed to a Purolator or something OTHER than a Fram.
Ahasher, what is the hunting/fishing like in your area? I get 3.5 weeks of vaca next year and the wings you spoke of plus ice cold brew after a day of spinning yarns and fishing well....I just had to ask.
No wifey to pester or otherwise hold me back so let me know what you can recommend for fish in your area.
I can bring Iron City beer too if you have a tough enough .errrrr....I meant taste for it.
Or does anyone care? Don't care?
Let me know.
BUt I started to get a very audible clank when applying the brakes (thats the breaks of mechanicals)so I thought well, better get it in before it turns to something major.
COme to find out, the pad is "walking" in the caliper and hitting the caliper edge thus making the clank. Tech rebent the clips on the pad which were slighly out of place to begin with. That sorta fixed it, but two days later its back. I might want to add that upon comparing the original pads to the "new improved" pads, the original pads are about 30% smaller in surface area compared to the replacement pads I got the last time it was in......hmmmmm wonder if its a tacit admission by DC that their first attempt at brake design basically sucks????
Finally, the tech was very thorough and we made numerous drives to duplicate the problem. He actually hung out the door while I drove so he heard the same sound I did. He heard a clicking, clank in back and lo and behold, the sway bar link bushings are all dried out and gone (this is the plastic "dogbone" links which attach the swaybar to the frame.
New ones are on order. I will update them that the clank/clunk in front is back
I also checked the tech and he found no evidence of looseness or other wear in the front end.
Stay tuned, it will get interesting I am sure.
I wonder what the specific areas of concern are on DC vehicles?
November 21, 2001: Chrysler below average in durability studyWhile Chrysler (particularly the Plymouth brand) have done well in recent quality surveys, the group fared poorly in the 2001 long-term vehicle dependabilty study by J.D. Power. This study examines vehicles after four to five years and finds the number of problems. Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Plymouth all had below-average ratings, with an average of more than 3.8 problems per vehicle (Volvo, Land Rover, Mazda, and Volkswagen were also below average). The top company, by a substantial margin, was Lexus. Cadillac, Honda, and Toyota all beat Mercedes and BMW.
The news was not all bad, as the Chrysler Cirrus topped out the entry midsize category (oddly, the Stratus and Breeze were not in the top three), the Jeep Cherokee made the top three entry-level SUVs, and the Dodge Ram Van/Wagon made the top three full size vans.
I already learned my lesson and next brake job my rig gets will be with Raybestos or Bendix USA made parts, not this third world junk from MExico that DC likes to use.
Ron35
I also have had a problem with a rattling sound in the back, sounds like tin hitting tin, the tech checked everything couldn't locate the noise, I thought it might be the heat shield for the exhaust, any thoughts on this? Everything else has been great on the Quad, just everyone knows when I coming down the road.
2000 Dakota Quad Cab
4.7ltr.
Auto tranny
3.55 open rear
Part time #NV231 transfer case
The transmission and transfer case take ATF+3 Type 7176 transmission fluid (a special blend for Chrysler vehicles). Refill for the transfer case is about 2.5 pints (2 quarts should cover that). The refill for fluid change in the tranny with filter (no converter removal) is about 6 quarts.
The differentials take 75W-90, GL-5 differential oil. Refill is about 3 pints and you must add 5 oz of friction modifier if you have limited slip.
I believe opinions and experience on this forum would indicate that synthetic fluids used in the above is just about a MUST if you tow; a good idea otherwise.
I too am experiencing the "second time around" rotor problems. Will probably throw in the towel and purchase aftermarket and be done with it! Happy motoring!!
PS: Speaking of refill capacities, this was about a 3 beer job.
got 34989 on the quad in 19 months,still purrs,still shines,and of course is still being paid for!
I will want to find that spark plug post soon..yah know the expensive ones bpeebles uses.It is really satisfying to see so many quads here in texas.
slr9589
Ron35
The fact the noise went away indicates to me the clutch is working as designed.
only when the ignition switch is on, and is easily accessed .
I was really hoping to avoid the dreaded ball joint problems I read about before purchasing, but it appears the curse may have found me. No big deal as long as it's fixed correctly under warranty and stays fixed. I must admit this does not inspire confidence, though.
Other than that and 12.5 mpg,(which is no surprise, so no biggie) truck is trouble free and still pleased with it. 12.5mpg is around town, long highway trips are more like 17.5 or 18mpg. (4.7 auto). Could probably reach 20+mpg if I could stand driving under 60 or 65 on the interstate..:)
Although I have not encounterd it, some folks have reported that the front (anti)swaybar bushings can become squeeky. It is apparently pretty easy to pull each one off, one at at a time, and apply the approprate rubber-grease then re-install. (two bolts on each one.)
Yes, my truck is easy to spot. Definatly one of a kind. So much so that it got keyed the other day. $1200 damage, now gotta get into the shop for repairs. Someone out there really not like firefighters that much? Boy am I pissed. Wish me luck on it coming out okay.
bpeebles, glad to see you too survived the big cuts at work.
Stabilizer Bar torque specs;
Frame Retainer Bolt= 80 ft-lbs
Frame Retainer Nut= 140 ft-lbs
Control Arm Retainer Bolts= 25 ft-lbs
Sorry to hear of the scratch in your truck.... Did I ever tell you that Goss Dodge actually closed their HUGE overhead door on the roof of my Dakota? They replaced the windshield and re-painted the entire roof. I even got some free oil changes.
I too, am glad to see you "made the cut" too. Over 500 people were not so lucky as we were.
Perhaps your favorite auto-parts store would have a small tube of rubber-safe grease. A little goes a LOONNG way.
Here's a good link to some even better advice for those who run an automatic dak.
I personally can vouch that a proper fluid change with the CORRECT fluid (in a certain instance)made the difference between a tranny that worked and one that was ready for the scrap heap.
http://www.allpar.com/fix/trans.html
Bpeebles, I remember your door accident, did they do a good paint job?
Let ya know how mine turns out. Know the guy at Primere Tire in Milton, so goona have them do it.
However, My experience with paint jobs is not in the initial appearance but instead in the longevity of the finish. By this, I mean that I have often seen paintjobs that look really nice but in a few years there are rust bubbles growing from UNDERNEATH the paint finish. By the time one sees this kind of failure... the metal allready has rusted badly UNDER the paint.
...All because of somone taking a "shortcut" before the application of the paint by not preparing the surface properly.
Unfortunatly, this has been my experience more often than not in paint repairs on several vehicles over the years.
Ron35
http://www.millervision.com/Mille-7b.jpg is a pic of valve installed on my truck. There is
plenty of room between valve and skidplate(s).
http://www.fumotovalve.com is the site that sells the valve.
at 35,000 my truck is slipping around corners on wet pavement....not snow or ice,just that east texas moisture.tread is low and i think it's time for a change.
what do you think of trying a michelin passenger tire say 70 width..i do not tow and use the quad mostly as a commuter vehicle...i like the mpg's with the stock tires but i'd like a little more longevity.
i am 2wd and there will be NO snow in my future for once in my life.
what do you think?
Call their 800# and order the F106N for about $20.00. You do not need the adapter by the way.
Bill in NY
In fact... it is well known that tires tend to get BETTER traction as the tread wears down. More rubber on the road means more traction. (Why do you think racecars have NO tread?)
We then move our discusison towards WHY you seem to be slipping around on wet pavement. Do you have LSD? ... this PROMOTES slipping around corners. Also... it is a known fact that after weeks of NO rain... the first few rainstorms brings the drippings and other nasties to the surface making the ashphult VERY slick. Or... perhaps you are just not accustomed to a RWD pickup truck with a V8 in it. Pickups have virtuallly no weight over the rear tires and test to "spin out" in corners easilly... This is just the nature of the beast.
As for you question about tires... Go to Tire Rack and do some research.
Generally... the longer-wearing tires have LESS traction while the sticky rubber compounds will wear faster. With that said.... Michelin is known for its LOONNG wearing rubber compounds.
The tread design is SECONDARY to the rubber compound used when it comes to non-snow traction.
(The NOISE of the tread compound is more important.)
The term "break in" has changed meanings over the years (Just like "Tune UP" actually MEANT your engine ran better after the process and now it is just a way for mechanics to steal a fools $$)
With that said;
(warning:I will be somwhat technical here)
A brand-new engine inherantly has many precesin-machined parts that have just been assembled for the first time. There is BOUND to be some excessive friction until the microscopic high-spots wear down a bit. The cylinder-walls and piston-rings need to "seat" to each other to create a good seal for a long, reliable life of the engine.
If you were to have actually READ your owners manual, you would have seen;
1) DC suggests NOT travilig at highway speeds for a specific amount of miles.
2) DC suggests "occasional bursts of FULL THROTTLE accelleration"
Item1 above SPECIFICALY trys to allow the exxesive heat generated by the "wearing of the hight spots" to be dissapated sufficently.
Item2 above SPECIFICLY seats the piston rings in the cylinders. It is the DECALLERATION after the accellation that actually seats the rings.
Using a super-slippery oil may HELP with item1 but will be detrimantal to the seating of the rings. As I said above... seating the rings makes for a long-running engine that does not burn oil(smoke)later in life. A good piston-cylinder seal also makes for a more efficent engine.
Thus... I vote for NOT using a synth oil for the break-in process for these reasons
1) I want to change the oil more often during break-in to remove the metal-particals from the assembly process and using a synth oil would be MUCH more expensive to change frequently
2)I want to take NO chances that my rings do not get seated properly because I expect to keep my truck well over 150K miles.
So ... Why even CONSIDER using synthetic oil during breakin since there is even the POSSIBILITY that it may be dedrimental.
YOur argument that the VIPER, CORVETTE, and some other vehicles come from the factory with synthtic has been put forth in the past.... Assume that the engines in these vehicles are SPECIALLY PREPARED and receive more-expensive machiening processes during manufacturing. wear-in of the parts and seating of the rings can be done at the factory but takes TIME and $$. The production schedules and cost of these vehicles reflect the extra care taken at the factory.