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Dodge Dakota: Problems & Solutions

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Comments

  • hennehenne Member Posts: 407
    this is an informed bunch of peebles in here :o)

    robert
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    It is good to get some positive feedback for my efforts. I had to actually engage a search engine to procure those URLs I must confess that I found one of the URLs in TRUCKIN magizine. (My wife got me a subscription...God bless her)

    Everyone should learn how to be effective in searching the Internet. Bookmarks are best at storing the SEARCH ENGINE URLs.
  • lmeyer1lmeyer1 Member Posts: 215
    How many folks told the dealer not to wax their trucks as part of dealer prep?
  • themacguythemacguy Member Posts: 417
    meyer - I did. They even left ALL the plastic sheeting (mylar) on & in the truck. They said they weren't supposed to, but did anyway. :-) They even went so far as to leave the truck in the middle of the parking lot where it had left the ramps! :-))
    [www.bennyboyd.com]

    boolitty - Always with the humo(u)r - I thought bpeebles was aka 'Precious Pebbles' anyway... and as we all know, that was an a_j 'event.' :-P
  • bookittybookitty Member Posts: 1,303
    Jack, you will notice that AJ is maintaining a vey low profile as regards the "Precious Pebbles" affair. Now that you seem to tie it in with bpeebles, it is beginning to make sense. That Andy is certainly a sly one.

    Bookitty
  • kmennekmenne Member Posts: 15
    I didn't even have the dealer "prep" my quad!! I took if off the lot (used 300 miles). They wanted to "fix" some scratches and a minor ding. I told them thanks but NO Thanks.. I took the scratches out myself with Meguiars cleaner and a little elbow grease, and left the "dimple".
  • andy_jordanandy_jordan Member Posts: 764
    You can't prove a thing - I am innocent until caught.
  • bookittybookitty Member Posts: 1,303
    Andy, you were caught and found guilty by Judge Themacguy. Now all that remains is the sentencing.

    Bookitty
  • bigal31bigal31 Member Posts: 189
    Give him "LIFE".....In front of his computer answering all those silly questions we put to him.

    And I'm just the Bailiff.

    Allen-
  • andy_jordanandy_jordan Member Posts: 764
    You don't want to know how many logins Edmunds tells me I have had by now, and I have yet to be asked a silly question. If you don't know the answer it's not silly.
  • waynesanwaynesan Member Posts: 24
    What is the reason for not having the dealer wax the truck before taking delivery? Is it because the new paint has not fully cured? If so, how long should one wait before applying the frst coat of wax? Thank you for any forthcoming comments.
  • slickwilliedjslickwilliedj Member Posts: 252
    SOME POSTS BACK SOMEONE POSTED URL THAT COMPARED OIL FILTERS OF DIFFERENT BRANDS.IF YOU KNOW THE POST # OR URL PLEASE POST SITE WAS MOST INTERESTING.....
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    (slickwilliedj) Here is the URL to the oil filter study. There is a LOT of info here. This guy actually opens up each filter type and takes measurements of critical properties.

    http://members.nbci.com/minimopar/oilfilterstudy.html
  • bigal31bigal31 Member Posts: 189
    You are right..Wasn't it Confusious (spelling?) that said there are no such things as silly questions; just silly people who ask them? LOL
    Allen-
  • lmeyer1lmeyer1 Member Posts: 215
    That's the theory (that the paint is not cured). My dealer said it was safe to wax, but others here disagree. For some reason, 30-60 days sticks in my head as the point at which these folks thought it was OK to wax.

    In any case, by the time I decided not to have my dealer wax it, it was too late. However, I spent about a half an hour going over the paint in bright sunlight and I couldn't find anything to complain about except one shipping ding that was obviously unrelated to the wax job. Still, I wonder if there are some swirls or other things I missed.
  • hennehenne Member Posts: 407
    well after 2 months in and out to have my rear end fixed and finally getting dc involved i am happy to report my whine is now gone. the forst dealer obviously had a tech that didnt know how to do the math for the offsets and dc had me take it across town to a dealer with a tech that is famous fixing rear end noise. they had it for 3 days and now its great.

    if your gonna tow anything heavy and for extended periods of time, put synthetic in your rearend and dont let your dealer tell you since you got the tow package it comes with synthetic already. because hed be lying!

    good luck all,

    robert
  • hennehenne Member Posts: 407
    by the way, the dc rep treated me better than some of my own friends, hmmmm need to look into that :o)

    he really listened to my complaints, pulled up every tsb and everything he could think of to fix since he was involved to make sure i was happy.

    bad experience with the problem, but i must say the dc rep was a god send.

    robert
  • raptor01raptor01 Member Posts: 45
    A few months ago I posted a whine in my rear end between 50-45 mph. One dealership stated that was normal. A second dealership stated it wasn't normal and replaced my entire rear end assembly to include axle housing. No ring and pinion set-up just R&R. Results: whine is gone however the new assembly is unpainted and I'm concern with corrosion as the truck ages.
    Also, I believe Steve234 was going to post a Dakota Demographics list. Did I miss it or was it scratched?
  • fat_fendersfat_fenders Member Posts: 96
    tgregory29,

    What problem(s) have you had? I've got 2000+ miles on my '01 QC and would like to keep ahead of anything that may develop.

    Thanks!

    fat_fenders
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    Here is an append from another forum that I thought people would want to know about.


    #181 of 181: Recall 4.7 w/Auto Tranny (bpmanning) Sun 17 Sep '00 (05:03 AM)

    I just wanted to let veryone know. I had my first
    oil change on Friday at my local Dodge Dealership.
    Their has been a recall issued for the 4.7 w Auto
    Tranny. Recall #890. They will shorten your auto
    tranny overflow tube. I just thought I would let
    everyone know about it.
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    It is good to hear that you were treated well and they found a COMPETENT tech to rebuild your rear differential.

    I have been wondering... If you have towed enough weight to destroy the rear-end then you may be able to report some REAL WORLD comments about how the 4.7L performs under these conditions. Can you dispel the rumors that it is whimpy when asked to do REAL work? (I suspect the die-hard 318CI/360CI owners started this nasty rumor)

    What is your experience with the 4.7L hemi?
  • hennehenne Member Posts: 407
    i use to have the 318, auto in a dakota a while back and it was great. now i have the 4.7 rigged up the same as the old 5.2 for towing and the 4.7 with the multispeed auto is better at almost every command i give. the 5.2 is better at lower grunting rpms but it runs out when i personally need it most. example-i tow alot and when i go uphill with overdrive disengaged the 5.2 always downshifted uphill, now on the same hills and with similar loads my 4.7 just goes right on up and no shifting. as most should know its the torque that gets you moving but its the horsepower that keeps you going and the horse and torque curve on the 4.7 is right in the groove for highway travel. my best friend has a 1999 silverado 5.3 or 5.4 dont pay attention to his that much, z71 and towpackage and my 4.7 pulls the same load without downshifting or hesitating. i am so excited about the ability of this 4.7 that i cant wait to see the now 5.7 that replaces the 360, if its anything like what ive experinced with my 4.7 it should be a winner.

    when i killed my rear end it wasnt the trucks fault it was because the trucks ship with standard rearend fluid and if you do any real towing you need to switch to synthetic and my service manager said if you have the towing package it gets synthetic in the rear in the factory, and he was wrong and it killed my rearend. these are the conditions that killed my rear my truck has a gcwr of 10,500 and i was at 10,260 incuding me, boat, full tank of fuel and payload. i pulled from biloxi mississippi to woodbridge virginia over 1200 miles at 60-70 mph and over mountains and not a single downshift the whole time, and the truck made it all the way and didnt let me down even though the rearend was shot it still got me all the way to my new home. the 4.7 averaged 9mpg and i was almost at its rated limits, i think it did an excellent job and i know it is willing to do it again if asked. i have 17,000 miles on it now and about 6,000 of it is with a trailer.

    sorry it was so long, just have alot to get across to anyone with questions or any interest at all in this powertrain.

    get it, it wont be a mistake

    robert
  • qc2001qc2001 Member Posts: 30
    bpeebles: this is great to get the tsb #. i will explain later. my main problem is that my 01 QC 4x4, 4.7, auto, hd serv., w/ towing, etc, overheated with only 1520 miles on it. it went on a flat bed back to the dealer yesterday. the guage normally runs at 1/3 of the guage, but when it overheated, it went well above 1/2 but not into the red. if some of you others could please post where your truck runs on the guage it is greatly appreciated. so since it is already at the dealer i will ask to have the tsb work done. and probably another free oil change for the junk 96 intrepid they sent for a loaner. it was below empty on the gas guage, and the back brakes don't even work, even after braking, you can still see a crust of rust on the rotors. thank you all.

    Evan
  • edwardqcedwardqc Member Posts: 16
    Anybody know if this is on 2001 QC? Also, does anyone know if there are driving symptoms to this problem?

    My problem is with the AT. When I first get into it and shift to D, the tranny roars noticeably for about the first 100 yds or so, then settles in and everythings fine. Anyone out there in QC land got similar symtoms or have any ideas? 3K miles on my 2001.
  • steve234steve234 Member Posts: 460
    I sent the Owners Club Members list to bookitty and themacguy a few weeks ago. I don't have the ability to post anything on the net and wanted to get their opinion. I was going to send a copy to a_j but he was in his unfortunate episode with his enforced vacation. The list is ongoing as there are 6 new members that need to be added.
  • bigal31bigal31 Member Posts: 189
    I don't know for sure about the 2001 but my recall states,

    "some 2000 model year Dodge Dakota trucks equiopped with a 45RFE automatic transmission"

    Hopefully they caught it in time for the 2001 model year..

    Allen-
  • iowabigguyiowabigguy Member Posts: 552
    "When I first get into it and shift to D, the tranny roars noticeably for about the first 100 yds or so, then settles in and everythings fine"
    I think you may be hearing the fan on the engine rather than the transmission. It is two speeds and is controlled by a silicone fluid. When you stop a warm engine the fluid tends to settle to the bottom of the clutch assembly. It takes a minute or so to redistribute when the silicone fluid is cold. I assume you only hear this when you start first thing in the morning. Rick
  • mailman54mailman54 Member Posts: 111
    Edward: I believe what you are experiencing is cold transmission fluid. In both my 91 5.2 Dakota and my 00 4.7 Dakota, the engine roars and refuses to upshift until the fluid warms up. It usually takes a few seconds for it to get into gear then it performs normally.

    Mailman
  • rlongerlonge Member Posts: 1
    Just a note of information. Early model 1998 4x4 Sport club cab 3.9v. Had the lower ball joints redesigned during model year run. I went to have both lower ball joints & (1) upper controler arm replaced {cost $500.00). Guess what new style ball joints do not fit. Therefore I need to replace spindles and torsion bars ($1200 -$1500).
    Chrylser Corp. response is "that they way it is".
    Not bad $1500.00 for ball joint replacement.
  • themacguythemacguy Member Posts: 417
    Sorry, I haven't got around to working with the list yet, but it's in Word97 and I don't have any translators for it on my home Mac. I have an aversion for anything Microsoft on my home computer - nothing personal, but MS stuff seems to be somewhat 'anti' Mac and crashes a 'bit.' Anyway, will look at it at work, where people get paid to fix computers ;O), & I'll get back to ya.

    BTW - And of some importance to all: next year I'd like to see a 'Meet' somewhere in the Arkansas, Missouri, Eastern Okla. area. I have some basic knowledge of several Porsche events there over the years, but Steve has probably forgotten more than I know. It's one of the reasons, of course, that we keep him around and let him play with our toys. Anyway, that Lake of the Ozarks (Steve, you know what I mean, and should CORRECT me here) place in Oklahoma (barely) across the state line from Branson, Missouri might be nice. It's somewhat central to the Southeast, Midwest, TX and 'some' northeast guys. I'll be south of there in mid June of next year anyway for a Suzuki Madura gathering, and will be glad to help with a Dakota 'Meet' if the timing works out. I'm sure it would.

    I'd also go for a 'Meet' maybe end of summer 2001 out in the Arizona mountains or up in Utah in the 'Dinosaur' valley (I do some work there on occasion, and it's quite beautiful). We had a Yamaha XS1100 meet in the area last year, and it's nice. And it's also somwhat central to the Western states members plus any south central types.

    Third, a reach for me but I'd go anyway, would be a Northern 'Meet' maybe middle of summer. Michigan? or wherever. Aren't hese things made in Warren, Mich.? You Yanks'd have to figure that one out, and the Canucks'd have to agree to a spot. But 'I'd be in like Flynn' there as well. I'm just a poor dumb Texican, but I lurn purdy wail... and I kin moov quik two!

    And since you're wondering, 'Why all the summer meets?' I'd MUCH rather meet in the winter down here in TX (hey, TX group, anybody want to meet at my family ranch s/e of San Angelo in the late fall?)... but, school schedules with the kids make these 'meets' somewhat critical for us (all) in the summer months. These locations would have to be convenient one to two day trips each way (more for me is fine) for the respective members and still accomodate our very large regional Dakota groupings. I, for one can make three separate trips next summer, so I'm willing to travel the 8k miles it'd take to make all three. That's about a months worth of regular driving for me anyway, so I'd love to meet every single one of you (us) if I can. And I will, if you'll just 'be therrrrrre...'

    The time involved in doing these things - even with several people doing the work - is pretty darn considerable. I've been involved with about two dozen for Corvette, Porsche and various and sundry racing and motorcycle groups over the past 25 years, as I'm quite sure a lot of the rest of us have (done). I really, really like these meets. They are THE MOST IMPRESSIVE EVENTS for anyone who loves cars, people and the open road that you're likely to ever have the privilege of attending.

    And EVERY DAKOTA should be welcome: We are the DAKOTA Group, not the Quad guys. We're going to have a separate, but included (trust me, it'll make sense when you see it) area here for the R/Cer's and C/Cer's pretty soon (note: a_j e:mail me), so we all need to be at these meets if possible, if the schedules and the distances can be worked out for everyone who wants to attend.

    Gas prices be damned, I'm ready to start nailing these things down. Anyone wanting to discuss off-line, just e:mail me. Other opinions or any suggestions, just post 'em on here and let's start getting them under way - first volley's been fired. Battle speed!
  • steel45steel45 Member Posts: 21
    I'm scheduled to pick up my 01 QC this week. This will be my first black vehicle. Any suggestions on how to care for the paint while washing & waxing to avoid the infamous "swirls"?
  • edwardqcedwardqc Member Posts: 16
    Thanks all for your response.

    Iowabigguy - That's was a good analysis, but I guess I should have been a little more detailed. It only occurs when I'm in gear(1st) and moving. I've heard the fan before and I'm aware of it. But I can't hear the fan noise when I'm in the cab and windows up. So I don't believe it to be the fan.

    Mailman54 - Cold transmission fluid is a possibility I suppose. But since I'm in GA, it's not to cold out yet. And I never had this issue on my 5.2L Dodge(97). This is a possibility, but I think I'll watch it closely and take it to the dealer soon for a checkup, just in case.
  • bookittybookitty Member Posts: 1,303
    Edward, the transmission on your previous Dodge was completely different. Also, in hydraulics, cold equates to not being at optimal operating temperature. In that case, I would not completely discount mailman54's offering. Hope that you track this down and that it is totally benign.

    Bookitty
  • steve234steve234 Member Posts: 460
    I don't know if this will work, I haven't figured this hidden response yet. Lake of the Ozarks is nice but no where near OK. You are thinking Grand Lake(O' the Cherokees) probably, but there are several other excellent lakes in eastern OK.
    We can try and get this thing rolling for 2001. Summertime on the lakes is a timing thing if you want accomodations.
    Another possibility at some time is to consider the Grand Junction, CO area. I have a TS condo on Grand Mesa that I have never used in the summer and it is about time I went. They have some fabulous attractions like the dinosaur park and museum, rafting trips, and the Colorado National Monument road.
    Give the word and I will gather info about lodging and parks around Grand Lake and post some of the info here. The best time to be on Grand in the summer is the first week of August. The water is warm, the wind is usually behaving and the temperatures drop into tolerable.
  • slickwilliedjslickwilliedj Member Posts: 252
    SEE PREVIOUS POST IN THIS TOPIC 35-49 AND 122
  • themacguythemacguy Member Posts: 417
    It's the Lake of the Cherokees. OK so now we'll just move this whole Topic of conversation over, up, back or whatever to the General area since this is the maintenance topic... follow me back...
  • themacguythemacguy Member Posts: 417
    OK - so let's see if the Lake Grand Lake o' the Cherokees will fit geographically with a large % of the Southern, Southeastern and Eastern guys.

    The Grand Junction area is great, but it may be a 'reach' for the Left Coasters. Probably great for the members in the Norther Plains and Northwestern areas. It should be good for them. I don't have a problem with it as I'm buying a place up in the Alamosa or Cripple Creek area and that breaks up my trip (from TX) nicely... Plus, the fossil areas out there are the most spectacular on earth - the sceneries not bad either... some great scooter roads too.

    Now how about the Michigan area group? Chicago? Warren? Where do you guys want to meet that's central to you? Steve234 can help you 'centralize' the m/ship...

    And we better hurry, as andy_jordan may be bailing on us Quad types (soon). He can't downsize his dogs (what about a camper shell?), and his wife doesn't want to sit in the trunk. What about a custom dog trailer? They sell em by the boat load here in TX with heat and air?! It's a pretty showy state, I'll admit.
  • iowabigguyiowabigguy Member Posts: 552
    I checked the "BOB" (shop manual) for what temperature effects the trans shifting. The book indicated that when the transmission temperature detector sensed a transmission fluid temperature of approximately 50F or less it prevents the transmission from shifting into overdrive and keeps the lockup portion of the torque converter from locking until the fluid gets over 50F.
    I have the 4.7L and 5speed and on a cool morning or even sometimes on a warm morning I get the fan roar for maybe 1/4 mile before it quiets down. Rick
  • wampuswampus Member Posts: 11
    Go to Zaniobros.com for some awesome wax for dark colored vechiles. I have a friend with a red vechile and it looks like a wet pool you could jump into. He used the pre-cleaner and the polish for clear coated paint.
  • themacguythemacguy Member Posts: 417
    Yes he does, cause he's right. And my noise just kept getting louder and more frequent till the electric fan quit (fused) and the noise just stayed there till I got it fixed. Bummer.
  • tuvtesttuvtest Member Posts: 237
    Just my $.02 but how about having a meet in conjunction whith the Mopar Nationals in Columbus OH? The have the whole "set-up" down and obviously we would be qualified to be there. Also it is held at a drag strip for those interested in that. They some times have a Viper Shoot out, so we could do one for Daks. Plus Vendors up the ying-yang (ouch). Just an idea.
  • steve234steve234 Member Posts: 460
    The problem with the large events like that is that dedicated groups become lost. There are more events, but no time to relax and talk. It also becomes more expensive to find lodging and more daily travel involved. I personally would prefer a small event that would draw a few dozen friends than a major event that we would get absorbed in.
    If we do this, we need to look at several locations. I will check out Grand Lake area and get back on what would be available. We will need to decide on a location and get a tenetive poll on participants by December.
    This can go one of two ways. If we just have a dozen or so meeting, we can just reserve a camp area for the weekend. If we get a large number attending, we will have to make more formal arrangements, but can get vendors to show up.
    If we go larger scale than just a visit, I would suggest that those who are interested in attending, make fliers and give them to their favorite dealers and ask for any support they may want to contribute. With a known number of participants, we can then ask DC and Edmunds to be sponsers. Be aware that the larger the event, the more money upfront for reservations and insurance.
  • cowtownkidcowtownkid Member Posts: 43
    Greetings fellow Quad Owners, I haven't posted in a while but some of you may remember some of my prior posts. As many other Quad Owners, I was getting fustrated with my Gas Mileage. To update I have a 2000, 4.7, Auto, 3.9 lsd. I took a long trip up to Nebraska from Texas, without AC and driving very light on the pedal I couldn't get any better than than 16.8 mpg. I wasn't happy. When driving in town I have always averaged about 12.5 mpg and again this was very light on the pedal. Getting tired of hearing about the mileage the full size Fords & Chevy guys were getting (especially from my Dad) I called my Dealer. He told me to bring it in and they would check it out. After doing so I talked to the head service manager, he told me that they had been having a lot of Dodge trucks coming in for this reason. He said there was a new set of codes for the computer and I should see an increase in mpg after re-coding. So far the results are not conclusive and I haven't even been on a highway trip yet but my mileage has improved from 12.5 mpg in the City to 15.5 mpg and this is with less than 60 miles on my official test tank. (My first tank data was void due to family member driving truck for 200 miles without resetting trip on the console after re-coding), Regardless, after I received truck back I noticed a very crisp,with light pedal, response during acceleration and much less gas needle movement. My official test tank has been 80% heavy stop & go traffic. I really haven't even got on a city freeway for over 2 miles. Where the incease is most notable is on the gas guage. I can actually drive for 3 days (work & back) and notice no movement in the guage. Can't wait to get it on the highway. The truck seems to run so much smoother, can hit 40 mph with what seems much, much less effort. I alway felt my truck, for what it is, was way to sluggish. When better data is known, especially highway mileage, I will post but for now I am hitting 15.5 mpg & climbing, whereas under ther same driving conditions I had to struggle to reach 12.0 to 13.0 mpg.

    cowtownkid
  • hennehenne Member Posts: 407
    glad to see your back with us, especially with good info. could you find out from your dealer the part number or whatever they identify this recoding with. that could be of great help for many other 4.7 owners, and maybe some of us that are getting decent mileage already might can benefit also.

    thanks in advance for more info,

    robert
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    Do you know... was this "update" performed to the engine computer or the xmission computer? I am wondering if it would help those of us with the 5Speed manual as well.

    (Technically, this is called FLASH programming... commonly used in your home computer to store the BIOS code.)
  • cowtownkidcowtownkid Member Posts: 43
    Henne, As my dealer is 150 miles from home, I talked to the service manager over the phone, my father took the truck in for service. During my phone conversation, I thought yea, right, re-coding will really help. I questioned Dad on what went on, supposedly they have a new program for the (2000) Quad's,don't know about the 01's. They kept the truck about an hour. Once I get good data especially with some highway miles I am going to call the service manager and discuss my results with him. I have posted past City mileage at 14.5 mpg, but I was only fooling myself, that was after filling up 150 miles out of town, building up the average before reaching the City and after several days in town, bingo 14.5 mpg. Now,after re-coding 15.5mpg, all in town with a lot of stops. With another trip to work and back tomorrow I think it will come up some more. Going to run the rest of the tank through and hope to drive a least 100 miles on the open road to see what happens. But so far I am very pleased, I was begining to have second doubts about my purchase.

    cowtownkid
  • cowtownkidcowtownkid Member Posts: 43
    Don't know for sure, I assumed it was the main computer controlling the engine functions, but as stated, the truck seems to run much better with less effort. Will get a definite answer as to what as done after a little more driving.

    cowtownkid
  • iowabigguyiowabigguy Member Posts: 552
    Federal law requires a sticker be placed on the computer showing any modifications to the computer code. My daughters Neon R/T had this done and there is a sticker telling exactly what update was done. Maybe this info would help those inquiring quad owners. Rick
  • cowtownkidcowtownkid Member Posts: 43
    You the man iowabigguy, there is a small sticker on the computer
    PIN# 56040429AF
    DLR code # 58723
    Date 9/11/00
    Authorized Software update

    cowtownkid
  • themacguythemacguy Member Posts: 417
    Interesting, as my 4.7/auto/3.55/NON-lsd gets about 16 in town now (25k miles) and just over 20 on the highway when I'm not 'booking' it. Mine was built in Nov. of last year (man, it's nearly Nov. of this year already?!?). Never had it in for service (at Dodge) yet. Curious. Course we 'big oil' types keep all the good stuff for our selfish little ol selves and sell the dregs to you all out there'n. Ya'll come back now... hear!
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