Options
Dodge Dakota: Problems & Solutions
This discussion has been closed.
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Ron
Many folks changed to using synthetic oil which greatly reduced the 'snot' buildup.
How do I know all of this.... I have an early 2000 4.7L and was perhaps the first one to report this 'snot' problem in late 1999. Within 6 months, Damlier-Chrysler had redesigned the cap twice and added the baffle. (My dak was one of the first to get these 'upgrades')
The baffle does not reduce the buildup of 'snot' very much but it does HIDE it. That is why the baffle should be pulled out and wiped clean regularly (especially in cold weather)
I could explain how this emulsion originates and why it builds up in the oil-fill tube... you can read all the gory details in the archives (look in the winter of 1999-2000)
At last oil change I noticed a very slight frothy trace on the oil cap of my 2003 4.7, despite my short trip driving. I am using Mobil 1 0W-30, but I don't know if that's contributing to my experience.
At your mileage you might want to make sure that the PCV valve is clean and operating correctly. That can really cause a sludge problem.
Best regards,
Dusty
There were at least 4 different TSBs for the oil-fill tube frothing up. None of these REPLACES the oil-fill tube.
At first, DC tried to squelch the problem with this TSB;
http://www.geocities.com/natedak2k/Oil_cond_TSB.jpg
*)DCs next attempt to address this problem was to replace the original oil cap (which was 'open' on the inside with one that was 'closed'. This new cap is enclosed when viewed from the underside.
*) Then, DC came out with the baffle that simply slides into the oil-fill tube. This baffle directs the fumes from the crankcase into the PCV valve (which is plugged into the side of the oil-fill tube) This baffle also tends to HIDE the bulk of the 'snot' that builds up. That is why I pull my baffle out and wipe it down at least twice a month during the winter. I usually saturate 2 paper towels with the stinky goo that builds up on the baffle and inside the oil-fill tube.
*) The next problem I had was the rubber o-ring on the second oil-fill cap started to 'decompose' and no longer sealed.... Another redesigned cap was installed, this one does not have a o-ring... it has a rubber 'flapper' that creates the seal.
My 4.7 hasn't been bad compared to other vehicles I've owned, although my wife had a 2.5 Plymouth Acclaim that never exhibited this problem. Her '99 Toyota Avalon is about the worst I've seen in quite a while. My Chevies always exhibited this problem to various degrees. Even my '93 Sentra would produce a little during the winter months.
After the warmer weather comes in it should disappear completely unless the motor oil has collected too much moisture.
Dusty
From a design perspective, the tube should have been metal or for simpler usage, perhaps put the oil fill back on the valve cover like all mopar v-8's used to be. No foam or mess that way.
FWIW......once had a 95 Tarurs that a plastic exteneder tube above the plastic valve covers. Beginning in the fall up to spring, it was always full of goo.
Changing every 5,000 miles would be fine. Changing any sooner would be wasting your money, time, and the environment.
As posted in these and other forums, the 4.7L engine has proven to be VERRYY reliable, dependable and long-lasting.
Ron
Thanbks,
Ron
Since my vehicle does not have the luxury of garage protection I use Mobil 1 0W-30 in the winter.
The oil cap on my 4.7 is harder than most to turn, but I've yet had a problem requiring a tool. It most certainly is not an item on a 4.7 that's going to fall off right away!
Best regards,
Dusty
I have the 3rd-generation oil-cap that replaces the o-ring with a 'flap' to make the seal. I have not encounterd any problems with this design cap for over 2.5 years.
You ask for suggestions.... get the latest-revision oil-cap with the 'flap' for a seal.
5W30 is a 5-weight oil with viscosity modifiers
10W30 is a 10-weight oil with viscosity modifiers
It is more difficult to engineer a motor oil with a WIDER viscosity range. Thus, in general, 5W30 is technically superiour to 10W30.
It is a fact that most engine wear occours during warmup while the various metal parts are expanding at different rates and the lubrication is not up to temperture. This is when the "5W" is more important than the 10W.
It is ONLY the upper number that means anything once the engine is warmed up to operating temperture. A cheep oil will shear down under heavy use and end up as a single-grade oil. (close to its base viscosity as mentioned above)
The above is a simplification. You can get more details from the "engine oil bible" here;
http://www.chris-longhurst.com/carbibles/
For filters I have for the past few years stayed with either WIX or Purulator.
I avoid, like the plague, filters found at discount stores and "big box" stores.
Why?
Because you get what you pay for! Sure wally world can offer "lowest price" but when you spend 20K or more for your truck, why penny pinch on a filter? Fram unfortunately, is now sold at wallyworld. And yes, they are cheap, about half price of a wix. But I have read far too many horror stories about this filter plus took apart a few myself to see if it was ax grinding on the part of the webmaster or was it indeed true just how poorly they are made.
Its true.
WIX filters, also available as NAPA gold, by contrast are sold at NAPA auto parts stores. And they are not sold based on being "price point" or "loss leader". Thus, there is little if any pressure on WIX to cut costs because NAPA is pushing for the lowest possible cost. That's wally world's job and the reason much of their merchandise is approaching that of big lots quality. This includes their automotive parts.
'01 Quad. Fixed problem I noticed when I repositioned the steering wheel, my radio and turn
signals went off. Short in switch connection/wiring. Replaced switch, so far so good. Miles 35750, owned 35 months.
I still plan on keeping this truck 4 or 5 more years? I also have extended warr.
MM
Just my 2 cents worth.
The other one had just turned 100K, but it's notable because this is the first 4.7 I know of to get this far. This owner hasn't touched a thing except for plugs. I think this was a '00 or '01. He is a line inspector for the local utility company.
Regards,
Dusty
I also pulled the oil filler tube baffle to check for "snot" the other day. There was only a thin film of emulsion on the baffle. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be given the cold weather of the past month.
Since the belts look like they're still in excellent shape, I wonder?
Was there somebody else in here that reported a fan clutch noise problem? I can't remember.
Regards,
Dusty
The noise was temperature and RPM dependent. It would usually go away after 2-3 miles of driving. The head tech at my dealer claimed to never hear anything like this from a fan clutch before.
The steering is VERY stiff for several minutes too. If one does not concensensly wiggle the steering wheel back and forth for about 2 minutes before moving, there will be NO steering. (so stiff that a muscleman could not steer it)
Of course, we all know that DC changed over to using SYNTHETIC PS fluid in 2001. So many of you may not encounter this problem.
I am STRONGLY considering changing over to SYNTHETIC PS fluid this summer.
I couldn't believe how hard the steering was, and still is, on cold mornings or after it's been sitting for awhile. Also, sometimes (like when you forget to plug in the block heater or the power goes out for the night) the truck doesn't want to move without putting your foot halfway to the floor (at which point you still can't steer it easily... yikes). Feels like the brake is on, but it isn't.
The transmission takes what seems like forever (well, at least 20 minutes of highway driving, usually more) to reach that operating temperature where it will shift like it should, before it will shift up past 3rd gear (2800 rpm vs 1600 on the highway).
...and to be picky, the defrost location in the centre of the windshield wasn't the best idea either.
As the the defroster air flow, yeah, I think I agree with you. Since my drive to work is only 5.5 miles (normally) my Dakota isn't driven long enough to purge moisture out of the cab. This is especially acute with my short trips and getting snow and slush on the carpets from getting in. This past weekend I put the most on the Dakota in one straight line since about the day before Christmas. With the heat on high for about 15 miles I think I lowered the moisture back to normal level...for a while.
Best regards,
Dusty
The problem with doing repairs this time of year, with all the salt stuck to everything under there, I think I'd be asking for troubles down the road, opening things up. so... I'm keeping a list.
I dont like getting frostbyte while changing the sparkplugs or replacing the brake pads.
Here in Vermont, we get at least 2 weeks of summer.... plenty of time to change the sparkplugs and brakepads. (only if one can stand the muskeetos and gnats)
Unfortunately, I also usually get half way to where we're going camping when the brakes start grinding to remind me I was going to change the brake pads before the muskeetos and gnats got too bad... Not to mention before we set off on a road trip... but I tend to forget to do it then because I'm fishin'.
I work as a lineman, so I'm sort of immune to the frostbite... but that doesn't mean I want to spend my off hours laying in a snowbank...
That really made me laugh! Some people around here think summers are not much better.
Been to Vermont in the last few years. It really is a beautiful state. It's populated the way I like, too.
Bests,
Dusty
Thanks
On '02-'04s the five ampere fuse for the heater blower fan in number nine (9) in the electrical junction block. The block is located on the side of the instrument panel, driver's side. It is easily removed by using a finger. If you cannot locate this, the owners manual has a diagram showing the location.
If the fuse is not the problem, it is most likely the blower fan resistor block that has failed. This is located in different areas depending on the year.
Good luck,
Dusty
I need to know a couple of things. First, is this a automatic or manual transmission? Second, does the 4-wheel drive control switch on the instrument panel have a "AWD" position?
The little flashing green light is the mode selector indicator lamp, or correctly termed, an "LED" (light emitting diode).
A flashing LED indicates that there is some condition preventing the selection. There are a host of conditions, but the paragraph below from the Dakota service manual might be helpfull:
"A flashing operating mode LED for the desired gear indicates that a shift to that position has been requested, but all of the driver controllable conditions HAVE NOT been met. This is an attempt to notify the driver that the transmission needs to be put into neutral, the vehicle speeed is too great, or some other condition outllined elsewhere is not met."
I can give you a few more specifics, but I need you to answer the two previous questions.
Best regards,
Dusty
Thanks,
Ron
His Dakota has a manual transmission and it does not have an AWD position - 4 high and 4 low. He also noticed that it seems to happen more in damp or wet conditions. I hope you have an idea what the problem might be.
Thanks,
Vanessa
NV3500 5sp manual tranny (MTL)
NV231 Xfer case (D4ATF)
9.25 rear Diff. with LSD (75W90)
C205F front Diff. (75W90)
It appears that you are looking at the wrong Xfer case fluid. Keep in mind that the RedLine (NS)products DO NOT CONTAIN the LSD additive and should not be used unless LSD additive is SPECIFICALLY not needed.
You should be pleased with the shift-quality that the MTL gives you. It is especially engineered to improve the shifting by carefully controling the way the sychronizers behave between shifts.
The flashing LED is an indicator that the operator has not performed a prerequisite operation. There are several operator conditions that must met with your version before 4-wheel drive can be engaged:
*The clutch must be depressed for at least 500 milliseconds.
*The vehicle speed must be 3 MPH or less.
*Front and rear wheel speeds must be within 13 MPH.
Now, if the above conditions are being met, then there are one (or more) of several signals missing to the Power Control Module (computer). Since you say that it appears to be a more prominent problem in damp or colder weather, my first suspect would be a bad connection in a number of the switch and control circuits involving the transfer case.
A dealer or some auto parts retailers (AutoZone, etc.) offers a service to connect a diagnostic tool to your vehicles electrical system and retrieve any codes. This might be helpful is locating the problem.
Best regards,
Dusty
Well, at 39K that's not too bad. But I wonder if you are getting the around-town scuzz build-up. Since most of my weekly miles are back-and-forth to work and short trip stuff, I notice that on the weekends I get a little pulsing sensation. This goes away as soon as I get on the highway for a bit or really slam on the brakes.
In my case the rotors are getting built-up with rust, usually providing an outline of where the pads rested on the rotor surface overnight. This symptom hasn't appeared in the warm months, just during this winter.
Best regards,
Dusty
The folks I know with 2-wheel drives Dakotas are getting from 15-17 mixed driving through the month of January in Western New York state. We've had an exceptionally cold January, with one solid week of -20 and lower. Just to give you a point of reference, guys with the small V6 in the Ford Ranger (3.0 liter?) complain about the same thing.
The comments about break-in match my experience as well. Eight-thousand or more before break-in is not far fetched for a Mopar engine. The 4.7 engine seems to be even longer.
Of course, driver technique is largely responsible for differences in fuel consumption. When you get to warmer temperatures take a two-way measurement on some kind of distance driving where you can keep it at a steady 60-65, preferrably using cruise control. You should be at least 17 MPG, even with 4-wheel drive.
Best of luck,
Dusty
I've been using a great light weight residential plow made by Snow Bear to plow our 300' driveway for the last three years. Home Depot and BJ's carries them. It attaches and detaches in 60 seconds and installs on the truck in an hour. I'm not anticipating a lot of use for it in Jacksonville, other than plowing out the sand that blows up from the beach in our drive. If anyone within driving distance thinks they could use it more drop me a line.
I guess the the new Yokahama AT's I put on it last fall will have to struggle on the beach rather than the snow.
JB