Dodge Dakota: Problems & Solutions

kirby34 · July 2005

Thanks! It only cost me about $10 and took about 15 minutes.

shopboy · July 2005

I have a 05 Dakota Club Cab (two months old) that is having a vibration problem only when I apply the brakes, and usually only at 40mph or better. I took it back to the dealer because if felt like the rotors had some hot spots. They went thru the complete brake system swapping parts from another new truck front and rear (rotors were on backorder). They werent able to fix the problem but the ordered new rotors and had me come back in a week. A week later I went back and the rotors didnt fix the problem, they kept the truck and gave me a loaner. I talked to the mechanic, and he was sure that the problem was in the rear end, he could get the vibration to happen just by using the emergency brake. Finally they spoke to the Chrysler rep and he had them replace the rear axels. That seemed to lessen the problem, it was still there slightly but I thought I was being too sensitive so I took the truck back. Well its three weeks later and the problem is worse than ever and now Im told that there is a new service bulletin out on the problem and that they have to get a matched set of drums and axels. Im starting to think that they have no Idea.
Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

tmielke · July 2005

My blower just stoped working. Where is that resistor located? I would like to replace it before trying a new motor.

Thanks

ashby · July 2005

I cannot find the speed sensor to replace it on my 99 dakota any help?????

tcsmpsi · July 2005

What we found on our '05 quad (as per dealer/chrysler) is that the antilock on the brakes had intentionally been set to work at different levels than on previous models.
Don't know if that is your problem or not, but I had rather figured that myself though I did for matter of record want the dealer to research the perception.

I have never really taken a liking to antilock brakes, though they do seem to be a mainstay of current vehicles. One of those little things one learns to live with.

They have always been disconcerting to me when they apply.

imabaytiger · July 2005

Hey reddakota,
I also have a 1998 dodge dakota sport and within the past few weeks I have been having a/c problems. So far I have found out that I have enough freon in the system. So that is not a problem. I found this out by buying a charge kit from wal mart for about 20 bucks. It has a guage that measures the amount when connected. This must only be done when the compressor is running though or it will be way off. Also I have found that my compressor has not been running as it should. After checking the relays in the fuse box which were okay, I think my compressor clutch is going bad, but when it works the air is cold, and when it doesnt the air is hot. Hope this helps... Got any ideas
thanks Imabaytiger

scready · July 2005

my 87 dakota wont keep a charge have replaced the altenator and battery with no change what else could be wrong

ashby · July 2005

Thanks it is the speed sensor but I cannot find it now. Any ideas where it may be, I heard it was on the differental but it dosn't look right.

Thanks,
ashby

pentastar · July 2005

To bring everyone up to date,I got the correct part from Tenafly finally and was able to install it yesterday.No more stalling at slow speed,brake lights on the dash are out and the speedometer works from O MPH on up.
Just a heads up on the part while I am at it.I took the old sensor apart,it is just pressed in with the plastic case rolled over the insert to hold it in.It was like peeling a turnip,I used a small xacto knife to peel away the thin layer that held it together and it popped right up out of there,just another O ring holding it in the housing.
There are no active components inside,it is really pretty simple.It is an iron core with a powdered iron magnet surrounding it and a scazillion turns of magnet wire for a winding and the sensor is just a pickup that senses the changing field as the tone ring on the ring gear passes in close proximity to it as the truck is moving and sends that changing signal to the computer which interprets it as motion.
The new sensor measured 1818 ohms and the failed sensor was completely open at zero ohms so it is now possible to troubleshoot the sensor without removing it,saving yourself some money and embarrassment in the event you didn't need one after all.
As was spelled out before,a six point deepwell 13 and 15 mm socket and you may need a 15mm openend wrench in case the nut,bolt and eveything come out as one piece,a screwdriver to pry the old one out and some neversieze to paint the O ring and threads with and you can fix it right up. Ron G

horn1 · July 2005

I have 7400 miles on my 2004 Dakota and the brakes are already squealing a little bit!!!

Is this normal? What's going on? I knew the Dakota got bad ratings for brakes, but the pads going out this soon is ridiculous...if that is indeed the problem.

Thoughts?

dustyk · July 2005

First, squealing brakes doesn't necessarily mean the pads are worn to beyond service use.

A high pitched squeal usually indicates that the pad is vibrating at a high frequency as the pad surface contacts the rotor. Also usually it is the point at which the pad backing plate is contacting the rails that is the spot that causes the squeal. High humidity days can cause this, but if it's steady despite the weather than it is more than likely a lack of grease on the contact point, or the rotor is out of round.

Dusty

shopboy · July 2005

according to my dealer there is now a service bulletin about this problem having to do with the rear brake drums and the rear axels. The test if it is comming from the rear is to brake only with the emergency brake pedal. (hold the release handel).

bpeebles · July 2005

My Dakota rear brakes have squeeled for 5 years. I have PMd the rear brakes several times and know it is not worn. When fully loaded with firewood, it does not squeel nearly as much.

I have tried the "parking brake test" several times... it does not cause a squeel, This is because using the parking brake pivits the shoes differently than the hydrolics do.

Just get used to it...its a TRUCK!

dustyk · July 2005

Bruce,

Actually the brakes on my Dakota never squealed in 45,000 miles until the pads and rotors were replaced. Same thing on my last car, '93 Nissan Sentra, and our '99 Avalon. In fact, the Avalon squeals about as bad as any car I've ever owned.

The squealing is getting less frequent. If it doesn't stop completely in the next few hundred miles I'll take it back.

Bests,
Dusty

reddakota · July 2005

thanks for the info. i also bought a recharge kit with a gauge. it was reading about 125-150. normally it should read at 40 or so. it says i need to see a professional which i want to do since not having a/c is terrible in 100 degree weather. i just hope that it won't be to expensive!!

moabovepar · July 2005

Thanks, got it fixed at the dealer. Dodge covered the repairs, said it was covered because it was under manf. warranty being under 80,000 mi.

sdol · July 2005

I had the same problem with my 03. I complained to the dealer several times. At 30,000 miles my rear left pads were down to the steel. when I replaced the pads I couldn't released the caliper with channel locks, had to use a "C" clamp. I complained to the dealer again. Finally they replaced the rear caliper under warranty. How's your fuel mileage? With the new caliper I have 20% better fuel economy!!!!!!

slimjim · July 2005

We have had 4 sets of front rotors put on our 05 Dakota Quad cab since December and one new set of rear drums and we still have a horrible vibration. I was wondering since you have the vibration problems we have if you have any problems with the paint on the bottom of your door being chipped up real bad from road debrise? The dealer told me that the body style is creating like a sand blaster that is chipping the paint off. I think that the truck should have been tested better or it should come factory with molded running boards because the dealer says that would change the wind pattern enough to stop the sand blasting effect. And if you have had any problem with rain leaving spots on your seats? We are really begining to think we have a lemon my truck has been at the dealership at least 15 times since December. We recently took our truck to the dealership to trade it off on a different vehicle because of all the problems we have had with it and they would not trade us because they said it was to new to trade in. Yeah right you can trade car a week after you buy it if you want they just don't want our truck because they would still be responsible to fix it. Do you have any ideas for us? By the way my truck goes to the shop again tomorrow for another shot at fixing the vibration. :lemon:

oilyone · July 2005

Found the forum recently and decided to join up. Purchased a 94 Dak Club Cab 3.9 w/42RH, 2WD and a shell with 44,492 miles from the original owner last summer. Turned 58K on Monday. So far, the only issues I have are the constant pinging. Have done plugs, wires, PCV, new lifetime Amsoil air filter, ATF, 5W30 oil and all filters and rear end. Mileage is very acceptable at 20/24.5. That is 24.5 at 75 mph in Arizona in the summer with the A/C on full blast. Next move is the IAH and TB cleaning to see if that clears up the pinging. If not, then I guess the intake gasket is next. One unusual thing did happen about 3 months after I bought the truck. Brake pedal would not return from the floor. Finally figured out the booster had ruptured and was no longer holding vaccuum. Since it had to come out, I did it, the master cylinder, both front rotors, calipers, pads and wheel bearings. What is the bad PR about the ball joints and what are the signs I neeed to watch out for? I think this is a great truck!

dustyk · July 2005

I don't think the ball joints were an issue on your generation Dakota. My son had a '91 that is still going at nearly 300,000 miles and it still has the factory original ball joints. The problem with ball joints began sometime after the introduction of the '97 model year.

Despite your relatively low mileage, I'm going to guess that the pinging is either poor quality spark plug wires, cap, or rotor. If not, I think the intake manifold gasket is bad.

Good luck with your new ride.

Regards.,
Dusty

bookitty · July 2005

oilyone, welcome to the Dakota Forum. This is a great forum, because the people are not only knowledgeable, but kind and helpful as well. Beside the possible cures Dusty mentioned, have you tried a tankful of higher octane gasoline? It may not help, but it is the simplest approach. As far as cost is concerned, fill up quickly before the rising costs exceed that of installing new high quality parts. Again, welcome to the fold.

Bookitty

bpeebles · July 2005

mebbie there is a reason that the Dakota no longer has rear disk brakes...

oilyone · July 2005

Yes, the midrange and high test helped but not much. As I said, the IAC and TB cleaning are next. Plugs, wires, cap, rotor, PCV valve, Air Filter, etc., were all done. I will also check and clean the EGR valve when I do the TB. I just didn't want to have to do the manifold. Hopefully, I'll get to it in the next two weekends and let you know how it turned out. One other note, when I pulled the Tranny pan and changed the filter and fluid, it had two small piles of shavings. I'm not real happy about that but the tranny fluid was original. I installed a drain plug and will do the tranny at 25K with a new filter and the Amsoil ATF. I do get a whining noise in reverse but not in neutral or any of the forward gears. Anybody had that problem? Thanks for the help, suggestions and kind words.

dustyk · July 2005

The whine in reverse could be loose transmission cooling lines a worn planetary gear set or a worn ovberdrive thrust bearing. A broken or cracked rear band, or a rear band out of adjustment could cause a whine, as well as worn front clutch or low line pressure in reverse.

Best regards,
Dusty

shopboy · July 2005

I've only had the truck for a little over two months at this point and it only has 1400 miles on it so I can only attest to the vibration problem. At this point the dealer has taken to not returning my calls, the last contact was that they were getting the parts in and they would call me then. I think the lemon fits this problem and I'm a little amazed that chrysler hasen't responded. Good luck with this service visit, I'll report my next one. :lemon:

jeepster89 · July 2005

Hy'all - my Quad has a slight tapping sound when first started. Just bought the truck and the entire left bank died after 400 miles. To it to dealer who changed plugs and two coil packs - truck now runs like a new one. Tapping sound goes away after a mile or two. Tapping almost sounds like a lifter tapping - anybody experienced anything like this? Want to get it fixed while my extended warrenty is in effect. Thanks in advance.

slimjim · July 2005

Well, when I took my truck to the shop today for the vibration they told me that they think that the problem is the rear axle and they are ordering a new one and will call me when it comes in. I'm not holding my breathe that this will fix the problem since it only made your problem worse. What really worries me is that we now have just over 10,000 miles and after 12,000 miles the brake problems are no longer under warranty. The dealer assures us that they will work with us since it has been an on going problem. Yeah right! They probably can't wait till I hit the 12,000 mile mark so they wont have to mess with the vibration anymore. :lemon:

cason · July 2005

I've got a 2002 QC 4.7 2WD with 57K on it. I am being told that it needs to have the lower control arms replaced in the front end. Have you ever heard of this? Seems a little pricey to eliminate a squeak . What do you think? BTW, I love the truck otherwise.

bpeebles · July 2005

I think that a squeek is not a problem.... especially on a truck.

Did the dealer mention this is a SAFETY issue?

shadow99688 · July 2005

Check your states lemon laws

dustyk · July 2005

Was this a Dodge dealer that told you this?

There's only one reason to replace the lower control arm, and that is from damage. Being told that two need to be replaced is suspect.

Bushings are replaced independently and I believe they are even spared by Chrysler as a separate part. Now factory ball joints are spared with the control arm. Aftermarket joint assemblies, as I've already noted, are available as piece parts. I just had new upper ball joints replaced by Chrysler under warranty and they were installed as a separate unit.

Regards,
Dusty

shadow99688 · July 2005

Dodge has a recall for front axles have friend with 2002 durango axle snaped at yoke at 4k miles, Dealer told them to drive this unsafe vehicle 50 miles to shop, transfer case was destroyed by time they made it to the shop along with much of the left front side, they where charged for repairs at first, dealer claimed that extreme abuse caused the problem and would not be covered under warrenty, after threat of lawsuit Dealer ate the cost of the repairs, last year they got notice of recall for the front axle

bpeake · July 2005

I also have a 2001 Dakota Quad 4X4 4.7 whereupon the electric door locks take turns working and not working (come and go, door to door, two in particular). In addition, occaisionally I am hearing the fuel empty chime and the guage reads empty when there is plenty of gas in the tank. Stopping and re-starting the engine immediately puts that back to normal. Any ideas on these problems?

dustyk · July 2005

Outside of ordinary wiring issues, a couple of things come to mind.

Do you still have the factory battery? If so, batteries that are entering their end-of-life zone appear to generate strange electrical problems on Dodge trucks.

Another possibility is an intermittent Central Timer Module (CTM).

Regards,
Dusty

dataguru · July 2005

For the past year. the front suspension of my 2003 QC 4.7L 2WD 5-45RFE 3.92 has been squeaking occasionally and clunking/creaking only on turns. Although the occasional minor squeak is acceptable, a clunking creaky sound during turns is not acceptable and suspicious. After close monitoring for 6 more months, the Right Front Wheel Bearing was replaced under warranty at 43,000 kilometres (27,720 miles) and the clunking creaking sounds heard during turns are gone. However, the odd suspension squeak still occurs which can be remedied by lubing the suspension bushings. My 2 cents...

dataguru

dustyk · July 2005

My squeak back two years ago turned out to be the ball joints needing grease, which was performed by the dealer and did resolve the problem. Earlier Dakotas suffered from squeaks caused by the sway bar bushings. Oddly, mine have never given me that symptom. I was told that they made a running change to a different bushing material in 2003.

Now my front-end "clunk," or I would say more appropriately a snap, turned out to be the upper right ball joint. Mrs. Dodge replaced both upper for me a week or so ago and now the front end is quiet and tight.

Bests,
Dusty

bpeake · July 2005

Is the CTM an easy module to check/replace? Approx. cost?

mtrialsm · July 2005

I had a simular problem on my 2001 Quad 2 years ago. The ignition switch was
replace by dealer. Fixed my problem.

clutch_it · July 2005

hello 1st timer--- starter will "click" sometimes for awhile then engine will start. other times the engine will start on 1st try, for about 5 or 10 start ups then back to the click-click-clicking again to get it started. plz lol any help out there tks clutch_it

dataguru · July 2005

Hey Dusty,

Glad to hear your rig is tracking tight and quiet again. Have you notice any signs of the shock absorbers going soft causing more body roll now than when new?

My '03 QC has a late May 2003 Build Date so the upper ball joint Recall does not apply according to the dealer. They reference an official list of VIN numbers to which the ball joint Recall applies. To alleviate the concerns of 2003 owners, DCX has extended the ball joints warranty for all 2003 owners not affected by the Recall to 10 years from Date of Purchase.

dataguru

pirat5 · July 2005

Did anybody run into similar problem? Engine light goes on and off for quite a long time, but it seems not to harm performance. Unfortunately, I had to go through emission test and it failed because of cylinder misfire. Anybody has any suggestions. Thanks!

karl9000 · July 2005

Howdy from a first timer.
I replaced the upper and lower ball joints this weekend with Moog parts. Boy, this thing rides GREAT now! However, while the lower control arms were out, I noticed the bushings were shot. Everywhere I've checked, no one sells replacement bushings; they aren't even cataloged anywhere. The dealer wants to replace the entire control arm ($585 for each #*$&^$#^% arm!). That's ridiculous! BTW, I didn't mention that the front end is torsion bar, not springs.

Is there any way to replace these bushings? I can't afford $1100+ in parts!

Thanks!

Karl

dakota01 · July 2005

i own an '01 quad cab and installed an aftermarket alarm. 3 months later the alarm completely quit working and all interior lights are stuck on. i was given the advice that a switch was stuck inside the door and WD40 needed to be applied. is this a possibility and where is a switch or relay for the interior lights at, is it accesible without removing door panel? i have no idea and would appreciate any advice thanks

dustyk · July 2005

Yes. The CTM is located behind the left cowl side trim panel just below the instrument panel. This trim panel located between the body and the parking brake foot lever. I am not aware of the price. I think its about $100, but not sure.

The problem with replacing the CTM is that this module is easily damaged by another electrical problem, such as a short to vehicle frame (ground), a bad input or output device, or intermittent electrical connections.

Best regards,
Dusty

dustyk · July 2005

I can't say I've noticed any change in body lean. I have the Club Cab Sport Plus which includes a rear sway bar. I also keep my tires at the high end of the pressure range, so maybe the two together compensate.

What I have noticed, however, is bounce at certain speeds on certain types of pavement and a lot more suspension travel during some pavement undulations. This I'm pretty sure is because the shocks have softened up.

Do you have a suggestion for shock replacements?

Bests,
Dusty

dataguru · July 2005

My Quad Cab has a Rear sway bar as well but, I definitely notice a difference in more body lean lately as the shocks and other suspension components are softening up. I run about 36-37 lbs in the Goodyear Eagle LS P255/65R/16 tires. I'm beginning to think perhaps, the control arm, leaf spring, and sway bar bushings all needs replacing as well. Any thoughts on this?

With the normal wearing of OEM shocks, I notice the same conditions as you with the increase in the amount of bounce at all speeds and terrain.

With regards to shock replacements, I'm going with the Edelbrock IAS Performers; specific PNs, #33410 (Front), #34410 (Rear) for 2WD. For bushing replacements, I'm considering components from either Energy Suspension or Moog.

Cheers,
dataguru

kimhoff · July 2005

I bought as 2000 Dak Club Cab and it dose not have the Digital Info Center in the Overhead Console. I see these on ebay all the time and I am wondering what else I would need to install this? Is the wiring in the head liner to hook this to? Will the computer need changing? Any help is appreciated.

Kent

dustyk · July 2005

Data, thanks for the reply.

Rear leaf springs on Dakotas seem to be pretty tough and long lasting. I can't remember ever hearing of one being replaced unless the Dak was ten years old and had lots of miles. I don't think A-arm bushings are going to affect lean. The factory bushings are of good OEM quality. They usually cause squeaks or something as they get older. A new bushing or stiffer replacement would probably improve handing, though.

Sway bar bushings on older Daks produced God-awful noises at times. Mine are the newer type and so far have been trouble free. These might affect body lean to a degree, but I'm not sure how much. If anything, front springs that have taken a set or been driven in a compressed state (hauling heavy loads) would more than likely affect body lean more. That applies to thew rear springs as well.

Have you checked the front sway bar to see if it's broken? If seen this happen...not on a Dakota...but that would make a big difference. Or, you could install a heavier sway bar.

Bests,
Dusty

bmalbert · July 2005

I have my beast at the dealership and they want to charge me $1000 to fix my central timer module (amongst other things), in my Haynes manual I see nothing listed for it in the index and really the only place I find any mention of it is in the chassis electrical section where plain as day it show the central timer module and everything that it is tied in to. Does anyone know where i need to start with replacing this unit. where is it, how do i get to it, am i getting my self into something i don't want to do... i am fairly experienced with working on cars so i can handle fairly intensive jobs, but i have never even heard of a central timer module until now.

railroader · July 2005

Can someone tell me if a 1990 Dakota has a fan resistor block, as chevy's do, my friends blower does not work on high speed, just trying to figure out if it's the switch, fan, or possibly the resistor, Thanks

Dodge Dakota: Problems & Solutions

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Dodge Dakota: Problems &amp; Solutions

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Dodge Dakota: Problems & Solutions