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Dodge Dakota: Problems & Solutions
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Comments
This is a very real 'cost' to many dealerships.
It started with a self adjuster going bad in the rear that caused a vibrating feeling at 40 mph. In fact all the problems with my brakes I've been able to feel at 40 mph. They fixed that then it started to "pulsate". Turned out to be warped rotors. Now it's back to vibrating. I'm thinking lemon law here.
If you truly believe that there is not a paper-trail of ALL vehicles, parts and other costs in operating a business, you may not understand the concepts of running a business (dealerships -vs- manufacturers )
Assume dealership "A" provides $500,000 of watantee work that is accounted for by the manufacturer in one year.The average across the nation is $100,000 dollars per year. Dealership "A" has to answer some embarrassing questions. (Do not forget that the MECHANICS get paid from the manufacturers purse on warrantee work!!)
As a result, many dealerships adopt a conservative stance towards warrantee claims...Especially now that the "C" in DC is in financial trouble and has just replaced their head guy.
BOTTOM LINE... Be persistent if you truly believe you have a valid warrantee claim.
mostly fwy and commuting miles, with appx 400
"hard" offroad miles.
The rubber sleeve under one of the straps which
wraps around the leaf springs is coming out . . .
should I go to the dealer with a warranty claim ?
Has anybody else seen this ?
Thanks,
Ole
I had my rotors replaced free of charge. Brakes are covered until 12000 miles. I think they did it for free as kind of a gesture of good faith since I've been in the garage over and over again. What year is your Dakota? Mine is a 99.
Now I have 2 maintenance questions I really need advice on before i go to the dealer, who I have little confidence in. First, a refresher..the rig is a 2000 SLT, 4.7 auto, T&H, 3.92 with 15000 miles.
1. Recently ( I believe I saw this symptom posted earlier) the engine seems to idle rough usually after interstate driving, but it happens in town. It's about 500 RPM and has a rough feel in the cab. It runs and accelerates SMOOTH any other time.. Rarely it seems to idle at 600 and NO ROUGH feeling. Is it idle speed, or the computer confused again?
2. My front brakes have chirped for a while now when initially depressed but i have finally taken a close look at the rotors. There are what appears to be slight ruts or groves around it, like a pad has gouged it out. They are not deep but there are several rows on each side. On other rigs, the rotors I look at are smooth. Is it bad pads or rotors?
Please let me know, since the experience from certain members in invaluable and needed for us 'shadetree types" before I go to the dealer and get the runaround again.
Thanks and sorry for a long unhidden post..
Bill
1) The idle system has a 'learning' algorithm that needs time to adjust to conditions. For example, if the weather gets colder, the on-board computer (PCM) assigns these conditions to a new "memory cell" and begins to apply the algorithm There is a 'trick' that I have applied to my Dak that speeded up the learning process. However, Your 15K miles should be enough to allow the past history to be rendered into the algorithm sufficiently. Has your battery been disconected lately? This may 'reset' the PCM to defaults.
2) my brakes will 'chirp' when first applies in damp weather or after sitting unused for several days. Do not forget that the brakes have a 12 month warranty ... not 3 years.
Certainly your dealer should be alerted to ANY problems to allow your complaints to be logged for future reference.
Brakes with 15000 miles are going to show some wear. The concentric rings you see are not unusual. When the government outlawed asbestos in brake pads they went to a harder material in the pads and to a "softer" metal in the rotors. I was told this was to prevent the squeal that hard pads and hard rotors make when the discs are applied. My previous Dakota went through the front pads and had the rotors turned at 26,000 miles. The rotors warped about 3000 miles later and started giving a pulsating feeling to the brake pedal when the brakes were applied. I went to a local mechanic and had a set of non Dodge rotors installed ($110 apiece) and reused the pads as they were hardly worn and I had paid $121 for the parts from Dodge when the brakes were redone at 26K. I had no more problems with front brakes for the next 45,000 miles when I traded the truck.
I appreciate your quick responses, and I also appreciate the detailed information to what might be a simple topic/question. I have used the same gas (87) from Chevron or citgo without fail.. no other brands, altho I used 89 once a few tanks back. No battery disconnects or discharges. The start of the rough idle does however coincide with the onset of cold weather here (New Orleans..yes it does get a bit cold here). Is it the computer then still "learning"?? Seems a long time to wait for a smooth idle..
Also, bpeebles THANKS for the heads up on the warranty. I had not been aware of that timeframe for the brakes!!!!!
Do you think then, that the slight 'grooves " are normal or acceptable then? There are no other indications of warping or problems, such as shake or pulsating.
I plan on bringing it to the dealer then to do just that .. record my concerns for future DC reference.
What filter and oil does everyone use I plan to use mobile one or amzoil, I plan to keep the truck untill it quits me, I was told buy parts man that amsoil would go 25k between changes with reg filter changes (I dont come from that school of thought) Was planning mobile one with mobile one filter q 5000 miles after second oil change of Dino a 6000k. book says 4.7 should use 5w30 then recomends 10w 30 next page depending on climate. What do you think?
Thanks in advance Traumagas
what gives
The recommendations by Dodge is based on average high and low temperature that the vehicle would be started in. The 5w30 is the most practical for most states. I use this in all my engines and they last and last.
I use a Motorcraft filter. I learned a long time ago that this was a great filter and recent studies on the net have shown this is true. The Mobil 1 filter is good, but I cannot see spending the money for something that is no better than a good $5 filter. My only problem is that the FL-200 is not carried by my Wal-Mart. Hopefully it will be soon.
I agree with your filter idea I read it was made by purolater and it had been rated second behind mobile one. is yours a 4.7 v8 if so I guess I will need a fl 200
Thanks for the info happy holidays
TraumaGAs
next is the skid plates what a bunch of worthless S### these plastic things may help keep some debre off but if the truck slips off a rock edge their broke and likely have to be removed
the front plate has a 5x5 hole in it to let oil drain out, well the oil will miss the hole overshoot it and fill the corrugated plastic skid pan with oil until 2 qts are out. What a mess !!
this could have worked well if the drain was headed straight down thru the skid plate hole
or if some sort of diverter was placed there
Has anyone else had this feeling or is it just me? I have changed a lot of veh oil in my forty years but this one is the worst. and while I am on a tear whats with those riveted top ball joints off the upper a fame. looks as if they cut the ends off of another line.
traumagas
I like to drop my oil at full operating temp and with that cross over pipe the temp of the oil just want to pull the plug and watch it flow into my recycling bucket not my garage floor. I am sure we will come up with something, I love this truck as with life it can't be perfect.
I DID NOT order the skid plates and I DO have a plastic "cover" beneath the engine. Are you refering to this cover perhaps?
The "skid plate" option should have beefy protectors for the engine, tranny and xfer case. Not necessarraly metal armor that can hold the weight of the vehicle on a rock.
After loosening the drain plug, I placed my fabricated plastic bottle (cut vertically down both sides with the bottom removed, but half attached to the top) upside-down thru the 5x5 access hole to catch all the oil overshoot.
Then I loosened the oil filter with my JC Whitney
"deluxe self-adjusting oil filter wrench" (3 1/8" to 3 7/8") placed a "Hefty" freezer slider bag (10 9/16" x 11") around it and unscrewed it. As the oil filter's position is almost plumb, I was able to fill the new filter with oil before I installed it.It was alot easier than my Ford sedan.
i want to be educated before i take it in to the dealer....anybody got any ideas?
I used the 2 liter coke bottle on the filter and like your Idea of the freezer bag. I have one question I have never pre filled a oil filter before installment, only fuel filter on diesels have I done that. Have I been doing engine harm by not prefilling them ? I know that some filter applications that I have had that would be impossible. Also I have a strong magnet
that I attach to the bottom of the filter, I would like to find a drain plug with a magnet on it anyone know of a source? I know that BMW, Porsche, Merc use this type of plug.
Also Yes I ordered skid plates on this truck
bpeebles, I would have thought them to be stronger but I know most trucks will never need them and wt is the issue for mpg.
Traumagas
since factory shocks are good for about 12k? traumagas
My last oil change at 17,000 miles had extreme quantities of the emulsion in the filler tube. I have never seen it this bad in prior oil changes (2K and 2.5K mile intervals) which is why I procrastenated getting the replacement.
By the way, have you seen a benefit since converting?
Ed
NEW OIL CAP ===>53032389AC
BAFFLE=========>53032126AA
Hope this helps.
As for any benifet from the updated parts.
The new CAP better insulates the cold-air blast from the fan.The baffle keeps the build-up of 'goop' under control by directing the gasses from the crankcase directly into the PCV valve. At the same time, the baffle keeps condensation droplets AWAY from the PCV valve and DOES NOT need to be removed to add oil.
All-in-all these are both creative engineerring solutions that do not alter the original design to any great degree.
Update on my 5 star dealer Service Dept.
I took my 2000 SLT 4.7 auto in for the 2 items i asked this forum about recently. They say: 1... Engine idle/rumbling at idle after highway driving or a few miles then stop, in gear and engine fully at temp. He has heard of this before, checked with regional Rep and was told there will be a TSB out in a month or 2 to update PCM(?) computer to compensate for this problem. 2. brakes have slight grooves on both sides and frequent chirping in varied weather. He says that's the way the rotors are, and the composite shoes will chirp. In other words, it's normal. I have NO other brake anomalies like wobble, shimmy or stutter.. so i guess unless someone here has more on this I will let it go for now.
Really these are minor issues, since it performs beautifully otherwise.. great power and smooth shifting, but FYI to whoever might have the same symptoms....
Bill
As I said, this is really beyond anything I'm remotely familiar with, but what I took away from reading all this was to be wary before allowing the dealer to flash my PCM.
ALSO can someone tell me any technical/mechanical reason why I should not install those brake dust shields? Now that I have put my attention to my brakes, and have seen the rims get very dirty very fast in this weather, I would like to resolve the dust problem. I HATE it when my beautiful Forrest green QC has dirty "feet". or shoudl I just wash it a lot more.....
Thanks again,
Bill
I have taken to always having "brake dust cleaner" in the truck and using it at every coin-up washing. (Salty covered roads demand often rinsing to reduce corrosion)
I plan to install high-quality synthetic very-low-dust pads when the originals wear out. I expect this to be a final solution.