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Dodge Dakota - FAQs

243 messages,  Last post on Apr 22, 2012 at 7:27 PM

You are in the Dodge Dakota-2010 and older Forum.

What is this discussion about? Dodge Dakota, Truck

Messages Page 1 of 25

#1 of 243 Here You All... by bonnie_rick

Jun 26, 2000 (9:01 pm)

go! Just the FAQs please


Bonnie Rick
Conferences Manager, Town Hall
Edmunds.com

#2 of 243 Examples for this area ONLY: by themacguy

Jun 27, 2000 (10:42 am)

Good TX dealer: [www.bennyboyd.com] in Lampasas. "A near-invoice, no nonsense dealer on the net. Talk to Pam or Brigitte ONLY." --NOTE the quotes denoting my PERSONAL OPINION.


Good general Dakota parts source: [www.truckaccessories4less.net/dodge.html] "I bought some really nice interior mud mats here, custom fit for $69 set of 4 + FREE shipping." --NOTE I gave some pricing & fit info in quotes.


Good swaybars: [www.hotchkis.net/] "Best fit, performance; but WAY pricier than those included in t&h package when you order truck." --NOTE the cost caveat in quotes & a comparison / alternate.


D / C order & customer status: [www.cs.fredonia.edu/~stei0302/www/DAKOTA/order_status.html] "Mmmm, I saw this somewhere in the regular Topics & thought I'd add it here..." --NOTE I didn't know where I saw it or who wrote it; otherwise try to give credit where it's due.


Early article on Dakota Quad at: [www.trucktrend.com/feb99/la/dakota/dakota_f.html]
--NOTE a simple URL, no explanation necessary.


Great club site: [www.autoerotica_globules.com] "Way boss chic site!" --NOTE the bogus site, which should (and WILL) be immediately BOOTED from this area if anyone sticks something like this in here.


FAQ - What is the yellow goop in the oil filler tube, will it hurt my engine and how do I get rid of it once and for all (if I can do it myself)?
RESPONSE: It's sulfur from the conventional oil 'cooking' and foaming out. It won't hurt your engine. Use a good synthetic with proper viscosity / weight for your climate. Plus, use good filters. --NOTE I wrote this response some months ago but someone else wrote about the lid 'sticking' due to plastic failure of the lid. I wouldn't 'jump' on that since maybe I didn't remember the whole fix (or maybe the poster), and would simply wait for her / him to post & continue the FAQ for this very important item. This keeps the accuracy up.


--If, say one of these is wrong or changed, then another member of our tribe would politely post an update, and I would (since I was the author of it) 'scribble or hide' this post and re-post the corrected stuff... An add-on to, say the proper viscosities for particular climates & temps would be another FAQ. This, then becomes a self-policing area that should always have some very accurate data in it. If members leave and don't update errors or whatever, well that's where I believe, a_j and I come in to 'modify' certain responses with Bonnie's help & spiritual guidance. The 'spreadsheets' will come from efforts like this...


***ABOVE ARE EXAMPLES, FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. CORRECTED ONES WILL BE POSTED LATER, AND I WILL PROBABLY 'HIDE' THIS WHOLE SCRIPT.***

#3 of 243 Just to add to Jack's comment by andy_jordan

Jun 27, 2000 (1:12 pm)

This section is going to be a little different from the rest of the topics. Once built it shouldn't be an active topic - more of a reference site. Whilst there will be occasional submissions let's keep the discussions to the other topics and use this as a source of information that is readily available for all.


With that in mind I will attempt to put some posts here over the next day or so relating to some of the questions that I have been regularly asked over the many months that I have been around.


It will start off deliberately basic and I make no apology for that - I want this to be accessible to everyone, not just those of us that have already learned our stuff.


Apologies if it turns into a 'lectures I have given' series over the next couple of days.

#4 of 243 Rear End Ratios by andy_jordan

Jun 27, 2000 (1:23 pm)

Dodge Dakota is available with two rear end ratios - 3.55 and 3.92. The number relates to the number of turns that the driveshaft makes compared to the number of turns that the rear axle makes. In turn the number of revolutions per minute made by the driveshaft depends on the gear and ultimately the engine revs.


What does all this mean? Well it means that the 3.55 rear end (which is actually bigger in technical speak than the 3.92) requires less engine revolutions than the 3.92 to travel at the same speed (assuming that the gear is the same). The result of this is that the 3.55 will be more fuel efficient than the 3.92.


On the other hand the 3.92 allows for faster acceleration, especially from a standing start, because the engine is revving higher, and therefore is higher up the horsepower, and more relevantly, torque curves.


The 3.92 rear end also allows for a significantly greater towing capacity than is available with the 3.55.


What impact does tire size have? Well, technically none. The rear end ratio relates to the axle speed compared to the driveshaft speed so the ratio is unaffected by tire sizes. What does change is the effective ratio.


Larger tires mean that the truck will travel further for every rotation of the axle - because the larger the tire the greater the circumference. This means that a 3.92 equipped truck with larger tires can get similar gas mileage to a 3.55 equipped truck with standard tires, and still retain the performance advantage. Other factors will affect mileage - tire width and increased drag for example, but tire size should be considered when deciding on the rear end for your truck.

#5 of 243 Limited Slip Differential by andy_jordan

Jun 27, 2000 (1:38 pm)

Limited Slip Differential, or LSD is designed to offer greater traction in slippery conditions. It operates by restricting the amount that one rear wheel can slip compared to the other. LSD works equally on 2 wheel drive or 4 wheel drive vehicles.


Imagine a situation where the right hand side of the truck is off the road, say on a shoulder, and the left hand side is on the road. The road has been salted, but the shoulder hasn't and is covered in ice.


A truck without LSD isn't going very far - a 2wd will have all of the power directed to the rear wheel that is slipping (the right hand one), a 4wd will be no better, again power will be directed to the right side of the vehicle.


However a limited slip differential will force the left rear wheel to rotate. Once the right rear wheel is spinning the limited slip differential will be bought into play, and will not allow the right hand wheel to spin freely, rather it restricts the rotation relative to the left hand side (for example the left hand wheel has to rotate once for every 4 rotations of the right hand wheel - this isn't the exact ratio, but serves as an example).


The effect of this is that power is directed to a wheel that has traction and the vehicle can move.


As with any system, LSD is not a golden tool that will solve any problems that arise, it must be used sensibly, and power must be applied gradually, as any responsible driver will be doing in marginal driving conditions.


Excessive acceleration in a situation that requires the limited slip to operate, especially if the vehicle is not moving in a straight line, can cause the vehicle to spin.

#6 of 243 Full time vs Part time 4wd by andy_jordan

Jun 27, 2000 (6:25 pm)

What's the difference?


Well, the full time system is computer controlled - essentially the computer is constantly monitoring the wheels for slippage and will divert power as needed to try and provide additional traction. By contrast the part time system is manually engaged by the driver, either by way of a floor mounted shifter or a dash mounted dial (2001 models).


Whilst the full time system can react immediately, and certainly faster than a driver, the down side is that the system is engaged all the time. This means greater tire wear, higher fuel consumption and an increased likelihood of corrective maintenance on the 4wd system, as well as a higher cost of entry.


Arguments have also been made that the part time system promotes safer driving as the driver needs to be concious of the road conditions and shift into 4wd rather than rely on the truck to do it for them. The flip side of course, is that if a driver considers 2wd to be sufficient for the conditions, he or she can get themselves into more trouble than with a full time system.

#7 of 243 K&N filters by andy_jordan

Jun 28, 2000 (6:58 pm)

In response to a request:


What is a K&N filter and how can it help me?


K&N is a company that makes air filters. They are wll known for two things - an ability to make filters that allow more air into the engine, and filters that don't need to be replaced, ever (well for a million miles anyway). Best of all it is the same filter.


OK, some details. K&N have two main products for different vehicles, a replacement filter, or a replacement air flow system. The first is a straight replacement for the stock air filter, the second involves replacing the stock air filter with a different style of filter (usually conical) and some ducting. As you might expect the second option is more effective and more expensive.


The whole purpose of this is to get more, and to some degree cooler, air into the engine. Without getting into all of the technical issues, if this can be done the engine can generate more horse power (somewhere in the 8-14hp range), better fuel efficiency, or (with judicious driving) both.


The million mile part comes from the way that the filter is made. Most paper filters quickly become dirty and blocked and therefore less efficient. They are throw away parts and so are replaced with new filters. K&N uses a different approach - when their filters get dirty you simply clean them and replace them. K&N sell special cleaning agents and an oil that is used to coat the filter. For most people the cleaning process is a once a year thing.

#8 of 243 Andy Jordan, Tagging along by bookitty

Jun 28, 2000 (11:11 pm)

Andy, these former postings may shed some more light on using the K&N filter system.


#92 of 92: k&n filters (johnboy9 <http://townhall.edmunds.com/cgi-bin/townhall/vprofile?user=johnboy9>) Thu 17 Feb '00 (08:34 AM)
  I understand k&n filter #33-2084 will fit the 4.7 . It is for a Dodge 5.2/5.9 engine . The cheapest I found was at Auto Zone for $45.00 Johnboy9


#94 of 95: k&n filter for 4.7 (keg3 <http://townhall.edmunds.com/cgi-bin/townhall/vprofile?user=keg3>) Wed 23 Feb '00 (09:31 AM)
got the k&n in (#33-2084). fits fine (even though its spec 'd for the 99 5.2). dont notice too much difference in the way of low end torque, there might be some increase,i havent really had the chance to test that area of it, but there is definately an increase in power at higher rpms while on the highway. its doing what it should. go get one.


Hope that this helps;


Bookitty

#9 of 243 4.7 stalling by andy_jordan

Jun 29, 2000 (3:34 pm)

Why does my brand new 4.7 V8 keep stalling?


Blame it on the computers. The 4.7 has a very complicated Engine Management System controlled by computers. These computers are programmed to
try and minimize emissions and maximize fuel
economy - and they are really quite good at it -
until someone comes along and starts driving the
truck.


The computers have to 'learn' your individual
driving habits - where do you shift, how do you use the clutch when decelerating, how heavy is your right foot, etc, etc.


The computer can then adjust the way that it
controls the engine revs based on your individual
driving style. However this takes time, and for
the first couple of thousand miles the computer
will make mistakes as it encounters new driving
situations.


The learning process will take longer with
standards than automatics as there is less
consistency over gear shifts, and it will take
longer if two or more drivers aredriving the truck
for prolonged periods - because everyone has
different driving styles.


As the 4.7s move on to second owners, expect to
see a re-learning process as the computer gets used to its 'new' driver.

#10 of 243 Recovery hooks/tow hooks by gsu1

Jun 30, 2000 (4:01 pm)

Why are there no recovery hooks on the front of my Quad, not that I will take it to far off road. I see several truck that are 4x4 with them on the front. Ranger, F-150 and Z-71's all have tow hooks in the front, at least in the 4x4 models. Yes you can joke that they probable need them. (ford-forget off road driving) sorry just had to use that one. I just want to be sure if I ever get stuck that I can get pulled out safely with out damage to the truck.

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