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Pickups Dodge Dakota Dodge Dakota Transmission Problems
693 messages, Last post on Nov 28, 2009 at 12:30 PM
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so i am going to pick up a 1997 dodge dakota. it belonged to my father and has ben sitting for about a year now. it needs oil every time it is to be ran ( or at least did when it ran last ) and my dad described the enginge as being "loose". i am not quite sure what that means... what do i need to do the get it "run-worthy"?? what kind of fluids and gaskets or what not do i need to check to ensure a good two hour drive back home?? thanks toms!! ashers
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Replying to: ashers (Dec 27, 2008 2:45 pm) A Dodge using motor oil, especially at a rate you describe, is very unusual. I suggest you inspect the engine for sources of a leak. Any two engine components that share a gasket are candidates for a leak, but because of the year I would first inspect the front and rear intake manifold gaskets. The valve cover gaskets would be my next suspect. Beyond that, there are no commonly found leak points on either the 3.9 V6 or the 318 V8. If this vehicle has sat dormant for a long period of time its possible you might have a rusted through oil pan. I once had a Chevy pick-up that experienced this...although it was a daily driver...but I have seen this on a few other trucks that realized long periods of non-operation. If you can't find a leak, then the engine is probably consuming the oil. Again, extremely unusual for this to be caused by poor piston ring sealing, but if this engine had ever been overheated badly it could have seriously scored cylinder walls. What is more likely is hardened valve guide seals, especially if this is a low mileage truck at this age. Regards, Dusty |
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Replying to: dustyk (Dec 16, 2008 7:20 am) I have a 2001 RT with 84k miles. It just started to have a problem getting into 2nd gear. Slow accel not as bad as hard accel where it revs really high and jumps, decel and it up shifts. Fluid level is good and clean. No other problems...Any suggestions before I take it to the shop?? Nick
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Replying to: jt8man (Jan 03, 2009 9:51 am) Because of the age and miles and the time of year, here's my thoughts on possible causes in the order of probability: *Low fluid level. Make sure you check fluid level with the engine at full operating temperature, the vehicle on a flat, level surface, and the transmission in neutral. *Fluid level too high. Check for signs of bubbles (foaming) on the dipstick. *Transmission Throttle Position Lever sticking or binding, the throttle position lever return spring missing or broken, throttle linkage sticking/binding or out of adjustment. This is a very common problem on Mopars. *Low hydraulic pressure. This can be caused by a number of things, such as low fluid level, a partially clogged transmission filter or cooler lines, worn pump, a dirty or otherwise defective governor pressure valve, dirty/warped valve body, leaky internal seals or servos, etc. *Worn or slipping rear clutch, sticking rear clutch servo. I would recommend a Dodge technician check this out with a DRB3 scan tool first. There could be a defective Governor Pressure Sensor causing a false signal to the PCM. I'm not trying to make arbitrary conclusions here, but because you stated that even under light acceleration there is some flair, and the fact that this is an R/T, I am thinking this could be a rear clutch problem, especially if you've driven this vehicle hard and have not performed periodic transmission maintenance. However, 46REs are often thought to be in serious trouble when in fact the Throttle Position Lever is not working correctly, as noted above. For that matter, a lot of RE series problems are solved just be cleaning or replacing the valve body. A qualified and forthright Dodge technician is your best bet at this point, I think. Best regards, Dusty |
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Replying to: jt8man (Jan 03, 2009 9:51 am) *Low hydraulic pressure. This can be caused by a number of things, such as low fluid level, a partially clogged transmission filter, cooler lines or anti-drainback valve, a worn pump, a dirty or otherwise defective governor pressure valve, dirty/warped valve body, leaky internal seals or servos, etc. Dusty
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Replying to: dustyk (Jan 03, 2009 12:54 pm) NT
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Replying to: jt8man (Jan 04, 2009 8:16 am) The Throttle Position Sensor is mounted to the left side of the throttlebody at a position in-plane to the end of the throttle shaft. There are three wires going to the sensor and two Torx screws are used to secure the sensor to the throttlebody that are easily removed. On 42 & 46RE transmissions, the Anti-drainback Valve is located in the transmission cooler outlet line near the radiator. On 545RFEs the anti-drainback valve is internal, however, Chrysler uses a small filter ahead of it to prevent the valve from becoming clogged. Best regards, Dusty
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After reading all of the appends about automatic xmissions... I am very glad that I saved $872 and just orderd the manual xmission. Plus, the automatic xmission needs to have frequent fluid/filter changes just to keep it going. I never had one lick of trouble with manual xmission and it shifts just fine every time I push the lever to another position. The way I figure it... I got about a year of free fuel AND no xmission problems. 
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Grew up working on VWs Porches and lately GM. What I know of Son's Dodge got mostly from Internet so be gentle please. 1996 Dakota 3.9L 4WD LT235R15 tires on stock wheels. 75K miles. About 20% of the time on takeoff with more than the gentlest push on gas pedal, we get a very pronounced chatter, feels like a manual tranni clutch chatter or wheel hop. This will make your eyeballs dance. Backing off gas and the chatter stops. Have NOT tried to either floor it or leave gas down after chatter starts for fear of breaking something worse. Engine mounts seem OK in that revving in driveway, the engine moves maybe 1/4 inch. Shocks/springs seem OK as there in no lean and bouncing on the bumper gives one little bounce. I ran alongside the truck while Son drove looking for wheel hop, axle twist etc. Saw none, however, rear of transmission shook vertically about 1 inch, so replaced rear transmission mount. No effective change in the chatter. Seems to be a slight moan for about 2 seconds after chatter ends. Other than this, there are no issues with transmission operation at higher speeds or other gears. Previous owner is a friend, just drove to work and back, nothing exciting. All maintenance except tire changes was done at dealer. ATF looks/smells ok and is at the right level. Rubbing some between fingers feels more ‘grabbing’ than dexron/mercon, so that and dealer maintenance, I assume it is ATF+4. Planning on a drain and flush soon based on owners manual recommendations. Been reading past comments for last few weeks, saw nothing that seemed to fit, however any redirects to other posts will be gratefully accepted. Any/all comments and advice will be appreciated. Vr Karl |
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Replying to: KarlHei (Jan 05, 2009 10:15 pm) |
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