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Dodge Dakota Wheel Bearings

22 messages,  Last post on Jul 07, 2011 at 3:10 PM

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

What is this discussion about? Dodge Dakota, Truck

Messages Page 3 of 3

#13 of 22 06 dakota by garymccn

Mar 08, 2010 (2:34 pm)

with only 60,000 miles I already replaced both stabilizer links. and I have that dry wheel bearing sound drivers side . can not get brake disk off to get to sealed bearings.

#14 of 22 Re: 06 dakota [garymccn] by kevin109

Mar 09, 2010 (5:53 pm)

Replying to: garymccn (Mar 08, 2010 2:34 pm)
I changed the sway bar links the first time at 35000 miles... Of corse...you can only get them from the dealer. 60 bucks a piece. Now at 90, 000 they are bad again. My mechanic had a real hard time getting the hub apart also. He said he had to use a pneumatic chizel on it to bust it apart. I am guessing the other front bearing is probably bad too. ... The same day I also found that corrosion was eating my transmission cooler lines where they are swaged together, just before they go into the radiator. Keep an eye on them, especially if you are in a place that salts the roads. I wish Ford would make a mid sized truck. The Dodge is junk, everyone tells me the Chevy is a woosy little truck. And looky there .. a Dakota advertisement right next to my entry.....right there>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Never again Dodge,,,, Good luck Gary ... Kevin

#15 of 22 Re: 06 dakota [kevin109] by dustyk

Mar 21, 2010 (3:37 pm)

Replying to: kevin109 (Mar 09, 2010 5:53 pm)
Kevin, by the time I fill up with gas later in the week I'll have 140,000 miles on my Dakota and it still has the original wheel bearings and I have no noise. Of the Dakotas I know of personally, all are still on their originals. Of course, I have a 2003 and they did change the front suspension design quite a bit after 2004. Don't know what year you have, but if sway bar link and wheel bearing failures make a vehicle "junk," there must be a worse category for Canyons, Colorados and Rangers, since I know of a bunch that have had the same issues and much more. Ask your local parts counter guy how many they sell for other make trucks. I think you'll be surprized.
 
The hub should be replaced as an assembly on a Dakota. Attempts to replace just the bearing are problematic since the these units are assembled with the hub housing at an elevated temperature to prevent damage fron uneven seating pressure by mechanical press seating.
 
As for sway bar links, yes, I broke one last winter after hitting the mother of all potholes. You may complain about the price of a factory link, but on my ex-wifes Avalon they are only available from the factory, too, and they're $100 a piece. Worn sway bar links are so common nowadays, I wouldn't single out Dakotas. I've seen them break on Tacomas and F150s as well. Based on the results I see with other people, one thing I will not do again is buy an aftermarket sway bar link.
 
Regards,
Dusty

#16 of 22 Re: 06 dakota [dustyk] by kevin109

Mar 21, 2010 (4:51 pm)

Replying to: dustyk (Mar 21, 2010 3:37 pm)
Maybe the fact that my 05 Dakota is a 4x4 and the salt they put on roads makes a difference. I guess calling the truck junk is unfair but i have never had so many problems with a front suspension. Now I have a new noise up there that started a couple days ago. Heh heh ... Oh well. Still cheaper to patch 'em up than to buy a new one I guess. Love the engine though. That V8 is a horse. I will try to get 200, 000 out of it . If it survives the salt. Thanks Dusty....Kevin

#17 of 22 Re: 06 dakota [kevin109] by dustyk

Mar 23, 2010 (5:41 pm)

Replying to: kevin109 (Mar 21, 2010 4:51 pm)
Hi Kevin,
 
I'm not saying that the wheel bearings shouldn't have gone farther. I don't remember if you stated how many miles on your Dak, but a wheel bearing should go at least 100,000 miles before needing replacement. Maybe I'm much older than you, but I remember the days when manufacturers specified that the wheel bearings needed to be cleaned and repacked every 20,000 miles. That type of maintenance extended replacement to around 80,000 - 100,000 miles or so. So far to-date, I've had to replace more conventional front wheel bearings than I have sealed bearings ('59, '63, '77 Chevy cars, '72 & '89 Chevy trucks).
 
Dodge, like most other trucks nowadays, use a sealed bearing which technically should be exposed to far less moisture and contamination than a non-sealed bearing. You have a 4x4. They do generate a little more heat than a two-wheel drive because of increased loading. Mine's a 2x4 and never had the hubs fully emersed in water, but its seen its share of mud.
 
After eight years I've come to appreciate my Dak. Since I needed to carry a full-size ATV, it was the smallest pick up I could find to do the job. The Frontier, which I am personnaly fond of (I was trading a '93 Sentra) was way too small. Same for the Ranger. I know too many people that owned an S10 to ever go near one. The Tacoma was cramped and underpowered. With the Dak 4.7 I manage 20-21 on the road with a full load of ATV and gear, 16-18 around town and it will out pull any truck in its class. I ask others with smaller trucks and they might be doing one mile per gallon better than me. My 4.7 at 140,000 does not or ever has burned a drop oil. Frontiers of the year I bought my Dak seem to have performance issues (sensors) and electrical problems. The S10s of the same year have gapping holes in the body and seem to have a lot of engine problems, and there are Tacomas that have frames so rusted through that they can't pass New York State inspection. Even the Rangers have a reputation for bad differentials and transmissions, so some of their owners are telling me.
 
I sorry to hear of your recent problems and I hope you have better performance with the Dak in the future.
 
Best of luck,
Dusty

#18 of 22 Dodge Dakota wheel bearings by whlitening97

May 25, 2010 (9:06 am)

I have a question related to this thread. Do the front half-shafts have to be in to hold the bearings? I have a 97 that we pulled the front drive shaft and half shafts and a few days later had a wheel bearing let go. Long story short, after replacing the sealed bearing on the passenger side(twice, in one day and then having it towed home) I was told by the tow driver that they need to be in the truck to keep the bearings in. The driver's side is still in, without the half-shaft being in there.
 
PS: I have 178,000 miles on my Dakota and just recently had to put tires, control arms and tierods in it. I thought it did pretty well. Also has the original clutch (it is a 5-speed). I haven't had much trouble with my truck.
 
L.

#19 of 22 2005 Quad-4W by veb1

May 29, 2010 (3:23 am)

My 2005 with 35K on it developed a noise from the left front that was very noticeable when taking left turns. My local shop replaced the bearing on the left side problem solved. Now one month later when driving and hitting some bumps in the road at average speed it sounds like something buckling or something is ready to fall off the truck. I jacked up the truck both front wheels seem tight and everything underneath looks normal. Any suggestions?

#20 of 22 97 Dakota clutch replacement by whlitening97

Jul 07, 2010 (10:09 am)

Trying to replace the slave cylinder in a 1997 Dakota. Seems they did an upgrade and the reservoir/hose will not attach to the new slave cylinder. Local auto parts stores don't carry the reservoir/hose. Anyone know where to get a new one, or do I have to go to a junk yard and get one from a newer truck? Or is there a different way to attach the old reservoir?

#21 of 22 Tire of this by baggett

Nov 02, 2010 (10:41 am)

I have a 03 Dakota Quadcab. It has approximately 163,000 miles. I bought this truck used and have had nothing but troubleout of the frontend. I have replace the upper and lower ball joints as well as the shocks and pads and turned the Rotors. there is the history. I have replace the bearing hub on both sides multiple times 6 on passanger side and 5 on the drivers. I have checked the spindles for wear and check the spindle to race clearance of none. What is going on anyone had this issue. even though the hubs are warranty this is still pi** me off just because I can't find what is wrong and 2 I am tired of working on the same issue.
 
Thanks for any help

#22 of 22 Re: 06 dakota [dustyk] by carverman

Jul 07, 2011 (3:10 pm)

Replying to: dustyk (Mar 21, 2010 3:37 pm)
I've had to replace both of my front wheel bearing hubs. The drivers side failed
around 50K miles, the passenger just recently around 60K miles. I got a used
hub for the drivers side and bought a new timken hub as spare, which is now
being used on the passenger side. When the first hub bearing failed, I went]
to Timken and got the actual bearing, but there was no way I could get the
old one out, so I scrapped the hub. On the recent failure, I went to a machine
shop and they pressed the old one out and the new bearing in. Now that is
my spare. Years ago, you could repack the front bearings, now everything is
throwaway at high cost too. The lower ball joints are going as well, even
though I grease them myself with an grease needle by injecting some grease
into the rubber boot..but this is crap. Chrysler/dodge could have made them
with zerk grease nipples. I've just bought two MOOG balljoints that have the
grease fittings. This is nothing but a plot to make money off the owners by
Chrysler dealerships! I will never use them for any repairs!

Messages Page 3 of 3

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