I'm probably gonna pickup the luk clutch kit and do this before the snow flies so I don't get stuck with no clutch while plowing. Anyone ever done it on one of these? Not my first time messing with a manual trans, just my first time with a 4wd one and on a dakota. Any tips or tricks?

 

Yeah, I did mine a couple months ago and it was the first real undertaking with my truck.

The whole tranny has to come out and the T-case has to be separated first. If you dont separate them you will be fighting with the clearances the whole time. You cant do the rear main seal on the 3.9 without dropping the oil pan so that was out of the question for me. I would print out a picture of the AX15 (im assuming thats the transmission you have) and match up all the bolts you take out for that. That will make your life easy when putting it back together.

When you put everything back together, make sure you use new bolts for the flywheel and put some thread locker on them. Also, when you put the driveshaft back on I would use new clips and bolts at the U-joint. One of my clips broke a couple weeks after replacing the clutch which made for a big hassle. New clips for $5-$10 could have saved me the $100 for a new flange yoke.

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

So I cannot remove the trans and transfer case as one unit? Also, how do the shifter mechanisms come apart? From the top I assume?

 

I did mine about a year ago. I removed the tranny and t-case as one unit and it worked fine. I didn't even remove it actually, just moved in back in the frame. If I remember right, I didn't remove it because the tranny cross member was in the way. You need a special tool to compress the cross member in order for it to clear the frame rails on the way out. However, it is possible to slide the cross member back to make room for the tranny/t-case to slide back as well. I separated the cross member from the tranny, took the drive shafts out, removed the bell housing bolts, then just shuffled the combined unit rearward until I had enough clearance. A hydraulic lift will make the whole process waaaaayyy easier!

Not sure about the shifter mechanism, my dad took care of that part. But yes, I think it's from the top. From inside the cab.

Edit: I HIGHLY recommend getting your flywheel refinished since you're in there already. I took the lazy/cheap option and opted out. Big mistake. My clutch shutters now during engagement/disengagement due to improper mating between the flywheel and clutch.