Hello fellow Dak owners.. its been awhile.. my good ole 2003 Dak 4.7 SLT has been great still is.. 180k and now im having issues.. mainly due to the fact i got injured on the job and have problems walking now so i cant get out and under my truck to see whats going on..

The issues..

When i drive 62mph in OD my rpm will be around 1600 then spike to 2100 and come right back down its as if im blipping my throttle.. if i put truck in cruise control it does same thing..if i get to around 70 i dont notice it as often. a buddy told me to try driving without OD on.. but since im very limited on when i can go outside ( mainly to PT and Dr appts ) i will drive it with oD off to see what happens.. ANy ideas what would cause that or if that is an OD issue..

I run semi-synthetic high mileage oil from mobil with a fram HM filter the only thing i havent checked since i just now thought of it has been my air filter.. ill do that later today when it warms up a bit or have my wife do it for me.

2.When i turn left or right my entire suspension pops.. i had my 4 tires done at a local place called TD here in cincy and they forgot to tigenten the upper control arm bolt.. i took it back they tightened up .. i had brake lines fail and had local mechanic look and he thinks they over tightened them and stripped them or somthing like that.. ( i dont know suspension) I did have a buddy replace my suspension minus the control arms for me since he knew i needed new ball joints and it would get me out of my house so i could drive and not be shacked up in there so much .. so im curious if the bolts are tight could the bushing have gone out in the control arm > or is there abushing in it ?

3.Ive searched all over for a replacement seat via CL ebay etc.. anyone know of anywhere that sells passenger seats.. i sat down on the side of my truck with my large *** and broke off the seat adjuster to recline the seats.. so if anyone drives with me they sit straight up and they whine.. i figured swapping seats would be easiest but i cant find any used seats.. or anyone know if its possible to just fix the seat adjustment bar ? or vice grip it or something ?

Do forgive if my typing is horrible.. some of the meds im on makes my vision blurry as hell and its hard to type ..

oh side question since my seat is stuck forward getting seatbelts on is hard for some buddies.. their big guys.. anyone know of a company that sells seatbelt extensions ?


Thanks Mopar community,You folks have always done me well !

Schuey !

EDIT -I just thought of something..
Since its getting colder.. Does anyone else Dakota heater hot air turn cold when taking turns ? whenever i turn my hot air turns cold then right back once i straighten out.. its done this from day 1 and ive always been curious..

 

Bummer about your injuries. Hope that smooths out for you.

I never drove at a steady state 62MPH so I don't know how my truck would react but is it possible that you never did either and the OD is just "on the edge" for the conditions, locking and unlocking?

As for the suspension popping, I question why a trie change would have involved control arm bolts? As for the other issues you might need to cozy up to ONE mechanic for all your work, not dance around from one to another. At least with a single "culprit" you have some consistency. Otherwise it can become a bunch of finger pointing.

I can't believe you can't find a seat at a local scrap yard (recycler!!)

And my heater doesn't care with way I turn the wheel. It is constant and has been since new.

Good luck.

 

Thanks! As for heater since day it's done that. We bought truck brand new from dealer 7 miles on it. Mechanic wise I normally goto one guy But are truck broke down and hour from our home and I forgot to renew AAA so we took it to a local where I. Was raised as a kid. I drove it today to drs with od off and it drove fine when I engaged od anything Un 72 mph the rpm spiked it was odd.

Schuey

 

Only thing that remotely comes to mind is if your TPS is wonky and is triggering the lockup to unlock when it thinks throttle position is opening when it's not. But that should only be 100-200 RPM or so. It shouldn't shut the OD solenoid off until significant throttle input.

 

I put a new TPS on mine and it quit the wonky trans downshifts in steady state.

Will not set a code unless it goes completely **** up.

 

So as odd as this sounds.. i was driving with no shoes.. since i was stuck in surgical shoes from open wounds on my toes.. when they healed i went back to driving with shoes on and i never notice the up and down shift or well only once in a blue moon if im riding exactly 2000 rpm it kicks up and down.. i wish i knew the shift points for my dakota.. is it possible im riding the edge of a shift point ? or should i say i was ? The other odd issue latly is when i start the truck up it sounds like an old tractor for about 30 sec then sounds fine.. ive never noticed this before i do think its time for a tune up though.. i dont drive my truck much but maybe twice a week for dr appts since im semi disabled with mobility issues.So it sits all week.. i know i should go out and start it once and while but i hear its bad to let newer engines idle.. so is this a case of just driving around the country backroads every 2 days to keep everything moving ?

Thanks for Replies !

Schuey

 

You have broken exhaust manifold bolts.
Gaskets and bolts, a bit of anti seize, a Sunday afternoon ... Easy job.
(IF) the broken bolts broke at the heat shield. If they broke at the manifold, weld a nut ..

 

Do forgive me.. but WTF are you talking about.. ?
Easy job ? Walking out to my truck is a chore once a day let alone spending a sunday afternoon working on it like i used too..and i think you replied to the wrong post...i was having issues with me riding on the shift points.. per a local mechanic who drove with me to listen.Thanks for the input.. Have a nice day !