Tearing apart the 4.7L V8 in your Dodge Dakota (and some Dodge Rams) can be a daunting task but with the proper tools and a good step by step walk through – even the most notice mechanics can take apart their engine. Fortunately, our 2nd generation Dakota subsection has a great DIY thread that will walk you through each step of tearing apart the 4.7L V8. This thread even has tips and pointers along the way to help make the teardown as easy as possible.
Now, I should point out that if you don’t have any mechanic experience, tearing apart your Dakota’s motor with no assistance but the thread linked below may not be the best choice. This DIY explains how to take the engine apart but it does not explain how to put it back together and while the easy reply is “just reverse the steps” – putting an engine back together in a way that will allow it to run again is harder than just tightening all of the bolts back up. However, if you have mechanic experience and you are looking to replace some major engine components in your 4.7L-powered Dodge Dakota , this thread should help save you some teardown time since it is so well laid out with both text and images.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
