Hi there, I'm from Norway and I own a '88 Dodge Dakota 3.9 4wd with 160.000 miles on it.

It get's this noise from the front of the engine, and I'm not sure what it is. I've been thinking
it could be the water pump bearing making the noise? Because I can see vibrations in the water pump pulley.
The noise goes on and off, and will stay on for about 20-60secs each time. It happens pretty often.

I did get a video of it(on a photo camera, not the best quality, but you get the idea):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiGBDIdGhZo
The noise is there from the start, but goes away after I gave it some throttle.

Any thoughts about it?


Also, my windshield wipers won't work on all the "settings"(Hi/low?), they only go slow,
with very little power. If the windshield is try, they will stop. There is some noise coming
from the wiper module(?). Should I replace it, or would the problem be something else?

Thanks,
Ole

 

Yeah it sounds like the wiper module needs replacing. As for the noise you hear, I could barely hear it, but going from the description you gave, if it's not the water pump, it might possibly be the timing chain. I also noticed your truck sounds kinda whiny after you give it some gas, has it always done that, or is that something new as well? My little saturn made that same noise when the alternator was on it's way out.

 

Where can I get a new wiper module?

When is it normal to change the timing chain? No problem since I've ordered a timing chain
set. I've also got a new water pump laying here.
About the whiny sound, I'm not sure if it's has always done that. I've barely used the truck
myself, because I want to give it some new parts before taking it in use. Before I got it, it
hadn't been used for a couple of years. But I might have some problems with the alternator, because
I have had problems with the battery flatten out, but I've just thought it could be a bad
battery. I will try check out the voltage while engine is running, that should tell me what it is.


I've also got a exhaust leak by the manifold, so I think I will just replace them with new
headers when I take them off to replace gaskets. What's my options here?
And what about exhaust? I want to change that too. I've been looking at eBay. Any
thoughts on this kit?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=360093426928

Thanks,
Ole

 

Well as for the engine noise, I cant quite hear it to well. I do hear the whining. But I would suggest if you feel like it is the water pump or any other accessory just remove the belts. You can start and run the eninge with out them on. See if you hear the noise then. You dont want to run it to long or else it will overheat. But 2mins or so wont kill it. You could go to most autoparts stores and they can test the battery and alt for free.
And for the windshid modle the best place would be the junkyard. autozone may have them. You can try dealer. Or https://www.dodgeparts.com/index.php It might also be a risister pack. I know the 92-up is on the firewall passanger side. Im not to sure about yours. There are part diagrams In the FAQ if you want to find it.

As for the exhast. It may be possible the sound might be from the exhaust gasket leak. The ebay parts look like they would be a good option.

 

Since I'm in Norway, finding parts at the junkyard would be hard since these cars never got
sold here! Maybe eBay again would be my solution?

 

The water pump, power steering and idler will sound like its grinding (bad bearing). The alternator and clutch fan will sound like a whine and they both kick in and out.

My guess would be the alternator because you had battery trouble.

Does sound like the module is bad for the windshield wipers.

crazy is right, it's hard to tell from the video, but i'll stick with a bad alternator.

 

Crazy4X4 has a good point. Take the belt off and see what happens. Also, since you said you can see vibrations from the water pump pulley, try and move it while the belt is off. If it moves at all (other than just spinning), it's probably time to replace it. Does your truck leak antifreeze? If so, that's another indication your pump is going bad.

 

Update!

As for the noise coming, and going. I've replaced both the fan clutch and water pump now, and it I think it was the water pump getting vibrations because it's bearings was NOT good.

The windshield wiper. I opened the wiper motor, and on the electrical components there was a lot of something looking like grease, making a bad connection. I tried cleaning it as best as I could, and it got much better. I still think I will replace both the motor and module, because it looks like the module can have one or several burned circuits.

The charging. I measured the charging voltage to be 14.6V(if I remember correct), so I just replaced the battery and now it's just fine.

I bought a double 2 1/4" exhaust kit off eBay, with a Flowmaster Super 40 muffler. I will be fitting it tomorrow. I won't fix the exhaust manifold leak before I've bought new headers though.

I've also had a internal engine wash(?). Mixed some kind of fluid in the engine oil, and let it idle in 20 minutes before I replaced the oil and oil filter(5W-10 synthetic oil and Wix oil filter). Engine runs so sweet, now I can only hear the injectors ticking.

Except for this I've replaced dist. cap, rotor, spark plugs, spark plug wires, coil, air filter, front upper & lower ball joints, front discs and pads, radiator, thermostat, parking brake cable, front & rear shock absorbers, and fuel filter. It runs so much better now than when I got the car.

Next on my list is:
- Oil change on the automatic transmission and differentials(will 75W-90 be OK on the diffs?).
- Edelbrock headers (Ti-tec or ceramic coating?)

I've been looking at Drivetrain.com, and they have new valve body kits for the transmission. It says: "Corrects / Prevents / Reduces: Lube shortage; soft shifts; kills engine in reverse; drainback. With / without electronic governor system."
Have anyone tried one of these? My engine idles very low when putting it in drive/reverse.

Thanks,
Ole