About 3 days ago my wife and I bought a 1992 Dakota 4x4 LE pickup. It is a V6 with a 5 gear Manual Trans. It has 128,000 mile on it and theoretically had a heavy duty clutch, engine & tranny rebuild 1500 miles ago.
It drives smooth as and handles well but at around 65 MPH you get an almost clicking noise (like a baseball card in bike spokes) that tends to accompanied by a very gentle vibration (The Vibration almost feels like a wheel balance issue and feels unrelated) and it tends to go away around 72 MPH. Throwing the clutch makes it seem worse and it is related to wheel speed not engine revs. Has anyone any idea?
Also it sounds like the engine has tappet noise, is this at all common, I am from Australia and not used to V6 engines like this nor this type of car at all. Are the engines hydraulic tappets as this is what I assumed they would be?
Also as I said I am new too American cars so any general faults or things to watch with this model would be a real help, any info you can offer would be so greatly appreciated. I attached my introduction that I posted in the new member forum below if your interested.
Thanks for your time and looking forward to getting to know and making my dodge run a lot better!

G'day All,
I am a new member and I thought I would introduce myself to start things off. I have been America for one week now, I moved out from Australia (first time over seas!) and am looking at taking up residency here for the next 6 years or so. My wife and I are managing horse boarding facility (hence the move).
On my 3rd day in the country I found myself the owner of a 1992 Dodge Dakota 4x4 LE Pickup, with a STICK SHIFT! (Still getting used to your way of talking!!!).
So far all I can really say I REALLY LOVE MY DODGE!

 

welcome to america and dodge forum! a tire imbalence can come and go at different speeds. it could also be a wheel bearing or a u-joint/carrier bearing going bad on ya. best way to tell would be to jack up the back of the truck by the rear axle(with a jack on the pumpkin and stands on the tubes!) and take it up the the speed it starts and see if you hear it still. thats will narrow it down to driveline and the rear of the truck, hope this helps.

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

As for common problems, check the FAQ1 for a list.

 

Transfer case. Pull the top plug and check for oil

 

Hey Guys,
Thank you all so much for your help, I am heading into town tomorrow to buy a jack for the ute!
I checked the transfer case for oil and it was 'A' ok, how ever the ticking noise does seem to be coming from the center floor section, but like I said no change with different gears or neutral, Will keep persisting and see what I find!

 

Pull the front shaft before your ride and try to recreate the noise. Mine sounds like a pocket full of nuts and bolts in the cloths dryer.
When your on the gas there is no slack in the chain. When you throw the clutch the front and rear tires move at different speeds and throw the chain back and forth. Get it fixed or it will eat the case like mine.

 

I dont know too much but it sounds like it could be broken teeth on the ring and pinion. Can anyone help me out on my problem check out my post