this may sound bad...but I am only on the island here for 5 more months...what I need is something that will get me around, then resell for near what I have into it. If I get it rebuilt it will not sell for what I have into it...so I just need it to be some what reliable, get me from a to b until april...then I will sell it....right now I have $3,000 into it...cant afford to put much else into it.. except maybe my own time and sweet.....so if I cant do it...its not worth it.....its has to sell.....hard to sell anything down here for much more than that.....

Miss my jeep cherokee......ah.....to be back home in colorado....

 

well sorry my friend, looks like your SOL, a tranny rebuild is going to be around a grand.

you can try a flush and see if you can push a few months out of it, but its doubtful. See the problem with these trucks, is the transmission. What happens is the front bearing doesnt see enough lubrication and over heats, causing slippage etc.

you can try to rebuild it but a transmission rebuild is comparable to open heart surgery, if you dont put everything back exactly right, with the right clearances (u know how to use feeler blades? inside and outside micrometers? small hole gauges? Dial bore indicators?, or even have access to the tooling) then it will look like your set to go and then you wont move at all...if that made any sense lol.

Sorry to burst your bubble mate, but your not gunna ever sell a vehicle with a blown transmission for what you put into it. but GLWTS

 

Now I don't care who you are, that's funny right there!!! Are you actually implying that the Transmission is the only problem with these trucks...

Man I could go on for days on all the little quirks and screw-ups with these trucks but, the bottom line is no matter how many problems there are with these Dakotas, the damn things won't die. I've been through F150's, F250's, Bronco II's, Rangers, Chevy Silverado's, and yes even a Jeep or two. Notice I no longer have any of those vehicles. They all died a horrible and expensive death. This Dak is like the friggin Energizer bunny, it keeps going and going and going. I have never owned a vehicle this old that shows Zero rot in the wheel wells. A little surface rust on the roof cause the paint went bad but, other than that, the body is in great shape.

Sorry, I didn't mean for it to sound like I was going off on you. Please accept my apologies. I've had no dash lights for 5 days and I melted another headlight switch. I fixed the dash lights at lunch and I have my new headlight relays on order for the headlight workaround (Thanks for all the info Dodgerules86). See it's all the little things that drive me crazy. Oh, how about the blower motor resistor pack being in the open on the friggin firewall so that whenever you get a little too wet, it blows. Yeah went through 1/2 dozen of those before I decided to put it in an project box from Radio Shack.

Crap there I go again. Let's put it this way, IF the transmission was the only problem with these trucks, they would be the closest thing to perfect on this planet.

I really love this truck. That's why the quirks really **** me off.

Ok, getting off my soapbox now. Sorry if I have offended anybody. That was not my intent.

 

lol no offence taken, what i ment is that it is the problem these trucks are most known for

 

I found a post by Dodgerules86 that was written a few years ago explaining how to do a complete flush and fill. You can find the post here. I wish I came across this a week ago before I did just a pan a filter change lol.

 

I've found out from talking to many 1st gen dak owners that the biggest #1 cause of these transmissions dying is because the factory cooler just can't cool them. It doesn't mean anything in the transmission is producing too much heat, it just means that dodge didn't design a good cooling system. I've also heard that one transmission shop in my area will NOT warrenty automatic transmission rebuilds on dodge trucks of this era without having an aux transmission cooler. Just saying.

 

Well, what are the symptoms of the tranny going bad? Its not slipping, just not shifting quickly like it should. Right now I have 3 grand in the truck, to put another grand into it….wow, just don’t think I can do that right now. I mean, Ill do what I have to, if the tranny goes…..guess it will have to get fixed.

Down here in the islands though, people sell vehicles all the time that have tranny problems……the island is hard on transmissions…..but your right I suppose….I would never intentionally buy a vehicle with a transmission problem…..though it looks like I may have inadvertently. Its sad really…..it seemed like such a good deal….1500 for the truck….1500 I have put into it. It started out just needing two new spindles in the front and a fan pulley. Then when I pulled the wheels found that I needed rotors and calipers….(and brakes but that goes with out saying). Also lots of little things, head lights, tail lights, rear wiring mess, gear indicator on dash, radio blown, speakers wired in wrong, spark plugs, air filter, oil and filter. But I did get it running….and I have enjoyed working on it….becoming a shade tree mechanic of sorts…..Then the power issue…changed the fuel pump and im back in business….

Gearing up for a tranny flush and filter change on Thursday…(my day off) Hope it helps…..possibly adjusting the TV cable..(thanks for the heads up on that)

But tranny? Really? This makes me very sad….

Buying the truck may have been a bad call on my part…I just really needed a vehicle, and all the 2 – 3 grand vehicles I could find on the island already had tranny problems, or they had other MAJOR problems……

Blah……

 

If all the 2-3 grand trucks on the island have tranny problems, I would think that a truck with a very recent tranny rebuild would be able to sell for more than that, no? Especially if you have receipts for all the other work you have done...

 

that is a valid point....I just cant afford it right now....not dropping another grand into it...

something with a new tranny should sell much better....

if it will sell.....every one comes here wanting to buy vehicles for 2 grand or less....me included....

you would laugh if you saw what alot of people are driving around....they would never pass inspection in the states....many of them would be junked....

its hard to sell anything for more than 3 grand tops....people with more money to spend have their own car shipped down....

which is maybe what I should have done....but now I have the truck....

Ill just do what I can for now....tranny flush...filter change....maybe tv adjustment....and hope for the best.....

 

thanks for the link on the fluid change....that is how ill do it on thursday......thanks again every one.....

helps having people who know what they are talking about