so some of you may or may not know...i blew the motor in my 2000...so im looking into buying this 1996

its a regular cab
short bed
4 cly 5 speed


some things aftermarket and replaced are:
clutch, fluids everywhere, air filter, flushed radiator, headunit w/amp and sub, 5% tint all around, new thermostat and houseing, recent alignment, 15" rims and low pro tires

the bad...has a slight exhaust leak at the head/header
body blemishes
oil temp gauge dosent work on the dash...but does on a different gauge


just some thigns i should look for?
what other parts are compatible from other years?

 

Well I don't know anything about the 4 cylinders except that they were all short bed, regular cab, 2wd and 5 speeds! Are you planning on keeping the 4 cyl or doing an engine swap?

I just got done replacing the header gaskets on my engine today. I would assume thats all it needs if the manifold isn't cracked or warped.

Do you mean oil pressure gauge? These don't have an oil temp gauge. If its hooked up to an aftermarket gauge, Im assuming the factory one was just simply unplugged? Unless I'm misunderstanding you.

None of the engine/drivetrain parts are swappable between other 1st gens that I'm aware of because of the switch to OBDII. But any body parts, suspension parts, etc. should be swappable.

 

yes i plan on keeping the 4 cylinder...MAYBE later ill consider the v6

the heads airnt warped..its just the corner closest to you when standing in front of the truck has a little leak...im just assuming that its just a gasket...and if im gonna take the manifold off why dont i just install a header for better flow...do they make a header for the 2.5L?

yea oil pressure...my bad...he said that its all the sudden didnt work one day so he installed a new gauge adn taped into the existing wiring

i was thinking of useing my 2/3 lowering kit from my 2000 on the 1996...does the 2" lowering springs from a v8 work the same on a 1996 4 cylinder...what about the 3" drop blocks???

 

I assume the 4 cyl is the same as Batmans? He has a header on his right? May want to PM him about that.

So I guess it really was the gauge that died if all he did was put in an aftermarket one? I was wondering if maybe the sending unit went bad or something.

The drop blocks should definately work. I have an '01 9.25" rear axle on my Dakota, so if the entire axle is swappable, blocks would be too! But as for the springs (I assume you're talking about the front coils?)... I don't think they'll work. The v8 is A LOT heavier than that little 4 cyl, so it might not put enough weight on the coils to lower it anything at all. There are 2 inch drop spindles that summitracing has listed.

 

I would suggest look for another. The 4clynders are to underpowered. And pre 96 was throttle body injection, so 96 may be the same. But swapping in a V6 would be good. But if your going that far just throw in a V8.

But why not just rebuild your 2000 engine? Is that the only problem with your truck?

 

Lol, I didn't want to be the first to say it, but +1 to that! The v6 may be good in that size dakota, but even it was underpowered for the bigger daks!

 

i did a lil searching and nothign came up for a header

no just the gauge on the dash stopped...

i thoiught the blocks would work...and was iffy about the front coils because of the weight...how much are the spindles and how difficult are they to swap?
im not looking for power...im looking for somethign better on gas(a car is unacceptable)..i will look into swaping in a 3.9 later down the road..and it i have teh money ill look into a 5.9L

yes that WAS the ony thing wrong with my 2000 but the rest of the truck has 201k miles and has been sittin for the past 6 months and i dont know what else is wrong with it... like the trans, gas tank, sending unit, rear end, radiator system, front end,front bumper, passenger front fender.
itll pass for now..and if i come across a good deal on a v6 ill just swap that in then...and possible bore it out, supercharge it, turbo???? who knows....and if i unsettled with that...ill buy a 5.9

 

I'm not sure whats out there for headers, but I'm 99% sure I remember batman having one on his 4 cyl!

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/BEL-2605/

They would take some work to install! You'd have to remove the brake/hub assembly from your factory spindles, pop off the ball joints and reassemble. I would suggest getting new ball joints while your at it.

A turbocharged v6 would be sweet!

 

lil update....should have my honda sold by this week...and ill be picking up the 1st gen by late this week

 

Good get rid of that Honda! So what of the 2000 Dakota? Looks like it is going on a trip somewhere?