I have a 1994 Dodge Dakota 4X4 5.2L V8 Magnum and its my 1st time owning a Dodge. I like to know more about my truck and other Dodge trucks. I like to know if its true that V8 takes more gas than V6? I was told that the transmission in Dodge trucks suck for hauling and going off road. So, I'm curious if thats true or not. I personally don't think its true at least. Anyways, Im not much of a mechanic and I don't know much about Dodge trucks and other trucks as well. So, could someone take the time and tell me everything about Dodge trucks? I would like to know if my truck is any good too. Thanks in advance for any info

 

Well we can't tell EVERYTHING about Dodge. For EVERYTHING about Dodge check out www.allpar.com Great site!

For more on Dakotas check out our FAQ and FAQ2 in this section.

As for the V8 takes more fuel then the V6, that is true on Dodge just as it is true for Ford/Chevy and any other V8 that is made.

The transmissions are good if they are keeped in good condition and well maintained. The biggest failer on any transmission is heat. An extra external cooler will improve the cooling and increase the life of it. Also NO transmission from any make will last long if you just abuse your truck.

Your truck is good as long as the maintance has been keeped up on it. For your truck you got a Multiport Magnum V8 that makes great HP and even better TQ numbers.

They are quite capable Offroad and can be upgraded with anything.

The Aftermarket for Dodge in General is not as strong as Chevy/Ford/Jeep. But there still are plenty of options available for anything you want to do.

 

Lol, sorry to tell you, but nobody is going to take the time to type out everything there is to know about your truck and other Dodge trucks. I can almost guarentee you that any question you may have about your truck can be found by searching old threads in this forum. There has been A LOT of info covered over the years!

If you want to know about all the factory equipment on your truck, contact Dodge and request a build sheet. This can be done from the Dodge.com website.

I will hit the highlights for you though... Like Crazy said, the 5.2L magnum is a multiport injection v8. It is the last of the long line of mopar smallblock pushrod v8s (started in the 50s), and being the last of the line, that means they got as much power/ fuel economy/ reliability out of that particular design as they could get before changing to a completely new engine (the 4.7 line that is currently used). Behind that engine is the 46rh (a518). This transmission is the second to last in the long line of Dodge torqueflight hydraulically controlled transmissions. It evolved from the TF 727, which is the most popluar Dodge transmission ever made, and is VERY tough. There is one big downside to the 46rh that the TF 727 never had, and that is the OD unit in the tailhousing. Placing the OD unit in the tailhousing of the line of TF transmissions was Dodge's attempt to make a 4 speed overdrive transmission without having to come up with a completely new design, and therefore, the OD unit is much weaker than it should have been. But if you keep OD off while towing, hauling, or any other situation where the truck may be shifting in and out of OD too often, the rest of the transmission is just as strong as the old TF 727. And like Crazy said, keep the thing cool (something Dodge failed at with their factory transmission cooler), and it will last a long, long time. Behind that transmission is a New Process NP231D transfer case. This is a part time, chain driven transfer case. 4 wheel drive is ONLY to be used on slippery surfaces. Using 4 wheel drive on dry pavement will likely break something, and the chain in the transfer case, although fairly strong, is one of the weakest points in the drivetrain when abused. If the chain comes apart, it will take the rest of the case with it!!!

To answer is your truck any good or not, that depends on how well its been maintained!! But I think these trucks are great! Mine has been great to me! I've towed over 5000 lbs with it, gone offroad, etc. and its taken all the abuse I've given it.

As for the v8 vs v6 fuel economy... honestly, the v6 is an underpowered engine even for these little trucks. In other words, it has to work much, much harder to move these trucks than the v8 does, and because of that, you won't see significant gains in gas milage! To me personally, the 1-2 miles per gallon you may gain with the v6 is not worth the serious lack of power when you need raw power behind the truck!

But thats about all I'm going to get into. The rest is up to you to research!!

 

my suggestion like crazy said get an external tranny cooler. i never did and my radiator went out and it fried my transmission. unless you swap to a manual like 95 and i did(its fun).

and...

welcome to dodgeforum.com

 

I bet its gonna be interesting to put a external tranny cooler inside my truck. Has anyone done it or do I need to let a mechanic put it in for me? I also wanna thank everyone for their info on Dodge trucks.

 

My truck came stock with it. It is mounted in between the radiator and the AC condenser. It wouldn't be to hard to mount up. I was even thinking of replacing my stock restrictive unit with a larger more open unit. I may do it next week we will see.