Hey everyone! I am a new owner of an 89 Dakota v6 and have a few questions and also thought I'd share my experiences/fixes/specs so far!

General comments:

1. I got about 16 mpg mostly in town keeping my tac below 2k, with 215/75/15s (including some off roading/long idle times for radiator work)

2. I had my Anti Lock and Brake lights on and replaced the rear speed sensor and harness with no luck, all i needed was a a good brake bleeding, DOH!

3. bought the truck with 133k on it for 1k, though I've been putting a little money into overlooked repairs.



some issues I'd like help with:

1. at idle, I have a bit of a ringing/rattling noise that goes away with the clutch being depressed, I've been told a clutch job (Pilot Bearing) will fix this, but I'd like some extra opinions.

2. every so often the truck won't start the first try or two, it just makes a sudden grinding sound followed by a whistle without turning over (I've been reading about that wiring corrosion issue, is that likely the cause?)

3. when i bought the truck, it had some oil leakage, i replaced the valve cover gaskets and plan on changing the oil pan gasket next, are there any other common leaks?


Thanks for any advice you can offer!


-Jacob Garrette

 

sounds like the starter man, get it tested

 

yeah I was thinking the Solenoid isn't retracting (or whatever happens exactly, i'm not entirely sure) but i know the owner of a junkyard so i can have myself a starter for only about 30 bucks, shouldn't be too bad.

 

the starter gear pops out and grabs the flywheel when u start it, sometimes it gets stuck and wont pop out. i would recommend getting a reman from a parts store, so that you know it will work and comes with a warranty so if you happen to have further probs, it wont cost you money. a junkyard starter could work, but for how long ya know.

 

The starter that autozone sales here is $72.99 . Me personally i always have my starters and alternators rebuilt. The parts they use to rebuild one are good high quality parts and they tend to last alot longer and are usually cheaper than buying one.

 

well With my guy, if it breaks he'll just give me another one until he runs out :P, but my biggest concern right now is what the noise is when I'm at idle (goes away with clutch pedal depressed), and also, how do i find out if my truck has a timing belt or chain?

 

It has a chain.

 

your throwout bearing is bad. if you change it change nyour clutch too while its out

 

yeah i was planning on doing a clutch job soon, so i'm glad that will take care of it. it's been a pretty good truck! i just did a tuneup yesterday (plugs/cap/rotor/PCV/Crankcase breather/cleaned K&N Drop in) i didn't notice any huge improvement but i can't complain, the truck does pretty well.

 

Question for you guys: How hard is the oil pan gasket to change? i was told you pretty much have to pull the engine but not sure if that's the case? its an 89 4x4 v6 MT. any info would be appreciated.