Its a 2003 and bought it with 54,000 miles on it in August '07. 4x4 and loaded. Has everything except leather and the overhead console. I dont care about leather, but wouldnt mind having the OH console. Anyways, Its a great vehicle. DARK grey and black interior. What I wanna know is, what should I lookout for and whats some easy do it yourself (cheap) fixes or add ons for my "D"? Oh, I forgot, its the 4.7 V8. I want a CAI, but not wanting to spend @ $100 for one. When I fill up I usually only get around 300 out of a tank. Is this normal? I also get some rough idle on occassion while at a light. The rpm's drop and then come right back up. Is this a sign of needing new plugs? Basically I want to know from the experienced D owners here what to look out for and I also want the Best gas mileage and the best performance for as little as possible. Thanks for helpng out a New-B.

 

I would say new plugs would be needed with your rough idle and there are quite a few things you can do to your D to get more performance out of it. Go to your local junkyard and pull a throttle body off of a 5.2 or 5.9 D, Dak, or Ram and slap it on your D. Other than that do a search on here and you will find the best ways to get performance out of it for bolt ons.

 

for the low budget in mind, start off with a drop in replacement K&N filter. This will give you a little increase in gas mileage and a little better throttle response.

If you do not know the maintenance history of your D you bought, I would go ahead and have all maintenance done on it and buy yourself a notebook or something to keep all your maintenance receipts and also will be your tracking book to keep up with maintenance. At 54k, you should have all this done to start fresh:

1. Plugs, cap, rotor, etc.
2. Oil change (synthetic recommended)
3. Tranny oil change including transfer case (upgrade to ATF+4 if possible. ATF+4 is chrysler's synthetic oil)
4. Differential oil change
5. Radiator flush
6. Inspect throttle body and clean with B12 chemtool spray if throttle body gummed up. Check IAC sensor and clean that if needed.

Also, at 54k, start monitoring and possibly change these sensors out:

1. Throttle position sensor - rough idle or rpm's surging issues.
2. Transmisson output sensor - no power, rough gear changes, etc.
3. Rear axle sensor - speedo no speed until 25-30 mph or more, abs light on
4. Resistor pack for your A/C blower (very common on 2001-2003 durangos) - Blower working on high speed only

If number 2 or 3 goes out, I recommend to change out both as they both seem to affect each other.

 

300 miles to a tank is not bad i get about that depending on how i drive and i get about 14 -15 around town, and i live in a hilly town, the rough idle on occasion is normal, if it does it frequently replace the plugs, your truck(and mine) doesnt have a rotor or distributor, or wires the 4.7 is coil on plug so no worries about wires

 

Awesome, thanks for the tips everyone. I will try to get some pics up soon. Im due an oil change, so you say synthetic, which synthetic is best? I will get a K&N filter when I change the oil. Im sure they have a reference book that tells me which one right? Thanks again!

 

Just go with whatever brand you grew up and feel comfortable with. There are so many synthetic brands. As long as you change out the oil every 5k, it does not matter what brand synthetic you use.