Hey guys, new to the dodge forum, so be kind....! Here's the deal. My father-in-law was kind enough to give my son a 1999 durango slt, for his 16th birthday! It has 102,000 miles on it, and for the most part , is in pretty good shape. He's the type of guy that didn't pay much attention to maintenance...... just got in it and went. Before he turned over ownership to my son, he did the following.....

New tires
Had ''small oil leak '' repaired
Had speedometer repaired
Oil & Filter change
Replaced air filter
Had A.C repaired

Since we got it, here's what I've done..........

Got rt. rear power window working. Not sure what I did, but it's working
for now anyway!
Got rt.rear power lock actuator from junk yard and replaced broken one
Added 1/2 gal of antifreeze ( worried as to why it was a 1/2 gal low....
will keep an eye on that fluid level for sure.!
Flushed heater core ( very nasty )
We had good air flow, but very little heat so the above 2 things I did
gave us great cabin heat
Removed and thoroughly cleaned throttle body, very, very nasty!
Changed "original spark plugs" also very nasty. Couldn't even tell what
the gap was on them, gap tool wouldn't read that high!
Looked for reason for "small tranny leak'' found all pan bolts to be just
better than finger tight.
Had annoying squeaking in front end.... Removed and greased sway-bar
bushings...squeak gone!
Also greased all front end fittings
Raised torsion bars, rubber bumpers were sitting on frame....
Renewed headlights using restorer kit. lights look brand new!


I think thats about it, but I do have one question..... After cleaning the throttle body and installing the new plugs which I gapped at .040, is it normal for it to smoke the first few times its started? I just figured it is ''cleaning'' itself out. Any suggestions on anything else that should be done? Thanks Bill

 

Wow i am suprized that it still ran on the OEM plugs!

 

Was it dry down inside the intake when you cleaned the TB?

Based on cleaning the TB, if the smoke was thereafter, yea probably normal.

Not at the dealer, at a trusted local trans shop, have the transmission pan dropped, bands adjusted, MOPAR filter replaced and refill. NO FLUSH. While in the shop, have both diffs drained and refilled.

Look straight down on the stat. Are there any yellow signs of antifreeze leakage? If so, there was the reason the low coolant. Replace stat and gasket. We will hope that it isn't a heater core leak. If you smell maple syrup, it likely/unfortunately is.

Did you replace the plug wires, coil, cap and rotor? If not, do so. Easy 1 hour DIY job.

For a 1999, low miles. Congrats!

IndyDurango

 

Thanks guys......yeah I was equally surprised it was still running on those plugs based on shape they were in!
Before I removed the t.b, I started to clean it and then decided that I was just spinning my wheels,couldn't possibly get it clean the way I wanted it. So yes, It was wet down in the intake. Back to the plugs for a moment..... because they were so nasty, is it possible that they weren't allowing for total combustion and maybe the combustion chambers were dirty and now with the stronger plugs, its " cleaning " itself?
As far as the tranny, I do need to do that, but it is shifting correct and very smooth. I'll be honest,in the past, it seems like whenever I have dropped a tranny pan to change a filter , I always seem to have problems after that....
I did look for an antifreeze leak at the thermostat and water pump, but could find no signs of leakage,and I dont smell antifreeze , nor is the carpet wet or does it smell in the cabin. I'am hoping its just his lack of maintenance.
His wife was the primary driver and it was only driven a mile to her work, so she probably never complained about not having good heat due solely to not having time to heat up.
Planning on doing wires , cap, and coil . Is on my list, but son needs to get some more money together.....Making him pay for half of all parts, trying to get him to understand owning a car can and will be costly. Told him we're not gonna practice the gas and go method of driving ! Bill

 

Once carbon is stuck to metal it is not gonna come off with a stronger plug. Glad to hear you and your son are liking the D. I was very glad when I got mine, my first vehicle (92' ford exploder) was on its last legs. The D was a huge improvement over everything, mpgs, power, and stability.

 

As indy spotted on, if the intake manifold was wet (looking throught the TB) majority of times the intake manifold plenium has a leak (flimsy plate attached/under the manifol that protects from the lifter valley)

 

Well if oil is pooled down in the bottom then the gasket is gone, but just a little mist on the sides is vaporized and condensed oil from the PCV valve.

 

better milage with your 5.9 durango then a 4.0 exploder? wow, not that im saying the explorers are great on gas, but I didn't think they were that bad haha.

 

Yeah it was so low on compression it was unbelievable. It could only hit 82mph down hill and got 9-10mpg. But I'm averaging the same as my friends well maintained 91' explorer 2dr 4.0l with less miles than my D (14 city/18hwy) now that I got my home brew intake on. I would definitely look into the intake plenum, that will kill mileage and power, not to mention cause excess carbon build up.