Thanks. I'm not planning on towing very often or that big of a load when I do. I would only be pulling a 16ft Alumacraft once or twice a year and maybe a small trailer to haul my motorcycle. I'm guessing for these few occurances a UHaul tow package would work just fine without wrecking the Durango.

 

i think dodge would disagree with you on the part about the the durango not being meant for towing



sure its not going to tow like a full size, but for small loads, your camper a small boat, an atv trailer ect its more than adequate

 

Not meant for towing?? i think Edward Herrmann and a few Dodge engineers would disagree with that....

Atleast with the 98 and 99 model years towing was there main focus.. that's why they released the durango to gain best in class towing and why the 7500lb capacity at the high end. That was one of there main marketing points and why there are at least a handful of commericals and ads out for it. Not saying its gonna tow what a diesel would, but its sure well equipped to handle anything the average family would throw at it..

here is some of the marketing from then....

 

Yeah, I don't think I'm to worried about it only towing light loads a few times a year. Thanks Guys!

 

I hope you're not serious..

Remember when a dial tone phone was the best form of communication you could get??

For its time, it was best in class. Compared to today's standards.. Bottom of the bucket. Look.. After towing with my bronco, to a durango to a new ram 2500.. (And everything in between) The durango doesn't tow any better than my 1989 bronco. Under powered and overall not strong enough. Brakes are weak. Suspension too loose.. And this is compared to gas vehicles.

Will the durango tow a trailer? Yes.

Will it do it efficiently? For its time, yes. Today, no.

Does a guy who tows twice a year need a newer vehicle better suited to tow? Nope.

End of day.. It's a bandaid. Not a solution.

 

So, a little update on my Durango......I changed the plugs (which on all the electrodes were wore down even with the porcelain), but I am still getting a Misfire on cylinder 2. The coil pack looked fine, so I'm wondering what should be my next step? change the wires and coil pack?.......or could there be something else triggering that code?

Also, the Durango is now running better and I have picked up about a 1-2 mpg gain

 

I don't think there are wires on the 02. Mine doesn't have any. Change the #2 plug again. Did you disconnect the battery while changing them?

SJ02

 

If you are able to, run a check and see if there is any spark to that wire. Some auto shops or parts store might have the equipment if you don't. I don't have any store recommendations since I am not near you. That would be my first step.

If you can't, do you have any sort of exhaust leak? And is you motor really misfiring, or is it just coming up on the code? I recently had an exhaust leak, which caused some sensors to go haywire and tell me my number 5 cylinder was misfiring for no reason when it wasn't. Just a suggestion, since almost all of us have an exhaust leak on our D's.

 

Thanks, I'm going to test and see if #2 is getting a spark. If not I'll have to test the wires and if they're good I'll change the coil pack to see if that fixes it. But it doesn't sound or act like it's misfiring, so maybe it is just an exhaust leak somewhere.

 

That's a bunch of crap, I tow every day for a living, and of course a durango will never compare to a heavy duty truck specifically made for towing! A dodge durango is a great towing vehicle, even in comparison to a 1500 series pick-up truck. I prefer my 98 5.9L Durango over my 1999 Chevy 1500 ext. Z71. It is a great pulling truck, and it handles very well, despite the shorter wheel frame. No older vehicle can compare to a newer one. There has been 15 years of new engineering into the motors. A 360 motor doesn't have the compression or HP like a newer hemi, but it's still a damn good pulling engine. I don't know where your comparrison's are coming from, but my durango can pull just as good if not better then any similar year truck of the same class. Maybe from a 3.9L V6 or a 4.7L V8, but surely not the big 360 magnum. It's platform is the only negative thing I have to say about the durango, that it would've been a better truck had the based it off of the ram opposed to the Dakota, but that's something they can't correct now. Oh how I would've loved to have a Ram 4dr SUV with a Cummins turbo under the hood, it would've ran ford's gas hog excursion out of the market.

For what you are hauling, a universal class 3 hitch from walmart will be more than enough. Depending on the wiring your trailers need, be conservative. If you're not pulling in excess of 5,000 pounds, you don't need to invest in trailer brakes, unless your trailer and/or state requires. A cheap $25 trailer light kit, along with a $50 class 3 receiver will be all you need. That's about how much it costs here in Texas. Be safe and happy towing !