I just purchased a '04 Dakota, 4.7 litre, club cab, 4x4.
No tow package.
This is my 4th Dakota but I pretty much used 'em as I got 'em.
Iwant to set this up tobe able to tow about 5000lbs worth of camper andcan use some input of basic things I should work on.
I have a Class 3 hitch on the way and will get the harness locally.
Should I work on tightening or lifting the rear end?
How about tranny?
I am new to the forum and any help is appreciated.
Thanks
dk

 

auxillary transmission cooler, stock one won't cut it

 

Hi, welcome to the boards!
Assuming your camper has brakes of some kind, a brake controller is a must. Most folkslike the Tekonsha brand of brake controllers. You will need to find out the total tongue weight allowed for your truck, (should be in the manual if you got one)and if you don't go over that, then you'll not have to worry with the rear suspension. For the tranny, I'll say that a flush and fill would be a good idea, probably still has good fluid in it, but a fluid replacement would give 'peace of mind'. Also adding an aux. tranny fluid cooler couldn't hurt. Have your cooling system checked, and possibly flushed and filled. Dump in a bottle of "Water Wetter'. Don't overlook the radiator cap, they're cheap, and may as well replace it just for good measure. Matter of fact, my truck's temp gauge was having more fluctuations than I felt acceptable, so I started with changing the rad. cap, and that fixed the problem. No more fluctuations, and the needle does not rise as high as before. How's your truck running in general? A new set of plugs is cheap and fairly easy to install on the 4.7. Get a new air filter, and clean the throttle body. Get a fresh oil change, and maybe move up to a synthetic like Amsoil, Redline, Royal Purple, or Mobile-1. Check the levels of the front and rear diffs, the xfer case, steering fluid, and brake fluid. If you're running 87 octane, maybe bump up to 89 to help with possiblepinging while pulling. Make sure your tires are up to snuff on tread, and have a load rating high enough to handle the extra downforces. Every little performance enhancement you can do will help your towing experience overall. I know I've probably missed a bunch more things you can/could/should check, but I'm sure others will check in with more ideas.[/align]

 

Thanks,
How hard is the tranny cooler install?
Can a rookie manage it or do I take it to a shop?
Other then the basics, oil, plugs, etc..I havn't done much work on my trucks but willing to try if it's reasonable.
I have a Cold Air intake kit coming, bought a cheap one off eBay.
I'll let you know how it works.
So far she runs great ( 3 days) but I'd like to improve mileage if I canand get her ready for towing.
dk

 

Tranny cooler is easy to install for anyone that has a little experience in turning a wrench. I put one on my 2000 Durango, it took about 30 minutes. I bought a Hayes cooler from Napa, some trans hose, a couple of couplers and clamps. I mounted mine in front of the condenser, wanted maximum cooling potential. Have had it about an year, no problems with it or the trans what so ever.