Well fellas, lately I have been doing a little maintenance to my truck to keep her running. Think im going to drive her till she falls apart. I got it with 60k miles on it and now 2.5 years later she has 105k on it. She has treated me great and the only thing I have done is regular maintenance and rotors. *knock on wood*

Having just hit the 100k mark I decided to do a bit of maintenance to her. I did the following:

* Oil/Filter Change.
* Front and Rear Differential Fluid.
* Transmission filter/fluid.
* Distributor cap / new plugs / wires.
* Transfer case fluid.

Is there anything important I am missing?

There are a few problems I am currently having that I am hoping to maybe get answered also.

1- My coolant reservoir always seems to go empty. I can top it off and about a week later when I check the stick it shows no fluid. Now the truck has never overheated and its a slow leak to the point I do not notice anything sitting on the ground after topping it off and going out the next morning. So I am just thinking there may be a leak in the reservoir. Is that a common issue with these? How hard are they to replace, I noticed the part is fairly cheap.

2- The truck has been riding a little rough lately. When im cruising and just barely have my foot on the gas the wheel will kind of shake and the overall ride seems a little rough. If I let off the gas it is fine. Also if I hit the gas good and kind of speed up a good bit it will mostly go away or not be as noticeable. So you mostly feel it when just cruising. I was thinking of rotating my tires to see if that fixes it. What else do you think could cause that?

 

Welcome to the forum...I don't know about 4wd issues much. But the things you have done make perfect sense at 100K. If it's never been done you might remove and clean the throttle body. Lube the pivot points and linkage with silicone spray and reinstall it with a new gasket. I never heard or read about a leaking coolant reservoir but I guess it's possible. I'd take a look at and replace any hoses that are swollen, cracked or in otherwise bad shape. Check the heater hoses amd all the hose clamps too.

The vibration and shaky steering at cruising speed sounds like a tire out of balance. Maybe get them rotated and balanced too. It could also be a warped or bent rim or out of round tire. The balance machine will tell if it is. I had Michelin LTX's on my Dakota that had 55K on them. They had plenty of tread left and looked to be in good shape but it developed a rough ride and bad vibration problem from 30MPH on up. I had to replace the shocks and tires to get rid of it. I think one or more of my old tires had some sort of internal failure. I got a set of new Firestone Destination LE 235/75R15's and they are a great tire for the money. I just could not afford Michelins this time.

At 100K if you still have the original shocks it is probably time for a new set. A worn shock could cause the vibration problem you have. I used Monroe Reflex on mine, it's a 2WD and I don't tow or go off road. They worked out great but you might do better with a 4wd type shock like KYB or Rancho. Check out the bushings and steering components too. The shaking steering could be from a loose tie rod end and that can also cause vibrations in the steering.

Others here will have more info for you. Welcome. This is a great Dakota forum and some real good guys are on here.

Jimmy

 

Jimmy,

Thanks for you advice. You definitely brought up a few points I hadn't thought of. If anyone else has any input I would love to hear it also. Thanks again. This is a great forum.

 

I'd also say check the motor mounts too to see if you have a bad one causing the shake/vibration. Letting off the gas and then the vibration/shake disappears could be a broken motor mount. If the engine shifts position or moves too much or looks like it wants to jerk down when you put it in gear and take it out of gear and/or give it gas that might be an indication the motor mount is torn.

Also when you clean the TB, very gently clean the pintle end of the Idle Air Control valve. Use a shop rag soaked in carb cleaner to get the crusty black stuff off it, and clean the tiny hole in the IAC orifice on the TB with a toothpick, It wil help ensure a smooth idle. Do not drop or handle the IAC roughly or you will need a new one.

Jimmy

 

Thanks again Jimmy. Motor mount is what I was thinking. Of course I dont know where they are and what to look for so I can really say. Most of that stuff I dont know how to do but am going to get a book and see what I can figure out. First I will get my tires rotated and balanced