Hey fellas.

Just found this forum, glad I did...
I'm looking for some info.

I have a 2003 Dakota, 3.9 () But I love my truck. I've got a 3" body lift, Gibson dual exhaust, and some other stuff...
I'm looking to add some performance. I want to ad some headers, but am having trouble finding them for the 3.9L... Anyone have some advice as to where I can find some?

Also looking for a CAI. I have a K&N Typhoon on my 06 accord, just wondering which brand you would recommend for my dak. Any other bolt on parts to add performance?

Thanks


Rob

 

truck looks good. probably best bang-buck deal is the V8 throttle body. second would be superchips, but expensive.

 

Well I need new headers cause mine are rusting off, and one has a hole in it, and sounds like sht, and I'm pretty sure is killing my performance... like 5th gear on the highway is like i'm driving a slug...... I'll have to downshift to 4th to go up slight hills, and whatnot.... Plus my Gibson exhaust sounds amazing, and I want to make it better w/ the headers.

Anyother problemI remember that i have is I do alot of offroading, and when water starts going up in the engine bay, something gets wet, and my truck dies.... I've had to wait as much as an hour before it'll start again. Its not the intake..... I need to make a gap guard kit, where I have to body lift on... But still, its a pain... Any ideas?

 

jba and gibson are the only 2 companies i can find that make headers for the 3.9 but they run about $450 for chrome plated ones the ceramic coated ones are around $650, ive heard that the k&n for the 5.9 will fit the 3.9 but im not sure bout what years will work. id go for homemade. a good set of plugs wires and a brass cap and rotor helps too
02 dakota cc 3.9
flowmaster duals
"homemade" CAI
TB spacer (expensive doorstop)
MSD Ignition

 

I can't find the Gibson ones for the 3.9

 

as for dying from water...these drivelines are all electronic. So just about any short can cut power. I wouldn't know on a specific area to look, but the crank trigger would be a suspect item since it's down low, second would be any sensors on the T-case if it's 4wd. If you had time to kill, i'd say go to a self-service car wash, and spray things with it running, till it dies. If nothing you can get to does it, you know it's somewhere in the back half of the driveline.

 

http://www.jcwhitney.com/GIBSON-PERF...1747_10101.jcw

heres a link

 

Yea, probably end up trying that w/ a garden hose...

02dakslt, the link didn't work, but I went and found it. And they ship to Canada.

Thanks!
Magnethead, any ideas as to why I have like 0 power in 5th gear? Could a leaky header cause that? Like I live on the Trans Canada, where its 90kph, and I can drive w/ my foot on the floor in 5th, and still loose speed.... It sucks.

 

manual i'm guessing, since they don't have the 545- for the dakota....

If the powerband is fine in the same RPM range in every other gear, and only 5th is a lagger, I wouldn't be looking at the motor so much. A loss in backpressure on 1 cylinder, while it'll cause a slew of balancing and misfire issues, shouldn't fall on it's face.

Here's what i would do- put the back end on jackstands and a jack, and run it through the gears without bringing it too far off idle. It'll be under driveline drag, but no aero or road drag. If it stalls going into 5th, i'd be looking at the trans myself, possibly a shift fork. differential drag would always be present, and a motor consition we be likewise.


If it runs fine no load, then I'd be back looking at the motor.

If you don't have such an elaborate garage, I suppose you could also start slipping the clutch to the point of coasting in gear on the highway and see what it wants to do.

 

Yea, it varies sometimes also.
On a level road, change going up, hit 75-80 say, and put it into 5th, and it will accel up to 90, but i need to floor it to get it up any higher... and it takes for ever. If its an uphill, sometimes its fine, others not... Like I had my truck up to 130kph the other day.. I dunno, its just wierd how sometimes it feels dead and doesn't want to go any faster w/ my foot on the floor.... I dont have jacks/stands... Could you explain better what you mean by slipping the clutch etc.... thanks