This thread is very simple, your about to buy a Dakota and you want to know the things to look at before you purchase it... Follow the list below and details on how you can tell it needs to be replaced.

Thank you, and if anyone else wants to add to this post please make a post with the info and ill edit this post as we get more info.

For now ill cover the Basics.


Upper and Lower Ball Joints - If wheel rocks back and forth, or the joints are ripped and falling apart they are bad

Belly Pan Gasket 3.9, 5.2 and 5.9 only - Look into Thottle body if you see any oil it needs to be replaced

Transmission Shift Problems 1-2 or 2-3 (Autos only 46re) - Govenor Sensors need to replaced or rebuilt (Transgo makes a Kit) bands need adjustment or replaced, short in tranny harness, I would recommend a Stage 1 or 2 Transgo Shift Kit to correct all the OEM Problems with the Auto Trans

Water Pump - Check for corrosion/white stains on the bottom of the water pump it likes to leak

Coolent Temp Sensor - Small Sensor on the Intake manifold easy to replace and cheap

Thottle Body Sensors IAC and TPS - Both like to clog up or stop working or go out and cause the truck to die, idle wrong, surge, ect...

O2 Sensors - All of Cryslers Cars/Trucks LOVE to run rich, causing our o2s to crap out faster then normal. Bad Fuel Economy, Rough Idles, CELS can be thrown for this.



more to come....

 

I may not be good at english, but...

 

maybe you should edit it for like years and engines/trans types because the belly pan gasket is on the 5.2's 5.9's and the tranny problems happen more with the older style than the new ones on the 4.7's

 

fixed..

 

wait, i thought the 3.9 could be affected by the belly pan gasket too, am i mistaken?

 

fixed

 

i know one ting i would check is the side panels of the bed, especially the ones without the fender flares they tend to rust out suddenly from the inside out, i made this mistake with my truck and now its completely rotted out

(only northern states of course, where they use salt on the roads in the winter)

 

paint, especially the green seems to be falling off just about every dakota i see of this vintage. I actually just shot a new coat of clear on my roof in an effort to slow the inevitable

 

I have an 2004 Dakota SXT 2WD with I think the original Bjs and Shocks.

Might the O2 sensor still be harming my mileage if it is not showing up on the instrument panel as a check engine?

 

Also, if possible you may want to have the truck checked out by a real good alignment person. The V-8 trucks seem to have a problem with the front towers shifting inward if they have been driven kinda hard.