Long story - I wanted a truck. My wife gave me two rules, 1. No payment & 2. All 4 of us must fit.

Hmm - that definately leaves out a 2010 cummins - but in looking around a found a 2001 quad about 2 minutes from where I work.

Long story short - I bought it & it overheated on the drive home - oil pressure tanked when it warmed up & temp spiked. I took it back. Really too bad to because it was in pristine condition except for the MAJOR ENGINE ISSUE!

So now I was hooked. I wanted the quad & I need 4x4 & really liked the 4.7 V8 - decent power & sound - easy on the gas.

I found 3. 1st was 2 hrs away, 2nd was 3 hrs away & 3rd 4 hrs away.

So on Saturday the wife & I head to the closest one. Its a 2004 quad, 4.7 4x4 with not too many options. Manual seats etc, but air & power windows/locks. Has 145k on the clock. No rust anywhere & really looks in excellent condition.

I started the horse trading & feel I stole it from the dealer because there were a couple of issues.

1. CV boot was torn, but the grease that flew everywhere on the test drive was clean (looked new?) & there are no sounds or vibrations. Verdict = $12 part & me on this coming saturday. It really did cost $12.

2. The AC doesn't blow out the front vents. It blows out the defroster & some out the footwell, but none out the front. I've lurked around some & seems this was common to the Dak's. Something about the vent door stop breaking.

In any case - I'm worried about #2. It goes to the dealer tomorrow for an estimate.

I want to know - is this something I can fix myself or am I doomed to have them rake me?

Is there an easy to read/follow how to guide that shows how this is fixed?

By the way - the AC blows cold & the fan works on all levels, low to high. Just can't get the air out the front vents.

Any help is much appreciated.

Oh - one last thing - This is the 43 vehicle I've owned since turning 16 many years ago - & the very first Dodge! I've owned a ton of jeeps, but never a dodge. So far I'm likin' it.

thx.

 

Welcome to the forum! I do recall other topics on this issue. Explore and use the search feature. Keep us updated even if you find the answer elsewhere. It is nice to bring a conclusion to a thread.

Congratulations on the quad cab!

 

If its just the door that is messing up you prob looking 400 max id say same thing happened to our 01 grand cherokee was 215.00 for blend door to be fixed

Oh and welcome to the forum

 

There is an actuator for the blend door, it's on the left side of the underside of the dash, above and to the right of the gas pedal. It can be replaced without removing the dash or the HVAC housing, but you have to know where it is and be able to reach up in there and remove it and install the new one. There are 2 more actuators inside the HVAC housing for the blend doors, if those are broken then the dash and HVAC housing have to come out and that is expensive to have done, but it is possible to do at home if you have the tools and the knowledge for the job.

There is a sticky topic at the top of the 2nd Gen page here where you can download a 2001 Dakota Service Manual. The info for the HVAC should be the same for your 2004. I don't know for sure if there is any info on the actuator in the manual, I think it should be there though. Maybe when you go to the dealer the Parts Dept. can blow up and print out the pictures from the parts catalog showing the location of the blend door actuator.

Good luck and congrats on the new truck. And welcome to the forum. There are a lot of good guys here that can help you.

Jimmy

 

Thanks guys - its in the shop now - I expect a call any minute with the amount. We will see - If I choose to do it myself I have to pay the $100 for the diagnose, Anything reasonable & I'll have them do it.

Any thing crazy & I get out the duct tape!

 

Just got the call. $700 - broken blend door - $175 part + $525 labor

Then they actually tried to sell me a new light bulb for the third brake light. I knew it wouldn't be cheap - It's actually not as bad as I expected. I had heard in the $1200 range.

Honestly - that still doesn't put in anywhere near what they were asking for the truck. I still think I got a deal.

 

How exactly does the blend door break? Its not as if it is exposed where you can kick it or something.

Sounds like a serious design issue if there have been so many of these break.

Can you guys tell me other common issues I should keep an eye out for?

So far the truck needs some maintenance, but nothing I would call serious. I'm going to change the CV boot this weekend + service the T-case & diffs, maybe even pull the trans pan & replace the filter etc.

Any got'cha's I need to look out for?

 

I would not be paying that one thats ridiculous 500.00 for labor hell im in the wrong field. I remember something back when we got our jeep done(dont know if same but prob) they break because they have a plastic hinge