hello from canada, im looking at buying a 97 dakota 4x4 with the v8 , is there anything i should look at for wear or other issues. thanks trent

 

the main things for that year truck are rust & the AC blend door.

Being V8 it will have the 318 or 360. both good engines that will last a long time if maintained.

When you test drive - make sure the temp comes up to normal. After that come to a stop leaving it in drive & watch the oil pressure. It shouldnt dip much if at all. If it does that indicates excessive wear. Actually this isnt common with those engines so id bet you are fine.


The blend door. This plastic door way deep inside the dash has a tendency to break forcing all air out the defroster. Thouhg this is a cheap part the labor to replace is several hundred. Just had this repair on my 2000 - cost $750 at the dealer.

other than that these trucks are really solid. This is my first dodge & i've had dozens of trucks. I cant complain so far.

 

ball joints

 

thanks guys

 

definitely ball joints also rear end if its a 9.25 with a lsd and do a search for this if you wanna know more its been asked a million times...not trying to sound like a dick just a suggestion for more info! also auto trannys kinda suck so watch out depending on mileage if its a standard tho you should be good to go. hope you join the gen 2 dak family!

 

im taking my father in-law who is a retired mechanic with me for a test drive, between the both of us we should be able to see if anything needs fixing before i decide to buy it.
thanks trent