Hey everybody,

I have a 2000 Dakota with the 3.9 6 cyl, 4x4, Auto. It currently has 170,000 miles on it and I was wondering if you guys had any ideas on how to get more power out of it and keep it going as long as possible.

I have a 14 ft utility trailer for ATV's and random yardwork and an 18 ft boat. The truck has a pretty difficult time towing the boat but luckily I generally don't go more than 25 miles to a ramp.

Im looking for relatively cheap ways to get a little more power out of my engine, and I would also like to keep it going for as long as possible. Most of my driving is on the highway. The engine is starting to get a pretty good knock and lately it has been giving off that "old engine" smell when I start it.

I do the maintenance myself and on time, oil changes, air filter, etc with the hopes of the more I give it, the more it will give back.

What else can I do? So far I have thought electric fan, possibly a TB spacer and have also considered the JET performance module. Has anybody used this with good results? Is exhaust and intake worth it?

Please keep in mind that I am trying to keep this pretty low budget, the truck is getting old and lots of stuff is starting to go. I am also pretty crafty, so don't be afraid to throw out do it yourself things. Ultimately a cummins 4bt swap would be perfect, but I don't have the money for that.

Thanks for your help and suggestions.
-Dave.

 

Well I can at least help you out with saying TB spacer does nothing on a FI vehicle and the jet chips are junk also. Instead of dumping money into your v6 to get more power your better in the long run to swap in a v8.

 

well first off i would take a good look at the finding the knock.
if you're looking for performance on a budget that means just bolt ons. try a high flow intake, shorty headers, try swapping in the 5.2 tb it will flow much better. tb spacers are worthless on fi engines so that is just a waste of money. get a 180* t-stat, jet chip, 8.5mm msd wires and some autolites 3923's. electric fan is a must and if you have a/c and you dont really use it then take it all out(compressor, condensor, evaporator, etc.) it weighs about 75lbs. plus you wont have the load on the belt to worry about anymore.

hope this helps

 

A 5.2 tb would be too much for a stock 3.9. You are talking about going from a 39mm to a 47mm in stock basic castings. You would lose your bottom end and that is not alot with a 3.9 in the first place, they are not torque monsters to start with like a 5.9. Some people experience loss of bottom end when going from a 47mm to a 52mm. How can someone expect a 3.9 to jump up 8mm's in throttle bore openings without any other mods to support such airflow. Not to mention you then have to spend more money on a v8 throttle cable. Your best bet is a modified 3.9 throttle body that has been opened up to the full 42mm. I have modded over 100 throttle bodies and do occasionally run into people wanting to put a true 50mm on a almost stock 3.9, doing the math this does not make sense so I always steer them into the direction of a ported and polished 3.9 throttle body and they are all happy with the results.

 

superchips would help you a little...stay away from jet