Hey Folks,I have a 2003 Dodge Dakota Q.C. and it has the 4.7 with the 5sp automatic. Well the main question is my wife and I are going to be pulling a 6x12 trailer loaded with furniture and some misc. items.We are also going to load the bed of the truck which won't be much and taking a 350 mile trip.Now the dakota does NOT have the Trailer Tow package.Do I need to install a Transmisson Cooler or will the transmisson be OK. This truck has 121000 miles on it and I know that the transmisson was serviced at 50000 and has not been serviced since.Also should I have the rear axle serviced also.I had a 2001 Dakota about five years ago and I was pulling a 18 foot Four Winds and about 60 miles down the road the rear diff started smoking and I had to replace the carrier and the ring and pionin.
I just want to make sure that I am not stranded on the side of the Interestate on Easter weekend.Any help would be great from you.

 

Well, I would say 2 things. Keep up with your Maint. per the manual at a minimum; and if you're concerned, do it.

Rear: Call it an hour if you've never done it. drain, refill with a good fluid(pending your rear, with or without the slipper agent) Synthetic is my vote, but thats like arguing plugs, tires or anything.

Trans, Most likely I would flush it and replace while youre home, and umm...not on the side of the road Adding the cooler never hurts. Just depends on your budget. I have a 5spd, so I'm inidfferent to these things lately.

But, a 12ft trailer with furinture isnt a big deal..unless you like solid steel furniture...ha! I hauled 400' of chain link fence and some other crap 320mi from NY and the truck really didnt notice much. Also, a ton of pellets in bed and on the trailer (2 total) was a bit rough on the springs, but motor was happy.

Might also want to check your coolant life; has it been serviced? I mention this because it shares the cooling capacity of your radiator, and if that is loading the radiator with heat, it will only negate the effects for your trans, and expedite any failures in either.

 

Well I do know that the Antifreeze was done last week I had to replace the upper radiator hose that was leaking. As for the rear axle I am going to use the Valvoline 85w140 with a bottle of friction additive.I have read that a lot of people are switching over to the thicker oil if doing any towing.I am going to install a trans cooler.The cooler is not a very expensive item compared to a Transmisson,so it will not hurt.I have also read that this transmisson has TWO filters inside,a main filter and a Cooler return filter,should both of these filters be changed,I did not know that the spin on filter was installed on trucks without a trans cooler.So I think I will go ahead and service the transmisson also.
I think I am just a little gun shy since I have lost one rear axle in a Dakota pulling a trailer.Maybe if I take care of everything it will be alrite

 

college prof once said: prior preparation prevents poor performance.

 

^^^
haha nice

 

I think if your total weight of what you are towing is under about 4000 lbs. you will be perfectly fine. Sounds like you are on top of regular maintenance so I doubt you will have any problems.

 

I keep my vehicles a long time. My Dakota has 230K miles on it, and I have had a couple of other vehicles go past 200K before as well.

WIth that said, I always add an aux. transmission cooler to every automatic car that I have owned. Heat kills transmissions. I also religiously change the trans fluid with quality brands. Knock on wood, I have never had a transmission failure in 25 years of driving.

 

Well I went ahead and installed a NAPA Hayden trans cooler. I also serviced the transmisson.I have been in Automotive Service for a couple of years and I have not seen a internal screw on canister filter before.You would think that Chrysler would had mounted the Canister filter outside of the transmisson for ease of service but I am just a flunkey.While I was at it I went ahead and serviced the Transfer Case with some Royal Purple Max ATF,serviced the rear axle with some Valvoline 85w140 and some stinky friction modifier.And the best thing that I did was install a set of Cooper Discover 275/70/16.These tire make the truck look and drive a whole lot better.I think the only thing that bothers me is the truck does sit about a inch lower on the drivers side than the passenger side.I was able to turn the bars up two turns on the drivers and one turn on the passenger side and it still sets lower but that is minor.What a differance a set of tires make.

 

Sounds like you're set!

I hope the height difference was before the tires

 

I do have to admit that since I have done the services te truck really does feel and sound a lot smoother. The only other thing that keeps coming up is the sludge issue.Do all of the 4.7's have this problem? I remember when I was doing Dealership Service the Dodge 2.7's actual warranty companies would not stand behind them and Banks would not lend money on these cars with the 2.7.I really hope that the 4.7 is not in the same group as the 6 cylinders.Other than that and the fuel mileage it is a really nice truck