Hello everyone,

I recently located to a semi-mountaineous area and, as such, needed a 4WD truck. Eventually I decided upon a Quad-Cab, 2000 Dodge Dakota SLT. It has high miles (just over 250K) but, overall, works well. (Sorry I don't yet have a photo. I went back to Craig's List to see if I could find the posting, but it's already been taken down.)

Now I could really use help on figuring out those things that are unique to this truck, both good and bad, as well as upgrades you experts believe might be appropriate.

As an example, I don't intend to do off-roading with it, but I do have a substantial drive up to my property, hence the need for the 4WD.

At this point, I'm not really into "heavy" modifications, but would be very curious as to those things others believe might be beneficial in properly maintaining and adding value to it.

So far, I really like it and am glad I made the choice I did.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and for whatever assistance you can provide.

BL

 

Welcome to the forum and the Dakota. It's a great truck.

What engine/transmission do you have? Is it 4wd or AWD?

Common problem areas are the ball joints, there was a recall for some models. Wear items include the front driveshaft CV joint and the steering shaft u-joints.

Have you given the truck a good service? Change all the fluids, check the brakes, belt, hoses.

Post back with some more info and we'll have more for you.

 

Hi 00DakDan,

Thanks for the welcome.

It is a 4WD.

My mechanic and I (he is a mechanic at a local Dodge dealer, thank God) have identified several issues, one of which is the upper ball joint (this truck was part of that recall which my mechanic/friend said could be replaced for free). Most issues at this point appear to be minor: stereo, door locks, squealing brakes on left side, some grommet that is broken/missing that doesn't allow shifting into and out of 2WD/4WD from the cab (and the shifter just moves freely, but he can crawl under it and manually shift it), noisy and partially-working door locks...stuff like that. It does seem to me to have a low idle (under 500RPM) and it will just die suddenly. (I told my son that's a "feature": I'm not sure he bought it.) So my mechanic/friend has offered to take it for a week or so and get the work done as well as give it a good once-over, just to be sure it's safe and reliable.

It seems that most of the critical stuff works, and works well: transmission, 4WD, engine, front and rear ends, etc. But I think it just needs a tune-up...oh, and four new tires.

I did check the boots on the CV joints. They all looked in good shape. I'm especially familiar with those as a Honda I owned sometime back suffered from a torn boot, and so the "click...click...click" sound, especially when turning, is a vivid memory I have.

I owned a Dodge years ago, but this is the first truck I've owned, much less one with 4WD, so I have a lot to learn. But I'm kinda looking forward to winter. Ok; not really, but at least I have less of a concern about getting stuck.

Thanks so much for the information. I'm sure that between this forum and my mechanic, I'll soon become much more familiar with this truck and how to best take care of it and upgrade it.

BL

 

I had that grommet fail on the 4x shifter too. It's about $12 or so from Dodge.

I don't mean your front CV axles, I mean the front propeller shaft CV axle. It can wear out and make a h*ck of alot of noise.

The door lock actuators can/do wear and get noisy.

What engine??? If it's a V8 it's probably the 4.7. It will have coil packs, no distributor, and a square air hat. The 5.9 will have a distributor and round air hat.

If it's a V6 it's the 3.9.

Clean the throttle body. They do get dirty. You NEED to remove it from the truck to do it right.

Remember too, 4wd is just that. You can not drive on dry pavement or will damage the driveline. 4wd and all wheel drive are different animals.

Good luck with the truck.

 

I'm sure it's the 4.9L V-8.

Nor surprisingly, I've never heard of the "front propeller shaft CV axle." But we're not hearing anything from under the hood or elsewhere that I would consider out of the ordinary (noisy, clunky, etc.). Nonetheless, I'll definitely share with my mechanic those things you've said.

Also, are there any other forums here, or websites in general, that you can recommend I visit/frequent? Like I said, I'm not really into modifying my truck much at all. Still, there may be some modifications that would be useful, or at least worthy to consider.

Thanks again, DD. I do appreciate very much your input.

BL

 

You need new tires eh?

I'll give you a good tip. Check out your local Pepboys... I just got 4 Cooper Discoverer A/T's there (buy 3, get one free sale) for $376 plus they gave me a form for a mail in rebate for another $60 off. That's without installation since i will never allow them to touch any of my vehicles. With you having a friend at the dodge dealer im sure he can hook you up with proper installation.

 

It's the 4.7, then.

The low idle is likely the dirty throttle body. As mentioned, you must remove it to clean it correctly. Take off the IAC (idle air control) and clean clean clean in there.

With the 250K miles, might as well replace the MAP sensor. It's not expensive, and with the TB off, you've already removed everything necessary to get at the MAP sensor.

Glad to have you on board.... good luck with your new ride!

Robb