I recently replaced my old K&N air filter that had 115,000 on it with a brand new Framm filter. After switching i noticed an increase in back pressure, is this bad? It seems like the truck is working a lot harder to get going. Also, recently when i started backing up i notcied that the truck seems to be stuck for a moment, and then eventually goes after i give it enough gas. I have a 99 Sport 4x4 5 Sp. manual 3.9 v6 with suspension lift and flowmaster 40. Also, i recently loosened my front torsion bar in hopes of getting a little better suspension on the terrible streets in my town, (they were cranked really high so that the truck was riding level) but since then i have noticed when i hit the brakes the front end kinda wobbles, like the truck will move forward after the tires have stopped, is that bad? should i crank the torsion back up? i bought the truck used with the lift, and i hate the suspension on it...anything i can do?

 

sorry to post again, but i was wondering about pulling codes from my truck. does the 99 work with the on off method? or do i have to go get it scanned somewhere? if the check engine light isnt on at the time it wont show any codes will it? thanks

 

the suspension on the dakotas has always been tight. you should have simply got a new k&n filter, that fram filter will have to be changed in 10k-20k miles anyway. as far as the check engine light, you will need to go to a facility to have it read. for some reason, the 99 year wont work with the on-off-on-off-ect.. method. auto zone will allow you to read the check engine code for free.

 

sounds like the fram is far more restrictive than the k&n... did your mileage change?

 

i cant really tell what i get for mileage anymore....i am going to school in Duluth MN and the town is on a hill, and since its all city driving i had averaged around 12 even with the K&N. I think I will go buy a new k&N as soon as i can afford it. if my check engine light isnt on, there wont be any codes to pull correct? i feel like my o2 sensor is dirty but cant really figure out how to check it without a voltometer. also, anyone have any ideas to make my flowmaster 40 muffler on stock pipes sound better? at times it sounds good but others it sounds like a rice getter, anyone else notice this? its 99 3.9 4X4 5 sp. manual.

 

one thing you can do is clean the o2 sensor with CRC electronic parts cleaner from the auto parts store... pull the o2's and spray them real good thru the openings that are exposed to the exhaust stream.. I cleaned about a dozen sensors so far and all of them worked really well afterwards.

I have no input on yout exhaust issue... sorry.

 

thanks guys, is there anything i can really screw up by messing with the o2 sensor? im pretty new to everything, but i have been reading how to do it in my chiltons manual. it seems easy enough for me to do it myself. i just want to make sure i wont mess anything up worse then it is.

 

you don't need to buy a new K&N just clean it re-oil it and put it back in.

 

you should be fine, just remove o2 sensor, spray liberally, wipe away excess, reinstall.

 

Even though it is a manual transmission, the fluid still needs to be flushed. I believe that that Dakota comes factory filled with their ATF fluid. TECHNICALLY there should be synchro mesh fluid. Justs the soft metals used to make the synchros reacts better to the temp changes and easier on the gears. It runs about $9 a quart but the good thing is you only need 3. Make sure you can get to the fill hole before you drain. If it's 4X4 same thing that should be flushed out along with the diffs. That will really help you get your truck more efficient. Another thing you can do is clean the throttle body, bore and plate to help the air flow a lot freer. Run a good in tank fuel system cleaner and if you have the inclination, there is a cleaner that cleans out the intake manifold through a vacuum line while the engine is running.