2005 Dodge Dakota SLT 4.7L V8

Hello all. We recently received our inspection report, and it sounds like there are 6 required repairs. We're trying to DIY as many as we can, however we only really have prior experience with one of them: the brake cylinders that need replacing. We're putting in a good amount of research and it sounds like everything is doable, but we know things can be different once you're under the truck with wrench in hand. Do any of these sound like they shouldn't be handled by DIYers in a home garage? Also, we're a bit confused about one of the abbreviations used in the report.

1. Replace CV boot on front drive shaft at TC (struggling to figure out what TC stands for. Upon inspection, none of the CV boots on the front appear to be leaking or damaged, so it sounds like that TC is vital to replacing the correct boot)



2. Replace rear wheel cylinders (this one should be no problem)



3. Brake lines under master cylinder to junction blocks - pitted (we see some rust, and we've read that sometimes you can get away with sanding and greasing the lines if they are still in decent shape)



4. Replace broken manifold bolt in cylinder head left side and recheck for leak when cold (I've heard this can either be easy, or impossible. Purchased lefthanded drill bits, extractors etc. Also, is left side the driver's side?)



5. spec. .020 upper and lower - replace left lower ball joint, suggest replace left upper and right lower too (not exactly sure what spec. is, but they are listed as LU .015; LL .075; RU 0; RL .015)



6. Replace power steering rack - leaking (this seems to be the most expensive part, but a fairly easy replacement job)



If nothing else, we would be indebted to anyone that can identify the mystery of TC.



Thanks in advance!

 

1 find the boots that have a hole/tear in them and replace. 3 if we cant see the line we cant tell how bad it is/ but I think you should just be able to clean it up and be fine 4 left is driver, this one could be tough, especially if the head needs to come off to access the broken bolt. 5 upper ball joint is the whole upper arm, it doesnt come apart, like the lower, but still do able 6 is easy but you need to flush the new rack out/ because there is usually shavings and crap in it from manufacturing it/ lots of ps fluid bt do that.

 

1) That's the boot on the front driveshaft, at the TC (Transfer Case) end. The front driveshaft has 2 different styles of joint - the front is a U-Joint, and the rear (at the Transfer Case) is a CV joint. That boot might be a bit of a bear, as it will require snap ring pliers to remove the shaft from the joint. Fortunately, you can still get the whole joint kit and replace everything while you are there.

2) Easy enough.

3) I mean, if you are comfortable cutting corners, that's your prerogative. Personally, being a safety minded individual, I would just replace those lines.

4) As you said, this could be easy, and it could be a nightmare, it depends how the bolts are broken. If the stud is broken outside of the exhaust port face, a pair of vice grips usually gets it out. However, if the stud has failed internally, it could be a big job. I'm not a fan of the left handed drill bits (especially because these things are usually so rusted that they wont comes out no matter how much bite you get), and since the heads are aluminum, it would be pretty easy to drill somewhere you don't want - water jacket, for example.

5) I think that's them describing play on the ball joints. Uppers are pretty straightforward, Lowers will require a ball joint press tool. Uppers are one piece with the control arm, so you replace the control arms and they comes with new ball joints. Lowers are just the ball joints themselves. An alignment is recommended after doing these.

6) I've ran into rack leaks a few times, both on my truck and a friend's truck. The hose fittings are a pretty tight fit, and don't have a whole lot of give to them. A set of crow's feet will come in super handy here. The fittings are 18mm. I've tried wrenches, and they can get the job done, but I feel the 18mm crowfoot made the job, dare I say, easy. Again, you'll need an alignment after that.

Most of these have videos on YT that can be pretty useful. We all understand wanting to keep costs down, just make sure you aren't getting in over your head. Get the Service Manual, and take your time.

Welcome aboard, and good luck!

 

Thanks to both of you for the replies and info!

I spent a few hours under the front end inspecting things, and I noticed that the steering rack boot was wet from something else coming from above. I wiped everything down, took it for a few half hour drives, and didn't notice any further leaking. I'll keep an eye out, but I kind of suspect that the previous owner spilled something onto/around the engine. Possibly while refilling the oil? None of the fluid levels have budged in the past 2 weeks, so I'm hoping that the cause was a clumsy previous owner. That would explain the steering rack appearing to leak, so hopefully, that's a non-issue now. It's possible that the CV boot is also wet from that leak/spill, but I'll have to go out and check again now that I know where to look.

Regarding the brake lines, I have decided to replace them with new lines since it's only the small run from the master cylinder to the junction.

The broken manifold bolt turned out to be 2 broken bolts Both are on the right side that hold the heat sink on. Probably the two bolts that are the hardest to get to. One is flush, and the other broke pretty deep. I ordered a new heat sink, so I'll be able to really take my time trying to extract. I'm anticipating needing to remove some stuff to be able to get to the lower right bolt. I have a flex-shaft drill attachment and a right angle drill on the way. I'm also going to grab some of those crowfoot wrenches just to be safe.

I'm wondering how thorough they are with the re-inspection. It's free, so maybe I'll get away with a quick look over and a passing grade. Not trying to ignore the issues, but I do have a little over 2 weeks before the temp registration expires and I need another full inspection. Since this is all first time stuff for me, it's going slower than I normally like to roll. I found it interesting that 5 out of the 6 repairs required were all around the driver's side wheel well, though. If it was coincidental, than I got lucky. This truck isn't an everyday driver, just occasional dump runs and large item mover. On the bright side, I am learning a lot of new stuff.

 

It's your truck and your call. Those steering rack boots are a common failure point - usually in the folds of the boot so that you can't see unless you get in there with a good light and go physically looking for holes. And I call BS on the CV boot on the transfer case getting oil on it from the last guy spilling - that boot is basically below the driver's seat. Even a non potty trained 3 year old has better aim than that.

Best of luck with the manifold bolts. Just don't be afraid to call it beyond your skillset and call in the cavalry before you do some expensive damage.

No idea how re-inspection works. I imagine that a lot of shady shops will approve bandaid fixes, but I also know there are some shops that are so "by the book" it's actually a little crazy. Again, your truck and you're the boss. They are all fairly common things, and I have done most of them to my truck.

 

Haven't checked the CV boot yet, so no idea on its condition, but no problem on replacing that since I now know which one it is. I'll give the steering rack boot a closer look within the folds, but so far I haven't noticed any further leaking. Apparently the previous owner was 90+ years old and couldn't drive any longer, so non potty trained 3 year old may not be that far off honestly.

I decided to keep the drill away from the manifold and go with the weld-a-nut-on method to get the bolts out. That way, if it fails, it's probably still fixable by someone more qualified than I am. It's less about the money and more about the pride. I've been binge watching Married With Children recently, so I'm in full Bundy-mode with the spirit of self-reliance.

 

Like another poster said, YouTube is a God send for repairs. I've been fixing cars for 55 years. (60 years of working on them but we won't mention the stuff I did when I was 5 or 6.) I'm not too proud to watch a video of someone else doing something. They often mention what size wrench and so on. This way I have an idea of what will need to be done on something I've never worked with before I get in there. I recently rebuilt a PT Cruiser and there were a couple of tools I didn't have. I got them before I tore into it and everything went just fine.

Before you really tear into it, I'd get a UV Test kit (black light pen and safety glasses) and add some UV dye to the different systems needing repair. Oil based dye for the steering and so on. Drive it a few days and then use the light to see where the leak is. If all the oily surfaces don't have the yellowish green stain from the dye, it was just spilled oil. No need to replace a good part or system.

As for how stringent re-inspection is, I have no idea. Indiana doesn't have inspections except for places like Indianapolis. Around here, if your wheels don't fall off, nobody worries about it.