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Pickups Dodge Dakota Dodge Dakota Owners-Archived Discussions Dodge Dakota: Problems & Solutions 
4362 messages, Last post on Oct 18, 2006 at 8:06 PM
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Replying to: jody (Jul 07, 2004 4:09 pm) Auto Zone has a diagnostic tester that they lend to anyone who has I.D. The don't advertise this fact, but it is good to know. My '99 dakota has 70,000 miles and the speedometer went out, in turn the , the ABS light came on AND the red brake lamp. The problem turned out to be the speed sensor valve, mounted on the rear differential housing. What really sucks is that you might think you can do without the speedometer for awhile, but when the ABS light comes on,it's telling you that it automatically turned itself off. Better not slam on your breaks! |
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Replying to: missmae (Aug 25, 2006 10:25 am) On my 04 Dakota 4x4 Quad my first set warped, and warped BADLY, at just after 7500 miles of all highway driving. After fighting with my dealership to even get them to admit that there was a vibration problem they admitted that all four rotors were warped and replaced them with a new set for free. I was fine for 3-4 months, then that 2nd set started causing another steering wheel vibration when braking right after my 12000 mile goodwill brake replacement period was up. It started as a very minor shimmy so I tolerated it until 45 thousand miles when it got so bad that the whole truck would vibrate violently in hard braking and when you tried to talk while the brakes were applied your voice waivered like you were sitting in the middle of an earthquake. As of 1000 miles ago there is now a set of Raybestos rotors with Bendix titanium metallic II pads on the front and the truck is now 100% vibration free in all braking situations. This is the best the truck has ever felt in braking, with much better pedal feel. Finally feels like I have something that can stand up to a little abuse. It'll eventually get the same combo on the back. Gas and time repeatedly going back to the dealership can be cost prohibitive and the stress of having such problems with a new vehicle probably isn't worth it anymore even if you're getting goodwill replacements. And if you're no longer getting free replacements I definitely wouldn't let a dealership put factory brakes on the truck again. Whatever they did to fiddle with the brake lines won't help and the thing about the brakes seating with the pads eventually solving the vibration problems isn't true. They're lying to you just so you go away without raising an even bigger stink. Dodge Dakota rotors are utter garbage, plain and simple. IMHO, do some research on the net and get a consensus on good aftermarket rotor/pad combos for your truck. Mine works for me, but you may want something different. The important part is make sure none of it is mopar. Spend 100-150$ for good front pads and rotors and another 60$ for the labor and then enjoy problem-free braking for another 50-100,000 miles. They don't make them like the used to. My old 95 Ranger had the factory rotors on it when I traded with one resurfacing at 100K, and I beat the snot out of that truck. On the Dak if I would have kept getting factory brakes put on I'd probably literally need rotors with every oil change. The one good thing I can say is between rotor issues and wheel balance issues, I have gotten really good at 'seat of the pants' diagnosis of vibration problems.
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Replying to: eharri3 (Aug 30, 2006 12:27 pm) I went thru factory rotors and some expensive "powerslot" rotors too. This is what the powerslot looked like after 3 winters. Now, I have the Raybestos / Bendix rotors installed on my dakota. They have lasted TWICE as long as the factory or the "powerslot" rotors and are still going. I dont know about you .... but it is a big waste of my time to do a rinky-dink job on my brake system. In the long run it costs less and is safer to just install quality components and be done with it. |
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| I bought a quadcab about a month ago which did not have the rear window defroster option. I asked the dealer roughly how much one would cost, he said that the window itself was $650 plus, but mentioned about a stick-on one from a parts store. The option is only $160 from factory. Has anyone done something like this before? Running wire is a pain but could be done, it would really be nice to see out the rear window in the winter. Thanks for any input - Tom | |
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Replying to: broph (Aug 31, 2006 12:59 pm) Perhaps you just need to start using your mirrors as they are meant to be used. Another option would be to keep a rag in your truck and simply wipe off the rear window on those rare occasions it gets fogged up. OR... you could always drive your Dakota like my wife does mine.... never EVER back up.
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Replying to: me2butch4u (Aug 09, 2006 10:23 am)
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had warranty replacement of master cylinder and power assist unit. brakes are soft and need bled but dealer is either lazy or incompetent , puts more effort into smooth talking than into troubleshooting/repairing. I've been away from shade-tree repairs for a while , what is the procedure for a home hack without a manual to bleed ABS brakes? Sounds like you guys have been through all of this and I hope you still visit the site to help us other poor fools. |
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Replying to: bpeebles (Aug 31, 2006 4:25 pm) |
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Replying to: curious_gears (Aug 31, 2006 9:16 pm) MAF sensor is more accurate. It actually measures the mass of the airflow into the engine and automatically compensates for temparure and air-density. MAF is also more expensive and very sensitive to contamination. (Oiled-guaze airfilters can ruin a MAF sensor) MAP is just a vacuum sensor in the intake manifold. The computer has to also take temparture readings and other sensor inputs to CALCULATE the amount of air entering the engine. MAP based systems are cheeper... but tend to be inaccurate. As airfilter starts to plug and air-density flucuates, its calculations are less than accurate. --------------------- ALSO: Moisture in the fuel has no affect WHATSOEVER on either MAF or MAP systems. The fuel never ever comes anywhere near either of the sensors.
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Replying to: mtrialsm (Jul 21, 2003 4:57 am) |
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