My new ride

[alderman]

Picked up this Dodge Dakota 4x4 this morning for $5,000. Only 52,000 miles.

A bit nicer than the old Nissan as it has auto tran and V-8.

What she'll be replacing.

 

[Ductape]

Good deal ! Those trucks haul bananas........ and its not even broken in yet.

 

[Circle B MN]

If that has a 4.7L, get ready to buy a motor, then another, then another...Good thing is you can get a used one for $1800, plus install...

 

[cableguy256]

If that has a 4.7L, get ready to buy a motor, then another, then another...Good thing is you can get a used one for $1800, plus install...

?? I'm runnin a '00 with the 4.7, going on 190k miles and not a problem except an exhaust leak... I've known a couple other people with this motor as well. Long as you take care of them they'll take care of you. (just on the side of caution, the '00 was 1st gen of the 4.7)

To the OP, Awesome deal, truck looks great. You'll be happy with it.

 

[John D]

Chrysler has a bunch of engines that are trouble,and they all end in 7...the 2.7 v6 is garbage,the 3.7 liberty engine,and the 4.7 v8....luckily the 5.7 hemi is unaffected,lol.

The 4.7 isnt a very good engine overall.It isnt as bad as the 2.7.Most issues are due to sludge,and neglect,these engines will live if you care for them,Id run full synthetic oil,and change it every 3-5000 miles depending on how hard you use the truck...and if the miles are highway or not...

 

[cableguy256]

Chrysler has a bunch of engines that are trouble,and they all end in 7...the 2.7 v6 is garbage,the 3.7 liberty engine,and the 4.7 v8....luckily the 5.7 hemi is unaffected,lol.

The 4.7 isnt a very good engine overall.It isnt as bad as the 2.7.Most issues are due to sludge,and neglect,these engines will live if you care for them,Id run full synthetic oil,and change it every 3-5000 miles depending on how hard you use the truck...and if the miles are highway or not...

Maybe this is why I don't have problems with mine... first day I had the truck I dumped the oil and put in mobil one full syn. and have used it ever since the 26k miles that were on it when I bought it.

 

[John D]

Maybe this is why I don't have problems with mine... first day I had the truck I dumped the oil and put in mobil one full syn. and have used it ever since the 26k miles that were on it when I bought it.

Sure is..my sister has one of the early problematic 2.7s..she has 150K on it,its been flawless,it got its first oil change at 1000 limes,and gets mobil 1 every 3000 after....no issues....there are class action lawsuits against chrylser for the 2.7-4.7 engines,they have very high failure rates....but everyones in a hurry today...no one has time for maintenance..it seems it isnt important....some engines tollerate it,these engines will not...

 

[cableguy256]

well luckily somewhere along the way I got the trait of taking care of all my stuff.. probably cause I can't afford to pay to get stuff fixed or buy new. lol the wife's jeep on the other hand, I'm convinced that thing would go 20k miles with NO oil. lol 4.0 straight 6.. that thing is bullet proof.

 

[Circle B MN]

Synthetic is the key for the .7 engines. I deal in used auto parts, and on a rare occasion I will come across a 2.7 with 200+ miles on it. Always running synthetic. Didn't mean to rain on your parade, just wante to make you aware of a possible issue. It is a good looking truck ...

 

[avalancher]

Chrysler has a bunch of engines that are trouble,and they all end in 7...the 2.7 v6 is garbage,the 3.7 liberty engine,and the 4.7 v8....luckily the 5.7 hemi is unaffected,lol.

The 4.7 isnt a very good engine overall.It isnt as bad as the 2.7.Most issues are due to sludge,and neglect,these engines will live if you care for them,Id run full synthetic oil,and change it every 3-5000 miles depending on how hard you use the truck...and if the miles are highway or not...

I am going to have to argue with this one,or maybe I was just lucky.
I have the V6,and in my mind that engine has turned out very reliable. I have 175K on that engine right now in my dakota,and the only thing I have had to do is replace a water pump.I change the oil every 2000 miles,mainly because of the abuse I hand out to that truck.I regularly pull a 16ft trailer piled with as much wood as it can hold,and that truck has never complained.

When I moved from alabama to TN,I got a much better deal on my steel shop in alabama than anywhere in TN.I asked the guy about freighting the materials to TN, he wanted 2500 bucks.I decided to haul the material to TN myself,and bought the trailer.I asked the guy what the total amount of weight that the material was going to weigh,figuring on making two trips.he told me that the total amount was 5400lbs.I figured I should be able to get that in one trip.

With a load leveling hitch,I pulled that entire 24X60 shop to TN.It wasnt until years later that I was paging through some old files that I found at the bottom of the packing list that I discovered that man had made a huge mistake.Total weight of that package was 9000lbs.And another 1000lbs for the trailer!

I have always subscribed to a rigorous maintenance schedule,rarely do I allow anything to go over 2000 miles without an oil change.Only exception is the wifes car which gets driven daily to work on the highway, and I never allow it to go over 3000 miles between changes.I have never used synthetic oils, always figured it was better for frequent oil changes of dino oil rather than 5-6K miles of the the synthetic oils as they recommend.

To the OP, in my mind,if you treat that truck with respect and it wasnt abused by the previous owner I think you will be well pleased with that truck.I know I have nothing but the highest regard for mine.

 

[boostnut]

Looks like a nice truck for 5 grand. I have a topper for my 1/2 ton chevy. Do yourself a favor, finds somewhere to store it during your wood cutting season. They seem to do nothing but get in the way. They're handy for some things but make loading and unloading a pita.

 

[12vdzl]

I am going to have to argue with this one,or maybe I was just lucky.
I have the V6,and in my mind that engine has turned out very reliable. I have 175K on that engine right now in my dakota,and the only thing I have had to do is replace a water pump.I change the oil every 2000 miles,mainly because of the abuse I hand out to that truck.I regularly pull a 16ft trailer piled with as much wood as it can hold,and that truck has never complained.

When I moved from alabama to TN,I got a much better deal on my steel shop in alabama than anywhere in TN.I asked the guy about freighting the materials to TN, he wanted 2500 bucks.I decided to haul the material to TN myself,and bought the trailer.I asked the guy what the total amount of weight that the material was going to weigh,figuring on making two trips.he told me that the total amount was 5400lbs.I figured I should be able to get that in one trip.

With a load leveling hitch,I pulled that entire 24X60 shop to TN.It wasnt until years later that I was paging through some old files that I found at the bottom of the packing list that I discovered that man had made a huge mistake.Total weight of that package was 9000lbs.And another 1000lbs for the trailer!

I have always subscribed to a rigorous maintenance schedule,rarely do I allow anything to go over 2000 miles without an oil change.Only exception is the wifes car which gets driven daily to work on the highway, and I never allow it to go over 3000 miles between changes.I have never used synthetic oils, always figured it was better for frequent oil changes of dino oil rather than 5-6K miles of the the synthetic oils as they recommend.

To the OP, in my mind,if you treat that truck with respect and it wasnt abused by the previous owner I think you will be well pleased with that truck.I know I have nothing but the highest regard for mine.

Your truck has the 3.9 which is a really good engine. Should be the best of all worlds (without going diesel) Great power, great mileage.

 

[alderman]

QUOTE=boostnut;2140945]Looks like a nice truck for 5 grand. I have a topper for my 1/2 ton chevy. Do yourself a favor, finds somewhere to store it during your wood cutting season. They seem to do nothing but get in the way. They're handy for some things but make loading and unloading a pita.[/QUOTE]

I agree with you. I hauled a lot of wood in the old truck with the canopy on and it adds to the work load considerably. Hopefully I can find wood with easy access so I can use this....

[

 

[7sleeper]

....but everyones in a hurry today...no one has time for maintenance..it seems it isnt important....some engines tollerate it,these engines will not...

That also gets me wondering. I pay for the stuff I own. So I want the most out of it and doing regular maintanence is a cheap investment. But then again maybe it is cheaper to hire a lawyer....:monkey:

7

 

[huskystihl]

Synthetic is the key for the .7 engines. I deal in used auto parts, and on a rare occasion I will come across a 2.7 with 200+ miles on it. Always running synthetic. Didn't mean to rain on your parade, just wante to make you aware of a possible issue. It is a good looking truck ...

You are correct according to mechaincs I know on chrysler engines. They will last but you better service them religiously and make sure you use the correct viscosity. My wife had the oil change place service her van one day when I wasn't looking. Her ford calls for 5-20 and they used 10-30 and it sounded like it was gonna blow, lifters tapping. I quickly put amsoil 0-20 in and problem solved. The same is said about the tranny they use in ford mini vans but with mercon 5 synthetic it shifts like new with 110k and plan on many more miles.

 

[Circle B MN]

You are correct according to mechaincs I know on chrysler engines. They will last but you better service them religiously and make sure you use the correct viscosity. My wife had the oil change place service her van one day when I wasn't looking. Her ford calls for 5-20 and they used 10-30 and it sounded like it was gonna blow, lifters tapping. I quickly put amsoil 0-20 in and problem solved. The same is said about the tranny they use in ford mini vans but with mercon 5 synthetic it shifts like new with 110k and plan on many more miles.

You would be surprised how much the correct fluid, especially in a transmission will effect it's performance and longevity. Some of the chain stores sell generic foriegn trans fluid that is supposed to be good in all kinds of foriegns..mmm.negative.