Ok guys, I got the truck out today for the first time in over a week.I was
curious and anxious to drive it after discussing transmissions with
everybody else.I did some little tests.Results-I can in fact shift into
first at 30mph(thats as fast as I tried it).I shifted into second at almost
50.Shifted into 3rd at 70.It took reverse even while rolling forward 1-3
mph.It didn't miss any gears on the way(I went 50 miles down the road to
look at new trucks).Only difference: I just haven't been forcing it hard
enough.It takes a little effort to down shift into first,second,third at
high speeds,and I wasn't willing to force it before.I have always been
extremely careful with my transmission-never dumped the clutch,never shifted
hard,always relaese the clutch very easily,don't accelerate in O/D,etc.I
guess it is just like that? I was real excited thinking that my transmission
might be "normal".I turned around and was coming back.I went to shift into
3rd,and it ground-$#^@! Scared the hell out of me! I thought,well I've
really torn it up now.So, I pulled over,started in 1st again,shifted into
2nd no problem,and went to shift to 3rd-no problem whatsoever,smooth as it's
ever been.What is that? I was going over some relatively rough road when it
ground,maybe I hit a bump at just the wrong moment? I shifted into 3rd 6
times after that before I parked it,never a problem or a grind! I got
back,it took reverse and I parked it.Now I don't know if my tranny is bad or
not! Ughhh! This is really aggravating me! Now I have another problem for
ya'll.My alignment is really screwed up! I was driving and it would pull
pretty good to the right for a while,then seem to track pretty good,then it
would pull pretty good to the left! It's like it couldn't make up it's mind
wich way to pull! If you hold the wheel perfectly straight,I don't know
which way it'll pull! It had these symptoms on several different sections of
road,and was intensified with increase in speed.This is making really mad! I
try to maintain this truck so well,and I don't abuse it.The tranny fluid has
been changed three times now,hasn't ever been shifted without clutch or
anything.The tires are rotated and balanced every 2500 miles and it is
aligned at the same time.I have 8300 miles now.I am getting irritated with
my 2000 model truck that I care for religiously,because it has problems it
shouldn't.On the other hand, I looked at new trucks today! I looked at a
durango,as well as silverados.I love my dakota,but may have to rethink if it
has to have surgery at 8400 miles! I am going to pick up a new F-250 crew
cab 4x4 sometime in the next 2 weeks and will drive it for a while.
Hopefully I can get all my quirks figured out on the dakota so I can keep
it!
Will Coughlin willcoughlin@hotmail.com
'00 reg.cab,2wd,4.7L/hd5-spd/3.92sg(9.25")
1ST place Dakota-truck at 11th annual Houston Mopar show and race/National
DML meet!!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 11:57:55 EDT