RE: some general questions about my 1998

From: John Neff (jndneff@texas.net)
Date: Sun Apr 15 2001 - 10:39:18 EDT


>1. Under the ignition key , there is a small piece of rubber attached to
>the steering column, what should be there?

Nothing. The rubber is there to keep your keys from rattling on the steering
column and generally making a lot of annoying racket. More vehicles should
have these.

>2. Does the 98 Dakota sport come from the factory with a remote car
starter?
>I have a sticker under the hood saying I have one, but NO key fob, for it!
>where do I look for this thing, so I can find a serial number or
>manufacturer?

This was a factory option. In the glove box is a tab with a lot of 3 digit
codes. Edmunds.com has a listing of these codes. If you find one that says
you have the alarm with a remote start, then you will need to talk to the
dealership about ordering a new remote fob.

>3. Do after market radios, "stick" out of the dash or do the fit, like
stock
>unit's do?

I'm not sure I follow on this one. My factory stereo, cassette/CD combo,
does not stick out at all. As a matter of fact, it sits behind the dash
bezel.

>4. Do I have to take my truck to the dealer I bought it at for warranty
>work? They have a used car mechanic that never finds anything wrong!!

No. If you truck is still under a factory warranty, then any Dodge
dealership can work on it. Find one you are happy with. If you have an
aftermarket warranty, I.E. not Dodge, then you will need to find a
dealership that will honor your warranty. Not all will.

>5. someone please explain overdrive to me, when it's on the truck starts
>slow of the line and seems slow, when it's off it goes like snot! why then
>am I suppose to leave it on?

This makes no sense. OD is simply 4th gear in the 98 auto tranny. Off the
line, you start out in 1st. The truck doesn't even know you have OD on or
off until you are in 3rd and it starts to look for another gear. My truck
behaves exactly the same off the line whether OD is on or off. Once I'm up
to about 50 mph is where the difference comes in. With OD off, the truck is
more responsive to throttle application.

>6. Do after market exhaust's void dodge/Chrysler warranties? and what will
>they effect will they have on our mandatory emission test's?

After market parts only void the warranty for those things the parts affect.
If you replace the exhaust, your engine, tranny, suspension, etc. will still
be in warranty. Only the exhaust will be void except for the cat converter.
No, a cat back will not effect emissions as they come after the cat. You may
have problems with the local boys in blue though if you install an exhaust
that is too loud. Check your local regulations if in doubt.

John
98 Dak 4X4 CC Sport, 5.2L, Auto, Mopar computer and headers, F&B TB, Gibson
cat back, MSD 6A and Blaster SS coil, Superior Transmissions shift kit,
Black Magic fan.



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:01:02 EDT