Leroygrider@attbi.com wrote:
> I am currently looking at a 1997 Dakota sport ext cab P/U w/5.2
> Liter@99,000 miles at a used car dealer. The truck is in good shape and
> I observed no leaks but the spare tire and the bottom rear of the truck
> have a thick layer of oily dust, like a pretty serious petroleum leak
> was happening for a while. I want to have my mechanic check the truck
> out but I was wondering if any of you guys could give me a clue as to
> what system is the most likely to leak. Transmission, or motor. Also
> there is quite a bit of play in the driveline with the drive to reverse
> transition giving a loud clunk. Is this typical? Or should I have a
> closer look at the U joints. Also the oil smelled of gasoline (from the
> dipstick) is this typical for a truck with high mileage Or should I be
> concerned about it.
Get the intake manifold gasket checked out. It's a not uncommon failure
point. Easy DIY check is to take off the air hat, open the TB blades,
and look for oil inside the manifold.
> I had a Plymouth Satellite with a 318 that was awesome, I can't imagine
> what that same motor will do in the lighter Dakota, any idea why Dodge
> abandoned this powerplant?
The 318 in the Dak is quite different from that Satellite's 318. The
Magnum program introduced large changes. Dodge "abandoned" it because
of marketing, the DaimlerBenz takeover, and the changing market, among
other things. You just can't sell an old-school pushrod engine with
moderately large displacement (relatively speaking) in a smallish truck
that gets mediocre gas mileage with no real serious room to grow in
power in a factory configuration.
> What automatic transmission do they use in the Dakota? Is it offered in
> any other Chrysler products? I have read a lot of horror stories about
> trannys in Dakotas, can they be beefed up??
It's the 44RE. While I can't say I've pushed mine to its limits, I
haven't had any trouble in 54K that wasn't temporary and the result of
water getting into some sensors.
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