Fellow DMLer's,
The Good Luck. I had a very nice Holiday Trip, leaving on Dec. 20th and
returning on Jan. 5th. Left Sterling Heights, Michigan for: Indy, St. Louis,
Joplin, MO, McAlester, OK and my place at Sardis Lake, OK. Then on to
Houston, Texas for the Holiday with my son and family, back to Sardis Lake
and up in the Kiamichi Mountains. My old Dakota ran beautifully the entire
trip, which was just under 5,000 miles. Upon my return to Michigan the total
mileage on the Dak was 118,892. Gave me decent mileage also @ 17.5 to 18.7.
The Bad Luck. Exactly two hours after I returned home to Sterling Heights,
the "check engine" light came on. Bummer. The usual diagnostic tests
ruled out a fuel problem or electric's. The code was a misfire in Cylinder
#2.
The Hypertech PTM I run is very sensitive to misfires. Just to make sure, I
changed the plug and wire for #2 and checked the injector. Cleared the
computers.
Ran the Dak for about two minutes and got the "check engine" light again.
Misfire in #2. Needed to identify the cause. Compression test looked OK,
but,
the cylinder leak-down test failed badly at 42 to 45%. Turns out the intake
valve
was no longer seating properly causing a lean condition in #2 leading to a
misfire
and a "check engine" light. It was barely noticeable while idling and not
detectable at higher RPM.
The Opportunity. The Heads had to come off. The bottom end is still very
strong. Replaced the Rear Main Seal recently. The bearings looked great,
50 to 65 PSI oil pressure, burns no oil at all, no ugly noises or leaks. I
decided
I did NOT want ReMan Heads. I wanted my original Heads. Needed to identify
who would do the machining work. After several days of searching, I decided on
HeadsUp Racing in Mount Clemens, Michigan. Very professional shop and clean.
Good reputation. Dennis' Service Center in Shelby Township would do the
disassembly and reassembly of the engine and any other items that would need
attention. The Heads were at HeadsUp Racing about a week. They were
Magnafluxed (sp) and no cracks at all. They did a 3-angle valve grind, some
seat
work, new valve seals and valve guides, cleanup mill, some mild porting and
flowbench work. They looked beautiful when completed (if engine heads can be
described as "beautiful"). The cost at the Machine Shop was $1400.
Expensive,
but ReMan Heads were $1700 and I got what I wanted. Reassembly of the engine
was last week. Here is a list of all the New Parts and other items completed
at
reassembly:
Recondition Heads (HeadsUp Racing)
16 New Hydraulic Roller Lifters (MOPAR, Centerline, Michigan)
Thermostat (180) and Gasket
Belt Tensioner
Valve Cover Gasket
Head Gaskets
Intake Manifold Gasket Set
Intake Valley Gasket (Belly Pan Gasket)
Ignition Wire Clips
Exhaust Manifold Gasket Set
Bypass hose
Throttle Body Gasket
Spark Plugs (Autolite)
ACCEL Ignition Wire Set (8 MM)
Oil Drain Plug
Stainless Steel Exhaust Bolts
Right Front Caliper
Left Front Caliper
Raybestos Met Front Pads
Transmission Filter and Gasket
AMSOIL Trans Oil
Cooling System Power Flush
3 oil changes to flush Assembly Lub.
New Fuel Pump and Screen plus Inline filter.
Painted Heads and engine (LowGloss Black)
Restored finish to MOPAR Aluminum Valve Covers
Two cans Rubberized Undercoat to touchup undercarriage
Plus several items not listed on bill such as complete disassembly of Throttle
Body for Cleaning, Check of every sensor in truck, new GatorBack Drive Belt,
Painting of complete exhaust system, (manifold, heat shields, exhaust pipe,
Cat, Flowmaster Muffler, twin Tail Pipes, brackets and hangers) etc.
The Master Mechanic at the Service Center took digital photos of each step
and compiled them in order on a CD for me. Nice touch.
Got the truck back Monday night. Runs fantastic. Better than ever.
When I opened the hood, the engine bay did NOT have a trace of grease,
dirt, dust or fingerprints. It looks like a wrench has never touched this
engine.
This guy takes a great deal of pride in his work and it shows.
Just before my trip, I had replaced a couple of the Poly E bushings in the
control arms (one was bad), replaced the shocks (Trailmaster N7's) and
new Cooper GT Tires (255/70X15) and front end alignment.
So, me and my Dakota well roar off into the sunset to grow old together,
gracefully.
David R.
Sterling Heights
Michigan
drd892@aol.com
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