I recently finished installing 2005 Dakota HO cams, intake manifold, and
Fastman TB on my 2000 2WD Dakota with 88K miles on it. Just letting everyone
know that this combo works well.
I got the parts from ChryslerPartsDirect at what I consider to be an
extremely good price; the cams were $120 each and the intake was $66. 50! I
also ordered an IAT sensor (since my original one was threaded and the new
intake needed a twist-and-lock) and valve cover gaskets. I also ordered a
serpentine belt and idler assembly from RockAuto.
I had to unbolt the A/C compressor and the power steering pump by the time I
was finished, for access to various fittings and bolts. I left the injector
rail connected (mainly because I couldn't get the connector loose, even with
a cheap tool from the auto parts store) and just flipped it back and forth
to get access while I was working. I used a socket on the crank bolt to hold
the cams when breaking loose and torqueing the cam gear bolts. I made a
wooden wedge to hold the cam chain tensioners. I had to plug the EGR hole in
the intake (only California cars?) and re-route the PCV hose - the fitting
now comes straight out the back instead of out the side, and is a different
size.
The most time was spent on the valve covers - I first tried to bead blast
them to a pretty finish - I was going to paint with clear high-temp paint to
keep them from oxidizing again. After spending 15 minutes getting a
2-inch-square section looking Very nice, I opted to just bead blast off the
loose stuff and paint them black. (I have no patience).
The only bad thing that happened was when I was re-mounting the A/C
compressor; it didn't want to slide over the mounting boss, I was tired and
couldn't find my little rubber mallet, but I found my BIG rubber mallet. I
first realized there was a high pressure switch on the hose assembly when I
heard a hissing noise. Of course I immediately tried to fix the problem by
straightening it back out - at that point it came off in my hand and all the
Freon came out. I didn't break the switch - I broke the threaded mount for
the switch, which is part of the 'Suction and Discharge Hose Assembly' ($116
from ChryslerPartsDirect, tyvm) I finally got that early this week and now
have A/C just in time for the really hot weather.
Anyway, the truck is working amazingly well. I also installed some NGK
Iridium spark plugs, and got an AirAid intake tube to match the AirAid cold
air intake - mainly because it has a hole for the IAT (which Bernard told me
to stick somewhere in the intake anyway, and not drill out the hole in the
intake - Thanks!). Also, when I replaced the incredibly noisy belt
tensioner, I could then hear the fairly noisy alternator - so I found one on
Ebay for $100 and put that on.
Sorry I don't have hard numbers for performance. I have a G-Meter that I was
going to use to do some before/after tests, but (of course) couldn't find it
when I needed it.
The truck before this work did okay. It had very good low end, but seemed to
run out of air towards redline. With the new cams/intake and old TB, It
still had good low end but had gained a bunch of top end - at around 4k rpm
it felt like VTEC kicking in. After the Fastman TB, I _may_ have lost a
little at the bottom, but gained a LOT at the top - it pulls hard until the
6K shift, and feels like it could keep producing power after 6K. In the next
couple of weeks, I'll take it to the track and see what kind of quarter mile
it can do now - at the very least I'd bet I gained half a second. Maybe
more..And on top of all that, it lloks like I'm getting at least .5 mpg more
with this setup in my normal driving!
All-in-all, I'm very happy with the results of the $500-$600 worth of
go-fast parts - AND the $300 for the general replacement parts, I would
recommend them to anyone. Just be careful around that sensor! (I was looking
at a 2002 Dakota, and that sensor is now down beside the radiator - maybe
I'm not the ONLY one to bust it off.)
Ned Buckamster
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Jul 01 2007 - 21:47:16 EDT