Interesting post. Thanks! I have a 2001 4.7 Dak,and
will probably go this route someday soon.
P.S. I hope you pulled a vacuum on the AC before you
charged your AC system (kinda important). :)
Steve P.
--- Ned Buckmaster <Ned@Buckmaster.com> wrote:
>
> 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
>
>
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