Hello from Manhattan, Kansas (the little apple, Home of the Kansas State
University Wildcats, Hoilday
Bowl blow-out winners over CSU, A Top Ten football team from the dominate Big
8 Conference! Go Buffalos!, Go Huskers!)
My name is Tim Bontrager (tbontrager@dpra.com). I work for a computing and
environmental services
firm. I own a '92 Dodge Dakota 4x4 with the Magnum 318 and a '92 LT1
Corvette. I can't really decide if
I like my Dakota better or my Vette. Certainly, by virture of miles, my
Dakota gets the nod.
My truck is a 92 Dodge Dakota 4x4. Extended cab, short bed, 5.2L Magnum V8,
automatic
transmission. The truck has every option offered including skid plates and
limited slip diff. I get 13 to 17
mpg. I've encountered two serious defects in the truck. The radiator split.
The dealer towed it and fixed
it free. The other defect had something to do with the ignition system. The
engine stumbled at about
1500 to 2000 rpm. There (finally) was a service bulletin on the problem.
The Dodge dealer was clueless
until that bulletin arrived! (Overall, Dodge dealers that I've encountered
ain't worth $#@%!)
The truck now has 60,000 miles on it and runs great. Here's a list of
modifications I've made:
K&N Air Filter
Three inch cat-back exhaust from Turbo City in Orange, Calif.
Heavy-duty brush guard (need something to pull on in front)
Fog/Driving lights
Synthetic lube in the axles
Bug deflector on the hood
Receiver hitch
255/70R15 street radials on stock aluminum rims
Bosch platinum plugs
Fiberglass topper
Bed mat
I do a bit of off-roading is good old Kansas mud. When I'm in Colorado, I
get rocks. Needless to say,
the street radials suck in off-road situations. I was doing a lot of street
driving in Dallas a little while back
and the OEM Wranglers were terrible. That's why I've got the tires I do.
I'm doing my best to wear them
out so I can get an all-terrian tire back on.
I want to thank Chris Siano for his recommendation regarding ignition
systems. I ordered a top of the
line computerized ignition from Jacobs Electronics. I'll be installing it
soon along with copper plugs. If it
works as advertised, it should be a kick. Cost so far is about $500.
Has anyone tried a performance computer chip for the 318 magnum? Sure would
like to hear from you.
How about a body lift? I hear that SuperLift has a "complete" package.
Anyone done it? What tires and
rims do you run? What were the performance consequences? Still running
stock gears? Did you
correct the speedo?
My Dodge dealer told me that changing the transmission fluid in my automatic
is almost useless because
so little of it will actually drain out. What's the real story. It makes me
nervous to just leave it in there.
What should I do? If I change the fluid, what should I put back in?
Thanks to the authors of the new Dakota page for publishing the titles of the
technical service bulletins.
You've armed me with enough information to make life hard on my Dodge dealer.
Thanks!
If I can answer any questions for you, let me know. Thank you all for your
participation in this list. I love
my Dakota. It completely walks all over the Fords and Chevys. No one can
even hope to keep up with
me. I once watched a new Ford Ranger Splash get stuck in a carwash because
he didn't get a limited
slip axle. What a laugh. Keep your Dakota fast...
Thanks.... Tim
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