Michael,
The overdrive ghost that you have referred to has haunted my Dakota also.
I own a '93 Club Cab LE 4x2 V-8. The same thing has happened to me
several times since the day I bought the truck new. I'll be driving along
at highway speeds and the truck will shift down to 3rd and sure enough,
the OD off light will be on. I have always assumed that the switch was at
fault. Also, the switch in my truck takes a firm push to make it work.
Too firm, in my opinion. The '91 Ford F-250 that I drive at work has a
similar switch on the dashboard to turn the OD off and it works great.
The switch in the Ford works smoothly and only when you want it to. I
wish my Dakota switch was of equal quality to the one in the Ford.
Anyhow, I don't have an answer as to why our cheap OD switches have a
mind of their own. I don't worry about mine as it doesn't malfunction
very often. I do plan on registering my concern with my local Dodge
dealer prior to expiration of the warranty. Hopefully then, if the
switch dies in the future, I may have some recourse.
If anyone has a viable explanation for this experience, let's hear it.
Thanks,
Greg Smith <gmsmith@uiuc.edu>
1993 Dodge Dakota LE Club Cab 4x2 V-8
On Thu, 14 Nov 1996, Michael Clark wrote:
> Here is a weird thing that has happened to my Dak only twice, but I'm
> still curious as to what it might be. Both times I have been on the
> freeway at highway speed and for no apparent reason the O/D OFF light
> came on and RPM jumped up, just like I had pressed the button. Only I
> did not. I re-enganged O/D and everything went fine. About 2 or 3 days
> later, same thing. I thought something was going out in the tranny but
> it has not done it again for about 3 or 4 months. (knock on wood) I
> thought that there might have been a short in the switch or maybe some
> RF interferance had caused it (it happended close to the same place on
> the same freeway, about a mile or so difference) I just wanted to know
> if maybe there was something I could check like fluid levels or any
> other maintnace procedure that might point to the problem, if there is
> one. I would like to hear if anyone else has experienced anything like
> this.
>
> Things that make you go "hmmmmm..."
>
> Michael Clark mike@snakebite.com
> 93, LE, 2wd, reg. cab, SWB
> 5.2L, Auto, Mopar SBEC, Mark III
>
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