o.k.....o.k. got the message... This stupid E-mail at work is set up
that way, but I changed that quick enough !!!!! Still looking for an
answer if anybody has had any "popping" sounds from the bed when going
in and out of driveways and the such. I'm going to take it to the dealer
and I don't want to leave it up to them to decide blow smoke in my
face.....
-----Original Message-----
From: Rader [SMTP:rlr@bbt.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 1997 2:17 PM
To: dakota-truck@buffnet.net
Subject: DML: Re: Update: Rear End Growl
Miller, Robert A wrote:
[FWIW, I absolutely abhor embedded HTML in mail, and the only
reason I didn't
delete your message out of hand was because you were replying to
me, and
because it gives me a chance to pontificate.]
> My 97 2wd CC 318/ 3.92 has the exact noise coming from from
rear end. I noticed that if I lift
> rear tires off ground the axles have 1/4" play (micrometer
reading) Also there seems to be
> movement in up and down area also.
I got a slight amount of play in wheel rotation. I think this
is perfectly
normal, but can't quote the FSM for sure. As far as the up/down
movement
you're on your own. Get your year's FSM and check.
This wouldn't affect the growl I heard, since the noise was
unaffected through
turns. If anything after the input pinion were at fault, I
believe the noise
will change in response to turns (as one axle turns quicker than
the other).
> If replacing bearings is the fix let me know, cause I want my
service department to spend some
> money. They decided they wern't resposible for my brake
repairs I paid for out of my pocket.
I've come to the conclusion that dealer service departments
are strategically
dedicated to avoiding as much warranty work as possible. If you
go away,
thereby allowing them to duck a warranty repair, they can fill
the time with
customers who pay a lot more than the factory. My noise was
100% reproducible,
every time. Why did I have to go back 4 times until I got the
right person
to agree there was a fixable problem? I'll bet the diagnosis
would have been
correct the first time, had my truck been out of warranty. I'll
also bet they
were hoping I'd go away, just like I did with the more-local
dealer (not the
one I purchased the Dakota from).
In my case, I spent the time to debug the problem. The first
guy didn't
care at all; I watched his eyes glass over as I described my
procedure and
diagnosis (two visits with this guy, who immediately stamped "NO
PROBLEM"
on my ticket as soon as I left). The second guy appeared to be
an actual
mechanic, who actually listened to me. I presume that's why my
bearings
are getting replaced. Either that or they knew I was a pain in
the ass who
wasn't going away (my next call would have been straight to the
Chrysler
regional customer service office, if they blew me off again).
My advice is be polite but insistent. It's going to be a pain
to get any
warranty work done, so just do your best but get it taken care
of.
And if the rear end still growls, I'm getting that 800 number
out of the
owner's manual...
Ron
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