Just aquired a '87 Dodge Dakota 4x4

...............This belonged to my father in law. My wife's parents own quite a few rentals and some were up in the Sierra Nevada gold country. FIL used this pickup up there. He passed away a year and a half ago and this pickup has been sitting ever since. My brother in law has taken over maintaining the rentals and stuff and the family LLC was going to dispose of it. I'd asked to use it for hauling the drywall and lumber I was needing for a bathroom addition and was asked if I'd just like to have it.

My father in law was one of those people who could just walk past a piece of machinery and it would disintegrate :-). Actually it was more benign neglect I think as he didn't seem to understand the value of timely maintanence, until whatever it was just quit or blew up.

The body is straight and has no rust or anything. The interior is a bit fuzzy but nothing is torn or falling off. Under the hood the battery was dry and re-filled it wouldn't hold a charge. The cooling system was trying to circulate a close facsimile of mud. I also had to add 5 qts of ATF to the tranny, but I think that was because of weeping from the rubber hoses to the trans cooler. The tilt steering wheel is a bit loose, but I haven't looke dinto that yet.

It has a 3.9L V6 with 172K on the clock. Apparently it was made of sterner stuff, as my FIL seemed unsuccessful in making it smoke via burning oil, which was one of his better tricks :-). When you turn the key it starts instantaneously and makes no noise so I'm pretty confidant the engine is okay. It drives well, the trans shifts okay and kicks down when you gas on it. I haven't tried the 4WD part of it yet.

Anyone have experience with these, and know of any issues I might check out, or be on the lookout for? I will have to get it smogged this month and my bro in law seemed to think that that might be kind of iffy.

..................Buckshot

I worked on one occasionally for a friend a few years ago. Same engine, 4WD as well. Kind of lightly built for a 4WD truck. The parking brake cables sieze fairly easily. Check for corrosion at the ferule where the cables pass into the rear hubs. Replace cables if there is any question about their condition. It is a nightmare if the rear brakes sieze.

I would check the compression with that kind of mileage. The engine on the one I worked on was pretty much done at around 100K.

MM

If buckaroo hearsay roundabout here is correct, that engine is the front(or maybe back ) 3/4ths of the venerable Dodge 318,and would probably still be going fine when everything else had disintegrated..don't know what it will take to get past the smog test-- is yours different than what passes in the "gold country" ??? Best exercise that 4wd systems right soon,too... enjoy, Onceabull

Buckshot
I just got rid of my 92 Dakota 4x4 5-speed, I would still have it if the frame didn't rot out on me and not pass inspection.
things to watch for.
proportioning valve mounted on rear of frame somtimes leaks, had a hard time finding a re-built one.
front ends wear out quickly, ball joints, idler arms, tie rod ends. (it a Chrysler thing)
poor gas miliage for a v6 standard. 16 city 18 trips.
I loved driving mine offroad. lots of fun.

buck shot, In my oppinion the 87 thru 1990 dakotas were the only vehicle that chrysler made that was worth a hoot. You can easily get 300,000 miles out of that engine.I have a retired friend that put over 300 k on 3 different dakota's going to flea markets pulling a trailer.The only problem that I had with the one I had was the pick up plate in the distributer. The one I had is still be used every day by a kid driving to college and back every day.

This is probably pretty obvious stuff, but my wife's previous car lost an engine due to my inattention to a leaky breather tube, which allowed crud to build up in the engine oil pan and ultimately restrict the oil intake so much that it lost oil pressure and died. Oil and filter had always been changed on time, right from new. I'd pull the oil pan and clean it, inspecting the oil pickup tube at the same time. This might be just a sensitive point with me because of my wife's car, but I can tell you, you feel kind of foolish when it happens. With your truck's engine pumping mostly sludge through that pickup tube for the past umpteen years, there's a good chance it's clogged up.

I had a '87 4X4, but it was the manual transmission. I got rid of it about a year ago, the engine still touched started, and even at -20F. I had a little over 200K miles on it, I just wanted something newer.
The tilt steering wheel got floppy a few times and takes some special tools to tighten, a local shop did the trick cheaply. I let it go too long the last time and something cracked and couldnt be tightened anymore.
I replaced the emergency brake cables a few times, the sleeve the cable ran though swells and doesnt let it come back, not a hard job to do though.
I dont have to deal with smog tests here, so I have no idea about that.
It was really a good truck, I had no major problems. The 3.9 V6 was a great engine, and gave 20mpg.

.................I appreciate everyone's responces to my post. Especially th einfo about the brakes! So far I have:

1) Replaced the belts, as they were shedding pieces of themselves.
2) Flushed the cooling system. Mud, remember?
3) Replaced the fuel filter. Weeping.
4) Replaced flex fuel hoses at the filter
5) New Battery and cables
6) New air cleaner
7) Changed the oil & filter after running 'Gunk' in it while it idled for an hour (the oil was BLACK, BLACK, BLACK :-) I've seen lawn tractors with bigger oil filters. The 2.5" 4 banger spec's the same one, Yikes! I have a remote dual PH-8 filterhead around here someplace.

I don't know if I will ever personally change the oil myself again or not. The drainplug is at the back of the oilpan. It's pointed at, and slightly over the skidplate rear mounting and swaybar. When I crawled underneath to drain it I saw that and thought, "Oh, Shi*!". Since I had the Gunk in there I couldn't drive it anywhere. I'd have had to had a 8x10 tarp on the ground to catch all the oil! It hit all that stuff and went everywhere.

8) Solvent flushed the PVC valve
9) Tightened the carb flange bolts (you could move the carb around on it's gasket)

What I have bought and need to get done:

1) Six new Bosch 4X Platinum plugs
2) New plug wires
3) New dist cap and rotor
4) New EGR valve

Even though it is an 87 there are a couple more electrical smog sensing doo dads, in addition to the oxygen sensor and catalytic converter that may be bad. I have the balance of this month to get it smogged and re-registered.

Actually this pickup ran like a stripped ass ape before, and going around corners it's no big issue to chirp a rear tire.

Onceabull, you're right about the engine. They call it a 'Modular' as it's the 318 with 2 cylinders lopped off. Same accessory drives and stuff. Shares pistons, rods, rockers, etc & etc.

Once the above is completed I need to do a service on all the fluids and grease fittings from stem to stern. My dear departed father in law was like this:

"What's that?"

..............That? That's a zerk fitting."

"Really, what's it do?"

.............Well it really doesn't DO anything. It's a grease receptical."

"No kidding, grease huh?'

............."Yup".

So how do they get grease in that little thing?"

.............."You use a pressurized greasegun. Stick it on the zerk and give it a few pumps to force in fresh grease."

"No kidding, they have those things? Like anyone can buy one"?

.............."You bet. They even sell grease to use in'em

...................Buckshot".

Buckshot---Years ago my father in law who was a top notch mechanic recommended this and I have done it on many vehicles and lots of miles. Substitute one quart of ATF of the same brand of oil that you use. (engine holds 5 qts for example--4 qts oil--1 qt atf) ALWAYS use same brand of oil when you change. His reasoning was that the atf will loosen sludge/carbon under rings. This sludge/carbon prevents rings from seating properly thus oil will be consumed. Also if you think about how many miles an atf goes without changing fluid and open up the transmission and everything is clean and seals remain soft. I've done it and know of others that tried it and never heard of a problem from it.

Rick, Ray is right on with the replacing one Q of oil with ATF I have fixed a few sludgemobiles in my Exxon dealer days that way. I would put in the ATF and tell the customer to drive it three days or so, then come back for an oil change. It also often frees up sticky lifters. One of the sludgewagons I fixed was a Ford van that the lady swore up and down that good old Snuffy in Kentucky had changed the oil just before she migrated to California. I pulled the drain plug and nothing came out, but it was full! After blowing shop air down the oil filler and strategically placing drop lights around the pan I got abut three Q out of it. I took a little of her drain oil to her house and stood in the middle of her white carpet and inverted the little cup I had some of her oil in, and none hit the floor. I added 1 Q ATF and two of oil and had her drive it for a week. then I could do a normal oil change. Guess the guy in Kentucky figured he had seen the last of her!


My previous truck was an 86 Dodge 2WD with 318 motor and 727 transmission. The AT did go out at 100K, but other than that it was an almost trouble free truck. Try to avoid using the E brake on flat ground. The cables stretch to beat the band and you eventually run out of adjustment.

I had a 94 that when i burned it (long story) had 120000 miles on it. It was 4x4 with a 3.9 5 speed. The motor still ran great and is in another truck. Only problem i had was one fuel pump and LOTS of break problems. Parking brake hangs up easily and will ruin your back breaks. That being said once caused by break hang up the backs were replaced rotors pads ect. and two other times all 4 wheels had to have brakes replaced. Dont bother turning the rotors and drums you will just have to redo the job in another year. Disconect your emergency brake. Now ill probably get flak for that advice but who here has actually used one in an emergency anyway. The motor is about bulletproof and will easily go to 200000 if you change the oil when you should. Gas milage was about 18 not great for a small truck with a 6 stick but liveable.

I have on occasion removed brake cables and submerged them in nice warm drain oil. I have also held both ends with bench vises and turned the wire rope to break up some of the gunk. Always found it much better to have them saturated with drain oil, than winter road salt.

..............I'm happy! The pickup passed the California smog test swimmingly :-). Had real low numbers. I was prepared for it to fail and to go get a new catalytic converter, and 02 sensor. I was so happy I even treated it to a bath, but that was after these pictures. I kind of enjoyed working on it as there is enough room under the hood you can get to stuff. Only thing left in the engine compartment to do it to get the AC working. After that I need to service the trans, transfer case, both differentials and the driveshaft U joints. Still havn't used the 4WD yet.

..................Buckshot