1998 Dodge Dakota SLT review from North America

Dodge has a problem with their DRL's and have caught fire. This was the first thing to be removed from my truck.

Ball joints replaced at 160,000 KM with greaseable Moogs No problem since.

Front brake pads at 160,000 KM.

Tranny governor pressure solenoid and governor pressure sensor at 240,000 KM you should replace bot at the same time regardless of what one goes.

Battery at 241,000KM It was the factory battery so I can complain at all.

Replace the front shocks every spring. These trucks (all Dakota's from 97-04) eat front shocks. So buy ones with life time warranties so you only have to pay for them once and learn how easy it is to do the job your self.

I love this truck. A buddy bought a 2000 with a 4.7 and I just laughed at him when he came over one day because of all the crap Dodge had been building in the way of their Caravans, Shadows and all the FWD crap they make. And being a mechanic I had no faith in their stuff because I had made a lot of money fixing them.

Well he had it for alittle over a year and a half and had no problems. I liked the looks and the ride generaly how easy it is to work on. So I found a 98 at a great price with alittle higher miles on it than I wanted, but the price was great.

Anyways everything out there has problems some more than others. If you buy a Dakota made from 97-04 here are alist of things that are known problems.

The trannys are not the greatest. Get yourself a big tranny fluid cooler and install it and you should not have any problems.

Change the tranny fluid and filter every two years if you don't tow. If you do than every year is a good idea.

Ball joints are a joke for a truck this size. Get good ones like Moogs with grease fittings. If you don't have grease fittings than get a grease gun and a needle tip and piece the ball joint or any other ball joint type IE: outer tie-rod boot and fill it up with grease. I love Lucus Thick and Tacky Red grease.

As said before they eat front shocks. get ones with a life time warranty.

They can be hard on brakes when you brake heavy. Well learn to look ahead and if traffic is slowing than lift off the gas and when you have to brake than slowly apply the brakes. Don't just put it to the floor.

Same thing about the gas pedal. I have a 5.2 auto with 3.55 rearend and on the highway I get 25MPG and in town about 15MPG. HOW you might ask??? Well roll on the gas like there is an egg under your foot. Brake and Gas pedals are not on off switches like most think. Try it for a tank and I'll bet you get alot more miles out of it.

The IAC gets carboned up alot and causes alot of problems.

The dis cap always builds up electrolysis on the termanels for some reason.

All Dodges run rich and because of that they eat catalytic converters. Do not replace them with the same thing that came from factory get an aftermarket high flow from someone like Magnaflow.

Keep it in tune IE: spark plugs and wires, clean fuel and injector cleaner, clean the trottle body and intake.

I have added alot of mods to this truck, after market seats, cam, rockers, intake, tires, lowered it, thicker swaybars, electric cooling fan, stereo and it handles great and goes great. I love it

Learn more at http://www.dodgetrucks.org