Dodge Raider Reviews from North America - Page 2 of 14

Seat belts don't grab or work. Engine was replaced with rebuilt one in 2004. Very difficult getting passed by California smog check after that (had to have three different rebuilt carbs installed).

I now have a big problem going up hill. In town, I often have to crawl up medium/steep grades in the lowest gears. On the highway I often crawl over summits in 2-4th gear. (I do live at elevation, so these summits are around 8,000+').

I'm hoping it is not a compression problem, and purchased new spark plugs today to see if that makes a difference. Weird thing is, it has much more power on some days for no apparent reason.

The absolutely best car I've ever driven in snow, and I've done a lot.

The short wheel base combined with the standard high clearance makes it awesome in the snow.

I recently purchased my Dodge Raider. When I bought the vehicle, it was barely running. I purchased the truck for 300 dollars.

The sliding quarter glass was busted out, and cost 100 dollars to fix.

The starter solenoid was bad.

The sensor in the air cleaner was bad. That was a 500 dollar sensor. I purchased the sensor for 25 dollars at a junk yard. I gave the truck a full tune up. The distributor was not tight and moving. I set the timing, and that fixed almost all my problems. All together I have 500 dollars in the vehicle.

Now my Raider runs perfect. The gas mileage is good. It doesn't burn oil. This is one of the best vehicles I have ever owned. I saw someone complaining about problems with their raider. Most of these vehicles are 20 years old and probably haven't been taken care of. Of course they are going to need some work. If you do the work yourself, you can save tons of money. Being 20 years old says it. There are not many vehicles that old still running. In my opinion the Raider is an awesome dependable vehicle. I would trust mine to go anywhere on the road or off. The four wheel drive is phenomenal.

I saw on this blog someone was having trouble with their vehicle not going over 55, and having trouble shifting. I had that same problem. The Ignition timing probably needs set. I didn't realize myself that the timing being off will affect the vehicle that much. The timing makes sure the spark ignites at the correct time for optimal power. If the timing is off, the vehicle will lack power. The vehicle will not get up to speed. There will be many shifting problems, especially the faster you try to go.

The timing is easy to set. You will need a timing gun with a conductive pickup. A jumper wire, and a piece of chalk. First you want to look on the VECI label to find the degree to set the timing. You find the crankshaft, and by that is the timing plate. There will be a notch in the timing plate, mark that with the chalk. You want to connect the jumper wire to the ignition connector to a ground. This lets the ECU know the vehicle is being timed, and puts the ECU in timing mode. Warm the vehicle to normal temperature. Stop the vehicle hook up the timing gun. Start the vehicle point the timing gun at the timing plate if the timing is off stop the vehicle, and loosen the distributor. Start the vehicle point the timing gun again, and move the distributor left or right until the timing mark on the crankshaft pulley lines up with the correct mark on the timing plate. When they are lined up stop the vehicle, and tighten the distributor careful not to move the distributor. Once that is done start the vehicle again and check timing if still correct you are finished. If the timing is off, you have to set the timing again. You can find a timing gun on ebay for twenty dollars. If you purchase a timing gun, they will go into greater detail on the process.

Like I said, the timing can mess up many systems in the vehicle. That is what was wrong with mine, when I had the same problems. Before doing anything else I would make sure the timing is set correctly. I hope this information helps. I think the Raider is a great vehicle. If you take care of them, they will last for a long time.