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MT Tom
Dodge Dakota
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11/18/2006
04:49:32
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 Subject: 3.7 v 3.9
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The engine in my 93 Dakota may be almost ready to go to the great car lot in the sky. If it is as terminal as by mechanic thinks it might be, my options are to spend a lot of money fixing the engine (the rest of the truck is in decent shape) or replacing the whole thing. Does the 3.7 fix most of the problems the 3.9 had and how many of the 3.9 mods work on the 3.7? How mod-able is the 3.7? Love my existing truck but anything more than a fender bender and the insurance company would just total it. No used parts available in Alaska so repair costs extremely high.
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Scott C
Dodge Dakota
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11/18/2006
23:18:28
| RE: 3.7 v 3.9
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well of course 3.7 and 3.9 are to completely different motors... the 3.7 is the daimler motor basicly a benz.... so mods are gonna different
Scott C
Royal Auto
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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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11/20/2006
13:26:12
| RE: 3.7 v 3.9
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What exactly is wrong, or what does the mechanic think is wrong?
the reason i ask I had one shop tell me the engine in my old 95 (also a 3.9) was about to go and tried to sell me a one and installation. The problem turned out to be 2 fold, enging sludge and timing chain.
how trustworthy/reliable is your mechanic? much experience on dakotas? just something to think about.
- Dan M
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Kowalski
GenIII
11/20/2006
18:24:02
| RE: 3.7 v 3.9
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Isn't the 3.7 more like a 6 cylinder version of the 4.7 ? If so, that design is pre DaimlerBenz, but still very different than the 3.9 - I don't think your PCM would be compatible; nor would a newer 3.7 PCM be compatible with the rest of your truck.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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Adam
Dodge Dakota
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11/20/2006
19:15:26
| RE: 3.7 v 3.9
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If you're just looking for extra power you'd probably save money by rebuilding your 3.9 and doing a few mods. Cam, heads and what not. Just a thought.
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MT Tom
Dodge Dakota
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11/21/2006
04:16:57
| RE: 3.7 v 3.9
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I guess I was really wanting to know if the 3.7 had any unwanted ideosyncracies and if anyone was modding it/or how they were. My engine seems to currently be in crisis because time is catching up with everything at once. Water leaks from the water pump, the timing chain is getting very noisy, it has some mystery leak which can cause it to loose 2 to 3 inches of coolant from the reservoir in 20 miles some days and none for a week, the O2 sensor probably needs replacing, it has an issue reving above 2000 rpm in gear (even floored) for the first few minutes driven no matter how long it warms up,and the time varies before it runs properly. The engine has 124,000 miles on it, 20,000 put on by me so I have no idea what was done to it before I bought it. The heads have 16,000 miles on them thanks to my kids melting the old ones, hose broke and the temp gauge never read hot. I know everything is fixable with enough money invested and it is still cheaper than buying a newer truck but the overall value on the truck is getting low enough that it doesn't take much of an accident for it to be totaled for insurance purposes, and people in Anchorage drive like crazy, even when the roads aren't covered in snow and ice.
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Kowalski
GenIII
11/21/2006
07:26:23
| RE: 3.7 v 3.9
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If you're thinking of a new truck, everyone I know with a 3.7 has been happy. If you're thinking of putting a 3.7 in your truck, the idiosycracies you need to be aware of are the ones I pointed out earlier. Not really sure just what you're considering doing here...
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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JFH
GenII
11/21/2006
15:34:09
| RE: 3.7 v 3.9
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I don't think it would be worth the cost for the 3.7, the motor is almost the same performance wise. You be better off switching to the V8 (318) since some of the components are the same, and you'd spend only a bit more than a new 3.9
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/546400
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daddio
Dodge Dakota
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11/21/2006
15:47:21
| RE: 3.7 v 3.9
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if you're looking to save money, it would be easier and cheaper to go with either a 3.9v6 or 5.2v8 than to switch a 3.7. 3.7's were new for '04. another 3.9 would be straight swap. 5.2 basically all you'd have to do is add the wiring for the 2 extra injectors to your harness and a v8 PCM.
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J and J Auto
GenII
11/23/2006
01:22:35
| RE: 3.7 v 3.9
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the 3.7 will not bolt in where there was a 3.9
it is intierly differant
a 318 or 360 or another 3.9
The V8 swap is all bolt in except you must use the
V8 computer and ad the #7 and 8 injector wires
everthing else is the same
Larry
J&J Auto
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J and J Auto
GenII
11/23/2006
01:24:45
| RE: 3.7 v 3.9
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You can also use a 1988 to 91 V6 bolt the heads
and intake on they are also roller lifter motors
Larry
J&J Auto
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MT Tom
Dodge Dakota
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11/23/2006
03:41:54
| RE: 3.7 v 3.9
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OOPS! An earlier posting of mine seems to have gone astray. Sorry for the confusion. I was considering a whole new truck, not putting a 3.7 in mine. I was thinking of a 2004 or newer just to get away from the 3.9 which Dodge never seemed to get right as the years had similar problems. As an update for all of you who might be interested, a pressure check of my cooling system yesterday indicates that all external leaks have stopped and they couldn't induce it to leak. The water pump is still noisy and wobbles on its shaft, but stopped leaking. And it hasn't lost any coolant for a week. Go figure. So it has a temporary reprieve and I have more time to decide what to do for transportaion.
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GB2000
GenIII
11/23/2006
05:31:11
| RE: 3.7 v 3.9
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The 3.9 a bad engine? Eh...? Dodge transmissions aren't a strong point I'll fully admit...same goes for the balljoints...but their older engines (3.9L and 5.2L especially) are some of the most reliable engines out there IMO. Kinda like the 350 Chevy and the 4.3L which I believe is like the 3.9L is to the 5.2L (4.3L is a 350 minus 2 cylinders). You gotta remember your truck is almost 14 years old and it has 124,000 miles on it. Any vehicle that age is gonna start showing its age...and things are gonna wear out and break.
We got an 86 1/2 ton Chevy K-10 w/ a 305 in it at work...just finished replacing the power steering pump in it after we blew a line, then broke the other line which was permanently attached to the pump while trying to replace the blown line. So we spent 3 days trying to get ahold of all the parts and replacing the pump. Get the truck off the lift today and within 5 minutes we've blown something in the brake line. We also have a leak in one or possibly both of the gas tanks, the carb has a tendency to stick open, the engine runs like sh!t if you try and accelerate quickly, there's a hole in the exhaust that just occurred today while driving it up and down the road to test the brakes, ummm...the lights have a short, turn signals quit working, wipers work every once in a while, etc, etc, etc.
BUT...we don't hate the truck...it's old...and overall it's been a GREAT truck...we just understand that its reached that age where stuff is gonna break...I totally understand getting a newer lower mileage truck, but I wouldn't totally avoid the same engine and drivetrain because of the problems you're having now. Sorry for rambling...it's 5:30 and I need to go to bed now...Happy Thanksgiving.
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daddio
Dodge Dakota
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11/23/2006
10:20:50
| RE: 3.7 v 3.9
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if your going '04 or newer, i'd go with the 4.7 v8. the '05's& '06's are even heavier than previous model years.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!
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GARY LOUGHEAD
Dodge Dakota
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12/07/2006
12:38:50
| ENGINE SHUTTING OFF AND WILL NOT START
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JUST STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY ENGINE ONLY HAPPENED TWCE SO FAR ONCE AT A STOP SIGN AND IT QUIT AND WOULD NOT START AND IT TOOK ALOT TO GET IT STARTED AGAIN ,BUT ONCE IT DID IT WAS ALRIGHT UNTIL 3 MORNING AFTERWARDS AND IT TOOK ALOT TO GET IT TO START AGAIN ,ONLY CODES COMING UP ARE 0645 AND 0138 CALLED DEALER AND THEY WOULD NOT MAKE IT SO IT WOULD NOT START, IT IS A 2000 DODGE DAKOTA WITH A 3.7 ENGINE ANY SUSUESTIONSN AS TO WHAT TO CHECH ON NEXT
THANKS GARY IN NOVA SCOTIA
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JOHNNY
Dodge Dakota
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12/07/2006
18:21:47
| RE: 3.7 v 3.9
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thE 3.7 DID COME OUT UNTIL 2004, ARE YOU SURE YOU DON'T HAVE A 3.9?
Johnny
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Adam
Dodge Dakota
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12/07/2006
19:06:49
| RE: 3.7 v 3.9
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I'm gonna go with he isn't aware of what engine he has and it is the 3.9
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jayb
Dodge Dakota
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12/08/2006
15:33:02
| RE: 3.7 v 3.9
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i think it would be a shame to get rid of that truck with only 124000 miles on it. fix the pump. that truck is good for at least 200k.
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Flippy
Dodge Dakota
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12/13/2006
03:50:30
| RE: 3.7 v 3.9
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my guess is this guy is a star wars computer geek
BUY A NEW TRUCK LARD A$$ or fix yer old one and quit asking stupid nerd questions
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