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Tom
Dodge Dakota
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1/13/2004
10:19:17
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 Subject: 4.7 Mileage - help !
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I bought a 4.7 Dakota 6 months ago, to carry around my windsurfing gear under a fiberglass lid. I didn't pay much attention to the mileage sticker since the Dakota's Quad was the only one in the small/mid trucks that had any decent amount of cab space for the kids.
What a shocker now - 13 in the city, taking it easy around town. Highway not bad, but havn't got a number on that yet. Rough idle too, which I hear is normal.
Will changing chips help mileage? If so, where can I by one ? I heard Dodge is listening and is going to put a different motor or update the 4.7 in the Dakota in the future.
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Oh no
Dodge Dakota
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1/13/2004
11:04:21
| RE: 4.7 Mileage - help !
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Here we go again!
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Atlantic Blue
Dodge Dakota
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1/13/2004
11:27:56
| RE: 4.7 Mileage - help !
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I don't find the mileage too bad on my 4.7 Quad because after all, it is a truck and a V8 so I'm realistic when considering mpg numbers.
You should have considered a car for everyday driving and using a trailer when toting your gear around if mpg is an issue because you'll never get great mileage out of any truck period.
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03dak47
Dodge Dakota
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1/13/2004
15:27:42
| RE: 4.7 Mileage - help !
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What is up with everyone and the rough idle. I have a 4.7 and have a perfect idle.(Knock on Wood) Mine idles at a hair over 500 with no A/C and around 650 with. Auto trans. Does the idle issue occur later on in the miles. I have about 3500 so far.
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Kowalski
Dodge Dakota
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1/13/2004
15:47:29
| RE: 4.7 Mileage - help !
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No rough idle here either, so I wouldn't consider it normal.
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BadMoFo
Dodge Dakota
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1/14/2004
01:13:56
| RE: 4.7 Mileage - help !
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I use to drive my 4.7 like a jacka$$. I would accelerate at every light and fly down the street. and, you know what happened?...It idled rough. So, I decided to see what would happen if I drove it nicely...and, you know what happened? It idled perfectly...and, it still does.
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Mr.Sleepy
Dodge Dakota
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1/14/2004
08:51:43
| RE: 4.7 Mileage - help !
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I'm not sure why a V8 4x4 CC Dakota gets 13mpg city when a full size gmc sierra 4x4 v8 gets 17-18mpg city. Makes you wonder....
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Tom
Dodge Dakota
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1/14/2004
08:57:08
| RE: 4.7 Mileage - help !
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Atlantic - I don't like pulling a trailer everywhere - I take my windsurfing gear with me to work so if the wind kicks up, I ready. I've had many other V8 trucks, and it just seems, for its size, the Dakota is a pig on gas. For about 2MPG less, I could drive a RAM.
As for the rough idle - It's not rough in the sense that something is wrong, it's just not as smooth as many other vehicles. My last vehicle was a Maxima (3.0 V6), and with 80K miles, it idled so quiet you would think it wasn't running.
When I test drove the Dak, I asked about the idle, and the salesman said it sounded normal. I asked if I could try another Dak, and sure enough, it idled the same.
Many engines just sound (and feel) differently than others. The first time I drove my brother's 2001 F250 (gas V8) I thought something was wrong with it - they have a sound like the carb is sucking air excessively- but that is just how they sound.
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TexasTodd
Dodge Dakota
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1/14/2004
09:58:38
| RE: 4.7 Mileage - help !
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Tom,
I'm a former windsurfer, now Catamaran sailor, where you at?
anyway, you didn't say what year you have.
If you let them 'flash' it at a dealer, it'll retard the timing, idle smoother, get worse MPG, and have less power, all for a smoother idle.
My 01 quad, idles silky smooth, even after HO cams, intake, other minor mods, but I don't have an automatic trans either. Somehow, it seems to affect some of them, don't know why or how for sure. Use the search feature here, it's been talked about a long time, maybe somone has already figured it out.
Good luck,
ToddSails@houston.rr.com
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Tom
Dodge Dakota
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1/14/2004
11:24:43
| RE: 4.7 Mileage - help !
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Texas - Actually, I kiteboard in Melbourne, FL - I use the term windsurf because most people don't know what kiteboarding is.
The idling thing doesn't bother me anymore; I'm use to it. I just want better gas mileage.
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deerridge
Dodge Dakota
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1/14/2004
12:17:00
| RE: 4.7 Mileage - help !
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Your gas mileage will probably improve. My first tank was 13, second 14, with steady gains to my current 16 to 18 depending on what I'm hauling. With 12 to 1500 lbs of feed in the back-13. With three horses on a trailer (7000 lbs) about 12. I've got 30000 on my 4.7 AWD. I check it everytime I get gas. I always have about 500lbs on board.
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Twix
Dodge Dakota
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1/14/2004
14:22:20
| RE: 4.7 Mileage - help !
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Two questions;
What does your odometer read?
What is the rough idle rpm range?
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eddy
Dodge Dakota
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1/14/2004
21:20:11
| RE: 4.7 Mileage - help !
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"I'm not sure why a V8 4x4 CC Dakota gets 13mpg city when a full size gmc sierra 4x4 v8 gets 17-18mpg city. Makes you wonder...."
Youd understand if you compated apples to apples. One truck is much bigger than the other, sure, but the power to weight ratios are probably actually fairly similar, for one thing. For another, you're generalizing WAY too much, as people normally do when they talk gas mileage. There's plenty of Sierras out there geting 11 or 12 along with the ones getting 15-16. And there's plenty of Quads out there getting 17 along with the ones getting 13. Too many variables involved to make such a trite comparison, and it sounds like you're basing it on looking at the window stickers of both trucks when the real world mileage figures for both vehicles will be across the board depending on how, where, and by whom they are driven.
First few tanks for me were high 11s. Then mid 12s, then mid 13s, then the last coupla have been mid 14s. So far only 4500 miles on the truck. The conssumption seems to be improving as the miles pile on, and those high 14s are in sub 40 degree weather. I dont think 15-16 will be much of a problem by the time Spring rolls around.
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eddy
Dodge Dakota
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1/14/2004
21:23:04
| RE: 4.7 Mileage - help !
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And by the way... it's an 04, 5 speed auto, V8, part time 4wd, Quad Cab Sport Plus with soft tonneau, and 245/70/16 tires. The cover seems to have gotten me an extra 1-2 mpg.
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