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Jason
Dodge Dakota
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10/13/2003
11:37:24
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 Subject: No Towing Power
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I have a 97 5.2L 5sp, Clubcab. I think I have 3.55 gears. When I pull my pop-up camper(4000lbs) I have trouble getting up some hills. Any ideas on increasing power???? HELP
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EBL
Dodge Dakota
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10/13/2003
13:05:45
|  RE: No Towing Power
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tune up?
I wouldn't think you would have a problem otherwise.
What's your normal fuel economy?
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Jason
Dodge Dakota
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10/13/2003
14:33:50
| RE: No Towing Power
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I get about 14-15mph..I think I want to put in 3.92 gears and an aux trans cooler. Think that will help me up the hills? Lots of hills here in Arizona
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Handy Hank
Dodge Dakota
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10/13/2003
16:15:30
| RE: No Towing Power
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You shouldnt have any trouble pulling a pop-up. I pulled a boat last summer through the mountains in Wyo. with my 5.2 auto 4x4. Maybe you do need a tune-up.
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EBL
Dodge Dakota
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10/13/2003
19:00:16
| RE: No Towing Power
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Your truck is now 5 years old and probably due for some regular maintenance.
Check your air and fuel filters to make sure they are clean. If you do the work yourself, you can probably do this for $20.
Change plugs $17.
Wires $50+ for a set of 8mm. I used Taylor wires from Summit Racing. They are cheaper than the autoparts store. The wires are the most expensive part, but since they take the spark to the fuel they really make a difference in performance... especially towing.
Distributor cap and rotor for right around $12.
This should help out your power, but since your truck is 5 years old now you should probably go through and check your hoses before one bursts and leaves you stranded on the road somewhere.
This should give you a good jump and eliminate most of the possible problems. (Your engine will be getting all of the air, fuel and spark that it needs to run it's best.)
If you need more power after the above, maybe it's time to start modifications.
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GraphiteDak
GenIII
10/13/2003
22:11:07
| RE: No Towing Power
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Jason, what hills do you have to tow up here in AZ?
I live in AZ too. Pull from Phoneix to Payson, To the RIM above Payson and sometimes to Flagstaff.
My 4.7 4X4 keeps over 70 MPH up most of that stuff with my trailer. Haven't weighed it tho.
I was just curious what hills you climb. A lot of people think AZ is all desert! HA! There's 7,000+ altitude hills to climb. Not too mention LOTS of loss in horsepower at that altitude where the air is not nearly as dense as the valley!
2003 Graphite QC 4X4 4.7 Auto 3.55
Home Brewed Cold Air Intake, Flowmaster 40 series, Modified TPS to .72VDC, Modified IAT. 160° T-Stat.
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jason
Dodge Dakota
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10/13/2003
23:02:07
| RE: No Towing Power
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I go up to the rim all the time FR9350 and 300. I have tuned up my truck about a month ago. I changed out the , plugs, wires, filters, belts, hoses, tires, distributor cap, rotor. I can smell the trans oil heat up and burning when going up these hills.
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md
Dodge Dakota
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10/14/2003
00:44:57
|  RE: No Towing Power
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Jason, are you towing in overdrive? If so, the trans could be downshifting far more often than it was designed for under the load you are pulling and grades you are climbing - therby heating up and putting out the smell you are describing.
4000lbs up steep grades with 3:55's is not the best towing situation - and if you have added taller tires it gets worse.
I have a 4.7 and tow with 4:10's. In my opinion, it would probably be well worth it to you to go to 3:92's.
MD
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.boB
Dodge Dakota
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10/14/2003
01:03:17
| RE: No Towing Power
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If you're smelling burnt fluid, that's a bad thing. Get thee to shop that can do a complete flush, and add a HD cooler. And if you tow a lot, you probably should use lower gears. At least 3.92, and maybe 4.10. How fast are you driving in OD? Whip those ponies too hard and they'll die.
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GraphiteDak
GenIII
10/15/2003
22:58:16
| RE: No Towing Power
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Yeah Jason the RIM has some HUGE climbes!
I'm not sure where each Forest Road is bu number. Are any of those up past Strawberry? Or are you talking EAST of Payson towards Heber?
FR300 sounds really familiar to me for some reason. Maybe that's the one past Strawberry where you go south on a dirt road and can over look the lower RIM? Also some sea shells up on the one I'm thinking about. Hmm.. world must have been flooded way up there at one point.
Anyway, I'd agree that you need to kick that tranny out of OVERDRIVE or it may shift back and forth too much. Keeping it out of OD may also keep the Torque Converter locked which reduces HEAT!
I have the 5 speed auto and I must say that this tranny seems to sense loads MUCH better than any other OD tranny I've used. When you get on it in the slightest and it comes out of OD it STAYS out of OD for a LONG time unless you unload for a few seconds. I don't have to manually take mine from OD most of the time.
I'm also lucky enough to have a HEAVY DUTY service pack, etc etc that has the towimg package, cooling package, tranny cooler, etc.
2003 Graphite QC 4X4 4.7 Auto 3.55
Home Brewed Cold Air Intake, Flowmaster 40 series, Modified TPS to .72VDC, Modified IAT. 160° T-Stat.
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GraphiteDak
GenIII
10/15/2003
23:00:37
| RE: No Towing Power
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Hey BOB. How do you like those 4.10 gears?
I got them 3.55's. If I spend the money would you suggest I stay with 3.92 or would you recommend the 4.10's like you have?
Mine's a 4.7 4X4. i intend to keep my stock wheel height for a while. I may never change them. This truck can kick some serious A$$ in high speed curves with the stock suspension. FWD cars don't even DARE to follow me thru the curves up there!
2003 Graphite QC 4X4 4.7 Auto 3.55
Home Brewed Cold Air Intake, Flowmaster 40 series, Modified TPS to .72VDC, Modified IAT. 160° T-Stat.
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Jason Gilbert
Dodge Dakota
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10/15/2003
23:01:31
| RE: No Towing Power
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Well I fixed the problem. I traded in my good ole dakota for a new 2003 Ram crewcab 4x2 with a 5.7 Hemi. That should do the trick. I hated to see the dakota go but i think it was time.
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EBL
Dodge Dakota
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10/16/2003
07:43:58
| RE: No Towing Power
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I think you made a good choice. The Ram probably has larger brakes so it should be safer to pull with.
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01Motorsport
Dodge Dakota
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10/16/2003
08:48:05
| RE: No Towing Power
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GraphiteDak: you would love the 3:92's. They seem a perfect match for the 4.7's torque curve. '01RC 4.7 5-spd. 3:92
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AndrewM
Dodge Dakota
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10/16/2003
10:41:53
| RE: No Towing Power
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Actually GraphiteDak, since you have an auto you'd love the 4.10s even better.
I just swapped my 3.55 open for 4.10 LSD a few weeks ago on my 02 QC 4.7 auto. 4.10s are perfect for this combo.
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TexasTodd
Dodge Dakota
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10/16/2003
23:42:59
| RE: No Towing Power
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Jason,
I thought you said in your first post you had a 5spd?
You shouldn't need a tranny cooler, etc. on a 5spd, manual that is, somethings wrong.
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GraphiteDak
GenIII
10/17/2003
00:13:28
| RE: No Towing Power
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4.10's eh?
What's you RPM's in OD at 60 MPH?
I think mine is around 1500 RPM's
Mine is also a 4X4, cost a little more to have done.
I tear everything apart on a car myself EXCEPT for setting ring and pinions!
The only time I have tackled that was on a old P.O.S. El Camino I bought and screwed with earlier this year and then sold. On that beast I yanked out the (sh!tty!) 2.56 : 1 final gears and got a junkyard set of I think was 3.56 : 1 from a V6 Camero. You should have seen the difference it made! With the 350 engine and the "snap your neck" shift kit and mods I did to the tranny it would tach out and SHRED the tires when it shifted. It even barked them going into 3rd.
As for my 4X4 I'll pay a professional to swap my gears ESPECIALLY with me TOWING approx 2000 LBS behind it on a regular basis!
Those 3.55's don't do too bad. The 4.10's gotta kick a$$!
2003 Graphite QC 4X4 4.7 Auto 3.55
Home Brewed Cold Air Intake, Flowmaster 40 series, Modified TPS to .72VDC, Modified IAT. 160° T-Stat.
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Deep Purple
*GenI*
10/17/2003
08:04:25
| RE: No Towing Power
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Check for a leaking plenum gasket. It will kill your power pulling a hill. Good luck.
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Wadak
Dodge Dakota
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11/22/2003
01:47:57
| RE: No Towing Power
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Jason, How many miles do you have on your truck, depending on your mileage you may need to change your O2 sensor, if starting to degrade in performance it can cause a loss of power and mileage, the intake manifold belly pan gasket could also cause problems as mentioned above.
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Jay
Dodge Dakota
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11/22/2003
09:51:04
| RE: No Towing Power
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I had 140,000. I also swapped out the O2 sensor. I gave in and bought a 03 ram quad cab Hemi. No loss of power there. Thanks for all your help guys.
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SPknight
Dodge Dakota
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3/17/2005
20:55:48
| RE: No Towing Power
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Message:
Hey guys, i have a 2000 Dakota Sport 4.7L with the 5speed manual & 3.92 gears ive added gibson headers and k&n fipk intake and a flowmaster 60 series muffler, i want to know if ill be able to tow a 87 mitsubishi starion with this set-up or does my truck not weigh enough...any help is greatly appreciated...
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