I have a 2002 Dodge 1500 and the rear drive shaft looks like either the u joint or the ring and pinion have gone bad. It has a constant hum at around 30-50 mph.
If it is the ring and pinion how much can I expect to pay to fix it?
pinion bearing. A friend of mine and myself both went through this. Two things Dodge has never learned how to do: 1. Paint a car with paint that stays on; and 2. build a rear differential that works past 90k miles. Mine cost me over $1,300 and a week to get fixed. I hope that dealership likes the cash - they get no more from me as long as I can breath. If you are smart you will NOT go to a dealership for repairs but find a "reliable" mechanic (almost as rare as an honest lawyer) that can fix it. The pinion bearing and race need to be replaced and the rest of the rear end internals need to be pulled and cleaned properly then reassembled with new gaskets and seals and fluid (synthetic preferably).
As far as paint problems go, if your referring to peeling...that was due to the pigments in the paint, I think it was white mostly and some blue, it isnt a Chrysler thing, it is everyone that used that paint. As far s the pinion Bearing goes, Im just curious how often have you serviced the rear and if equipped front carrier on your truck? My last truck went thru one pinion Bearing with 240k on it, my Durango is doing well too. a little maintenance goes along way!! So Abby what kind of job do you do?
Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech
I do computer services for a very large security company but am not a total mechanical bone head. I have the transmission filter and fluids cleaned every other year and the rear axle at the same time. I still have the old parts for the bad one. I made the mistake of telling the dealership that the rear-end was bad. That verbiage was my mistake. They replaced the rear end because the customer is right and that's what I told them it was. So, why should they argue when I am offering them big bucks for mostly labor? The pinion bearing and race are all that's bad - nothing else. This same thing also went bad on my 92 but I sold it that way and let the new owner know it was bad. That truck had only 122K on it. He bought it anyway, repaired it himself, and is still driving it. My friend had his Ram rear-end go bad while pulling a trailer (U-Haul) to Florida about 200 miles West of Ft. Lauderdale. He never beat that truck and still owns it too. Same parts went bad on his.
As for the paint. This is my second Dakota with the same paint issues in the same areas. Chrysler short-changed this truck on clear coat for darn sure. They walked up to the truck, set a can of clear coat next to it, and said "that's all you get." It is so thin you can barely tell any is there at all. A bird crapped on the hood and when I got home that evening the clear coat had been ruined by the turd. That took less that 10 hours to accomplish. And yes, to some extent, paint for earlier year vehicles did have a pealing and erosion issue because it was a new water-based technology. But that was in the mid-late 80's - not 98. No, it's a total lack of clear coat. I used to paint cars once in a past life so I happen to know a little about it. It's not a big deal here because of the area that's bad. I intend on squirting new paint/clear on it this Spring anyway. It's not bad enough to steer me away from the product line. Even if all the paint goes bad Chrysler is still the best vehicle out there for the money. I love the styles, lines, colors, and overall design. I am peeved about not being able to get a Hemi in the Dakota but I'll get over it.
I do notice the clear is a little thicker on the newer vehicles so someone figured it out.
"damnnickname" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@localhost.talkaboutautos.com...
Most people dont realize that the front and rear diff's are supposed to be serviced every 12K
I htought you were referring to the paint peeling from the metal, but yes I have seen alot of clear coat issues on the older model vehicles as you say
I am soooo looking forward to my next Dakota. Black; 4x4; 4-door; V8; auto; CD; electric windows, door locks, and seat; air; the works.... I don't like the chrome (bling) on this vehicle though. Looks good on the RAM but I don't like it on the Dakota for some reason. I like the sport package more. I may have found the one I'm after too if they will come back with the right price:
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