I just bought a 97 Dodge Dakota Sport (146,000 miles) with a V-6 engine and 4 speed auto trans . I am wanting info on getting more power from the engine .I know a upgrade in the exhaust and intake air would be a good place to start but if any one has any suggestions where to go after that I would value your info. Also I would like to know if these trucks in /around the same year model have any common problems. Thank you.
97 Dodge info needed.
Oct 22, 2006
57 Replies
You get a 239 cubic inch V-6 in a 4000+ pound vehicle and you want it to do
0-60 in less than a heartbeat . . . easy, fill the back end with nitroglycerine and slam the liftgate.I find myself wondering which is the more stupid, you for buying an underpowered (for your needs, apparently) vehicle, or me for wanting to ask you "what the heck were you thinking?" for not considering it could be underpowered for what you need it to do.
You might look for a better computer chip, a some kind of supercharger ( there was one advertised in the group the other day), or a vehicle with the engine you really need in it.
So the Cummins owners can't be too bright either. They're always looking for more, they should have bought 5-ton trucks.
don't tempt some of us...we just might do it.
Why? I can get a hell of a lot more out of mine. Do you have any idea how detuned these engines are? Apparently not.
Roy
I just reread my previous post, it was a lot harsher than intended, sorry. These Cummins have gobs of room for horsepower increases. I believe with the smarty program you can pick up in the area of 60 additional horsepower.
Roy
I'm not bashing Cummins. But Leon just bought a Dodge and asked a couple nice questions and said Thank You, and then... I'm sure Budd is rereading his post too.
No-o-o-o-o.
The Cummins is in a different class of engine altogether: it IS a truck engine and most of the "performance" items I've read about for it are just unleashing the power DC choked off.
(Sarcasm mode at warp factor 300)
I'm sorry, I didn't know you were my nanny this week. Gosh, I'd sure like it if mum to let me know these things. Oh, dear, she can't. She passed away in
(Sarcasm reduced to impulse speed)
Obviously you have not been in this group for very long or you would know there are an average of about 8 of these "I-bought-a-V-6-and-I-want it-to-run-like-a-Viper-or-a-Peterbuilt" posts per year, if not more.
I'm sorry if you can't understand how it gets tiresome listening to these whiners about how they didn't use their God given brains to figure out that a V-6 isn't going to tow that 50 foot fifth wheel over (Colorado's Monarch Pass ( over 11,000 feet) or turn the quarter mile faster than a AA/FD, or get better gas mileage than a 50 cc Moped.
Or worse; how they think a K$N airfilter with a Tornado device in the (carb / throttle body) and magnets on the fuel lines will cause all those things to magically happen.
Now, killfile me and go bother someone else.
I guess you are the new net nany. You'll decide what question get's asked? Sure some of them are repeated but so what?
I think you might have hit on why the question was asked.
Kinda like listening to you when ya go on one of these rants
Agreed the above are a waste of money.
Now there is some worthwhile advice. C'mon ya old fart, lighten up. Your making it too easy.
Roy
You have a nine year old truck that has almost 150,000 miles on it. Treat it with respect and it will serve you well within its capabilities. Forget about getting big increases out of exhaust and air filters. I have a '97 Longbed with the 3.9 with 195,000 miles on it. It's not meant to be a go-fast.
Ken
So what's it to you?
Agreed, but it's not rocket science that a V-6 isn't a K-W truck with a Cat engine either. If you want to answer the impossible question, go for it and leave me alone.
Or listening to you when you choose to become an absolute posterior.
But your liberal associates don't agree.
Aw, come on, Roy, mind your own business. You've made it very clear what you think of me, so go to your killfile and add me to it.
Nah, I think I'll keep ya around to watch this phase.
Add two more cylinders to the engine.
beekeep
I'm sorry some of the people here have to be so rude and immature and complain so much, rather than trying to help people. You will not be able to get much more power out of the engine without spending gobs of money (supercharger, hyperchip, etc.). Intake/exhaust mods would give a power increase, but it probably wouldn't even be noticeable. Also, if you're going to be towing decent sized things, you may want to upgrade the rear suspension with helper springs or air bags to eliminate "tail sag" which happens a lot in weighed down Dakotas. Being a Ram owner, I don't know of typical Dakota problems, but this site has some recalls that could give you a good idea of common problems:
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Le> I just bought a 97 Dodge Dakota Sport (146,000 miles) with a V-6 engine
that you're a bitter and deteriorated old man... who couldn't climb into a truck any longer, so you got a car that lets you slide off the edge of your wheelchair and roll over onto the driver seat.
I hope you enjoy it, for it'll show what kind of person _you_ are.
Oh my, are you a unthinking liberal lackey that believes an insensitive, intolerant idiot's comments about me because I won't tolerate his liberal bigotries?
BTW, FYI, I can get into that old D-150 of my son's easier than I can get into the Lebaron. But that doesn't change the fact that you're a self-appointed net-nanny.
I'm sorry you're not educated enough to have read a little farther in the reply ( gotta love the un-education by liberal public school systems) and thereby read the advice I gave on possible performance enhancing products.
You might see if a Christian school offers remedial reading courses in your area.
Budd at time you antics are funny. I do enjoy a chuckle no and then. When your antics aren't funny then I'll follow your advice.
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