This may come as a shock, but there is no perfect four-wheel-drive rig. The cold hard truth is that there isn't a vehicle made that doesn't suffer to some degree from model-specific quirks. Some of these quirks reside in the drivetrain, while others manifest themselves in areas like the body or interior. Some exist right off the showroom floor, while others rear their ugly heads years later through normal use. Yet others are the result of the accumulated stress brought on by years of 'wheeling.
In this installment, we turn attention to some of the weak links in fullsize Dodge and Plymouth trucks and SUVs. Our primary source in compiling these items was the scores of folks from Ramchargercentral.com. Now don't let the name fool you, these folks are dyed-in-the-wool Mopar truck fans whose knowledge spans much more than just the now-defunct Dodge Ramcharger. Ramchargercentral.com came into being in 1999, and in 2001 they branched out, adding state and province chapters covering the U.S. and Canada. The site is a nirvana of Mopar info, including an online VIN decoder, a part number database, scores of how-tos, classifieds, and much more.
As with all of the installments in our "Weak Links, Strong Fixes" series, whittling the list down to a reasonable number is never easy. What follows are what we consider to be the most relevant weak links and how you can fix 'em.
Weak link: Rear driveshaft slip-joint splines
Models affected: '74-'93 trucks and SUVs with slip-joint rear driveshaft
What happens: A small wear ridge develops in the slip-joint. When the vehicle is put in gear or stopped quickly, the joint slips over the wear ridge, creating a clunking sound. The sound can be amplified through the driveshaft and heard as an annoying clunk inside the vehicle.
Sturdy fix: An inexpensive temporary fix is to remove the driveshaft, separate it at the splines, and slather grease on both ends of the slip joint. A better fix is to install a grease fitting on the female end on the flat spot by the yoke so you can simply grease the slip-joint each time you service your rig. The sturdiest fix is to trash the worn driveshaft and get a new one from a company like Tom Wood's Custom Drive Shafts.
Contact: Tom Wood's Custom Drive Shafts, 977/497-4238, www.4xshaft.com
Weak link: Cowl area
Models affected: '93-and-older trucks and SUVs
What happens: Stress cracks appear in the cowl area, which cause metal-to-metal squeaks.
Sturdy fix: Dodge offers a cowl reinforcement kit. The part number for the left side is AR4797018 and the number for the right side is AR4797019. These kits require removing the wiper arms, cowl screen, hood (with hinges attached), and front fenders. You'll need to drill-stop the crack ends with a 1/16-inch drill and grind the surface of the crack and the area surrounding it to facilitate the reinforcement and adhesive. The patch is fastened to the vehicle using rivets and adhesive.
Contact: Your local Dodge dealer
Weak link: Factory steering coupler
Models affected: '74-'99 pickups, '74-'93 SUVs
What happens: The factory steering coupler is prone to wear, and when this happens it causes excessive play in the steering system.
Sturdy fix: A cheap fix is to purchase a coupler rebuild kit from the dealer and rebuild it yourself. A strong fix is to replace the entire steering shaft with a new, U-joint-style steering shaft (shown here) from a company like Borgeson.
Contact: Your local Dodge dealer or Borgeson, 860/482-8283, www.borgeson.com.
Weak link: Factory track bar
Models affected: '94-01 trucks
What happens: The factory track bar wears at the frame connection and causes steering problems.
Sturdy fix: You can either replace the factory track bar with an aftermarket track bar from a company like Thuren Fabrication, or you can just replace the factory end with an aftermarket end from a company like Luke's Link.
Contact: Thuren Fabrication, 805/886-9250, www.thurenfabrication.com or Luke's Link, 800/962-4090, www.lukeslink.com
Weak link: Electric lift pump
Models affected: '98 1/2-'02 Ram trucks equipped with 24-valve Cummins diesel engine
What happens: One of the most controversial and aggravating problems hounding these engines revolves around the high failure rate of the lift pump. Quite simply, the lift pump moves fuel from the tank to the VP-44 injection pump. The injection pump demands a high fuel flow, so the lift pump needs to provide a given fuel pressure at both high and low rpm to keep the VP-44 injection pump happy. Often, the lift pump will fail, producing either low pressure or no pressure at all. When this happens, it's only a matter of time before the expensive, fuel-lubricated VP-44 injection pump expires.
Sturdy fix: Dodge is quite well aware of the lift-pump problem, and some owners report that Dodge has been generally good about extending warranties to cover the problematic lift pump. Call your dealer first, and see what they can do for you. They can also test the pressure of the lift pump, but not always for free. Since the VP-44 injection pump can operate with a dead or malfunctioning lift pump, oftentimes the problem can go unnoticed until it's too late. The best way to monitor lift pump activity is with a fuel pressure gauge. BD Diesel Performance offers an optional lift-pump pressure sensor for its X-Monitor system.
Contact: BD Diesel Performance, 800/887-5030, www.dieselperformance.com