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Murphy
Dodge Dakota
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1/03/2006
14:48:32
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 Subject: 2003 dakota 4x4 mpg problem
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I have a 2003 dodge dakota 4x4 and recently I made a 500 mile trip to Florida. I did play in the mud a little nothing bad tho and on the way back my mpg droped from 13.4 to 9.3 and I have changed oil, trans fluid, and air filter. does anyone know what the problem could be and how to fix it? thanks.
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8banger
GenIII
1/03/2006
16:03:18
|  RE: 2003 dakota 4x4 mpg problem
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strange...I made a 500 mile trip to Bass Lake and I averaged 18.7 mpg, and I have the AWD. Were you towing or carrying any load?
03 Dakota 4X4 QC SportPlus 4.7L 3.55 LSD AWD
Superchipped, 2Chamber Flowmaster Dumped, K&N Drop-in, 2" Torsion/Blocks Lift,
BFG AT/KO's 265/75/16
My 4X4's Baptism
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BanditSC
Dodge Dakota
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1/03/2006
16:37:45
| RE: 2003 dakota 4x4 mpg problem
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Kind of sounds like your 4 wheel drive is still engaged.. Though if you drove all the way back on the highway I would think you would have heard a loud bang at some point from the T-Case as I'm assuming you were driving over 55. Perhaps the front shafts didn't disengage, a little mud gumming up the works..
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GraphiteDak
GenIII
1/03/2006
19:05:57
| RE: 2003 dakota 4x4 mpg problem
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The front shafts NEVER disengage. It only disengages in the transfer case.
The driveshaft always turns, etc. So mud could not do anything. But maybe he bumped the switch into 4HI?
I doubt it would drop it that much though.
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Jecht
Dodge Dakota
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1/03/2006
20:16:04
| RE: 2003 dakota 4x4 mpg problem
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maybe a bad tank of gas? I know one time we was driving my wifes malibu to her parents house one year. we went hardly 200 miles and used amost 3/4 of a tank of gas. I was scared and I filled up. the engine seemed to run fine. so we got back on the road and gas mileage was normal again and never happened again.
could check the plugs, or what about the TPS? might just be a fluke. I would watch it and are you doing any long trips again so yo ucan test it.
but to get 13 MPG on the highway seems bad to begin with. do you have the 5.9 or the 4.7 engine?
my 4.7 gets about 18 - 20 MPG.
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murphy
Dodge Dakota
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1/07/2006
09:36:20
| RE: 2003 dakota 4x4 mpg problem
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Message:
its 4.7 AWD I bought it back in oct. and its always had 13 mpg and now it has not gone back up from 9.3mpg I put fuel injecter cleaner in it but has not helped I talk to a guy the other day he said bad gas could clog up the fuel filter and cause this. does anyone know where the fuel filter is and if that sounds right
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murphy
Dodge Dakota
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1/07/2006
09:39:00
| RE: 2003 dakota 4x4 mpg problem
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also I started getting a clunking noise when I turn sharp mostly to the left. and was reading on the internet about the recall for upper balljoints. does that sound like that might be the upper ball joints?
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deerridge
GenIII
1/07/2006
11:16:40
| RE: 2003 dakota 4x4 mpg problem
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I have a 03 AWD too. You should be getting 15 to 16. I have a 3.92 rear end too. The only time I get 9.5 is pulling heavy loads long distance. You might have plugged up your air filter. That'll kill your milage in hurry.
Real Horsepower
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Super bee
GenI
1/07/2006
13:02:17
| RE: 2003 dakota 4x4 mpg problem
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"The front shafts NEVER disengage. It only disengages in the transfer case. "
my front axle disengages :)
1990 sport RC SB, 1995 318drivetrain, 3.92 gears (came with truck) 95 dash/steering wheel, hearthrob exhaust, headers, cutout after y-pipe, necessary electric fan add-a-leafs, 30x9.5 mud tires, cranked T-bars, AR 39 15x8 rims, grill guard, roll bars
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Josh
Dodge Dakota
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1/07/2006
17:20:58
| RE: 2003 dakota 4x4 mpg problem
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Lucky guy.
Wish my 2004's did.
Wish someone made a conversion kit so it would.
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Super bee
GenI
1/08/2006
00:53:57
| RE: 2003 dakota 4x4 mpg problem
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seems odd they went away from that on dakotas and then left it on the rams
the 95 i pulled the v8 from didnt disengage either
and you dont wish you had it
it can get stuck, or foze, the vacuum switch is prone to failure and the whole sytem jsut kinda sucks
1990 sport RC SB, 1995 318drivetrain, 3.92 gears (came with truck) 95 dash/steering wheel, hearthrob exhaust, headers, cutout after y-pipe, necessary electric fan add-a-leafs, 30x9.5 mud tires, cranked T-bars, AR 39 15x8 rims, grill guard, roll bars
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GraphiteDak
GenIII
1/08/2006
21:15:54
| RE: 2003 dakota 4x4 mpg problem
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Yeah. I guess you sacrifce reliablity for mileage, or vice versa. :)
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