Street Truck

[Dammit Man!]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Manual-Transmi ... SwJWhfl20m

[JeremyJ]

Nice find. Good price, too. These things are very uncommon. I believe the shop that's fixing the truck already sourced a replacement here, on the west coast. It actually costs far less to just replace the thing than it does to rebuild it, apparently. Kind of crazy.

[JeremyJ]

I finally got my truck back yesterday. No more rattling noises, which is nice. However, now it's really stiff. It's hard to put in gear and the clutch grabs right off the floor. It feels really different. I can get used to the clutch, but the shifting kind of sucks. It doesn't want to downshift very much. If I rev-match, it just grinds and won't go into gear. I don't like it.

[occasional demons]

Sounds like the clutch is not totally disengaging. Being it grabs right off the floor, it might be dragging enough to mess up the shifting/going into gear.

Is there any sort of pedal adjustment, where it could push the pressure plate in a little more?

Edit: Does it go into the gears with the engine off any better than it running?

[JeremyJ]

I don't know about pedal adjustment. I'll check the power off shifting today.

[JeremyJ]

It shifts like butter with the engine off and there's no pedal adjustment. It's a sealed hydraulic system like the Neon, so there's no way to bleed it. I'm hoping the new clutch is just a little thick and it'll wear down over time and loosen up some.

[occasional demons]

That sucks, even the neon has some pedal adjustment.

I would call the shop and let them know what it's doing. I would think it will unnecessarily wear the synchro's not fully releasing. If nothing else, you can document things. I'm sure if they think it isn't right, they would want to protect any interest in their warranty.

Depending on what side the slave is mounted, you may be able to shim the slave to add some more push. I had to do that with my neon, with the last clutch, to get things to work better. I just used a couple washers on each bolt between the slave and the mount. Some neons use a spacer, and some don't. I think it might have to do with whatever slave they used.

Or find a slave push rod that is adjustable. There is always a way, if they won't/can't get it to shift properly. It can always be returned to stock after say ~10,000 miles to see if it has cleared up.

Most places will want to know if there is some trouble, so they can make it right, and have good PR.

[JeremyJ]

Whelp, back to the shop it goes. I hope it's just the hydraulics and not an issue with the transmission. We'll see.

[occasional demons]

Being it goes in smoothly with the engine off pretty much points to a clutch issue.

Thinking about it, they could have also bent the disc putting the trans back in, if it wasn't supported well enough sliding the input shaft into the clutch. A slightly bent disc will drag...

Even using long dowels to guide the engine and trans together, if it is not supported well from the rear as it is slid in, the trans can hang down, and potentially bend the disc center.

[JeremyJ]

So get this. After I dropped the truck off last night, someone cut out and stole the catalytic converter from under the truck! This is officially the Cursed Dakota. Fortunately, it was a third, redundant cat that goes downstream from the O2 sensors, so it doesn't really matter. I still need to have an exhaust shop fix the pipe, though. The shop won't take any responsibility for it, despite the fact that it happened in their lot. I'm not letting them fix it, because they want too much money for it. I told them to just focus on the transmission and get back to me when they figure it out.

[occasional demons]

Wow, that sucks.

Trucks seem to be the preferred target around here too, probably because not much is needed to slide under and sawzall the pipe, and go.

Just makes you wish you could catch them while they are under there.

A 1/2" steel ball via a slingshot to the balls to soften them up....

[Midnight_Rider]

The shop won't take any responsibility for it, despite the fact that it happened in their lot.

Say WHAT? I would think that it certainly IS their responsibility since the theft occurred on their property. What a bummer.

[occasional demons]

Meh, once they get the clutch/trans issue sorted out, talk to your insurance agent about what options there are on the theft. (provided you have full coverage) You could talk with them now, but have them wait until the repairs are done before starting any hard feelings.

Hopefully if they have any moral compass they will do their best to make the trans issue right, out of some level of sympathy for your exhaust.



In a way, it's like trying to sue Wal Mart for something happening in a parking lot they own. Unless the lot is fenced in, there probably isn't much legal standing.

But if your agent is worth anything, they should be able to get you an answer. The insurance would likely subrogate against the trans shop to recover their costs. But we're probably looing at well under $500 if it comes down to a piece of pipe being welded in place of the converter.

If it came to using a Mopar replacement part, and install, then probably well over $1000.

Nothing really helps with the feeling of being violated though.

[JeremyJ]

A couple of updates. The first is that the shop decided to pay to patch the pipe where the cat was cut out. That felt like a relief and it was the right thing to do. Second, no one at the shop can get the transmission to get stuck in neutral like I can; they can't find anything wrong with it. I find that crazy, because it stranded me four times in two days. It's frustrating. They said they would switch out the fluid for some Redline MTL, which is what I was going to put in it, to see if that helps with the "stiff first gear" that they noticed. Other than that, I don't think they're going to do anything about it. All the hydraulics and the clutch engagement checked out when they tested it.

[occasional demons]

Hopefully the fluid helps, but it's a long shot.

I can't say I seen much difference between Redline MTL and Penzoil Synchromesh. Possibly under truly extreme conditions, the Redline may have an edge, but normal stuff, I would say most fluids aren't going to make much of a change.

I think the Synchromesh actually shifted easier in cold weather (20º and below) than the MTL though. But that went away after it warmed up a bit.

It's these little hiccups that sometimes make buying new seem tempting. At least for a DD.

But it is still aggravating even if this is more toy than necessity. Lately my luck with used (cars as a whole, not parts) hasn't been as good as it could be.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Ouch what a headache! Was a new Mopar Master and Slave put in too with the clutch install? Is it like a Neon with a shift fork and pivot ball? Was that all replaced? Shift linkage all good, cables and bushings? Weird that the shop says they didn't notice anything wrong with it. You should drive it with a the service writer or manager in the vehicle and point the issue out to them in person. Not to get offtopic but YEARS ago my brother had a NEW Integra Type R transmission with LSD installed in his 2001 Integra GSR with a new clutch setup. Had all the work done and didn't even drive it much. Then he noticed it was hard to get into gear.... I told him you should of drove it more and addressed the concern after spending close to $4k on a transmission/install!

Hope you get it squared away soon.

[JeremyJ]

The hydraulics, fork, and pivot ball were all checked out and and okayed for reuse. There is no linkage on the transmission; it's all internal because the shifter mounts directly on top of the transmission. All of these things have been supposedly double-checked and they can't find anything wrong. It's a mystery.

[JeremyJ]

I got the truck back last night. No drama on the way home and it seems to be shifting alright. I did notice a small bump in power without that third cat, which I wasn't expecting to be able to feel. That's fun. Overall, I'm hopeful that the issue has been resolved, despite the fact that no one could find anything wrong with it. I'm ready to move on to fun projects.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Good to know glad it is all situated! Maintenance always first for sure

[Neon4Life]

So get this. After I dropped the truck off last night, someone cut out and stole the catalytic converter from under the truck!

Think that's bad. The church I go to had the cats all cut off their busses back before covid hit. Talking about 8 or so buses. We don't have emissions here but they still needed replaced profesionally.


Fast forward to the truck shifting issue but not now part. Maybe freeing up some exhaust power is all it needed.

[JeremyJ]

Well, after a few more miles, the trans is still acting up quite a bit. I'm going to drive it some more before I bring it back to the shop again. I'm trying to pinpoint anything I'm doing that might be causing it to act up. It always seems to happen at red lights, for some reason. I can't get it to do anything wrong while it's parked. So approaching a stop and throwing it in neutral, and then trying to put it back into first after a brief pause, seems to be the only consistent way it's triggered. I asked around online in various Dakota groups and the consensus is that the hydraulics are suspect. Specifically the slave cylinder. The shop claims they're working as intended, but then again, they haven't seen it act up yet. It could very well be a stuck slave or maybe air in the lines that happened during the trans install. Who knows. I'm considering telling them to install a new master/slave setup, but I need to gather some money first.

[JeremyJ]

Instead of messing with the transmission some more, I decided to remove the orange and silver pinstripes that were on the driver's side of the truck. The passenger stripes had already been removed. I used my trusty Harbor Freight heat gun and went to town pulling the old stickers off.

Before:



After:



The silver stripe wasn't coming off as easily, so I'm going to order one of those 3M Magic Eraser wheels and remove the remaining silver stripe and all of the adhesive that's left. I spent some time poking around under the hood and noticed a power steering leak. It's pretty minor, but I'll have to address it eventually. There's also an exhaust leak at the passenger manifold. Looks like a broken stud. I'll have to tackle that as well, but I'll probably wait for warmer weather.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

can't really see it in the first picture due to the glare. the pinstripe.

Usually always a good idea to put a new master and slave in after a new clutch install. I hear it so often that a new clutch really wears out an old slave and time and time again a new slave/master has to be installed after a fresh clutch install. Especially if the master/slave is super old with a ton of miles.

Broken stud..ummm yeah not fun. I dealt with that on my Neon. Good luck with that, hopefully its easy to get too with lots of space to work with.

[occasional demons]

Hmmm,I put two clutches in the neon and never changed the Master/Slave.

I'm not sure if a new Mopar replacement can even be obtained anymore, now that I plan to install a fresh unit in my 2000 project. Being the hydraulics have 210,000 miles and 20 years on them.

I'm sure if I use the Stratus V6 clutch I have on the shelf, it would probably push the envelope. Luck only goes so far.

[JeremyJ]

Rock Auto has a Dorman master/slave setup for pretty cheap. They carry a Luk version, but it's never in stock. I plan to install one of the new setups in the spring, when the weather warms up a bit. Even if it doesn't solve the issue, it won't hurt anything.

The stud is fairly easy to get to, since it's the one closest to the front of the engine bay, and on top of the manifold. I can reach it from the top, or I can pull the front wheel and fender liner and get it from the bottom. I'm going to soak it in PB Blaster for weeks ahead of time and hope that it doesn't give me too much grief. I'm not looking forward to it.

You can see the pinstripe a little better in this picture. It wasn't my style at all.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

good to hear the stud is easy to get to. wish you the best of luck with that. Yeah that pinstripe is very subtle. It would bother me though. Brings back memories of cars that had pinstripes on the side as a dealer option to mark up the price hahaha. Most of them were very goofy.

[JeremyJ]

I got new tires this week. They're 235/60/16 Kumhos. They're just a basic all season tire for the time being. Discount Tire wouldn't let me install anything sticky, because they "weren't designed for trucks." It's a weight thing, I guess. Kind of funny since this thing only weighs about 3600 pounds (scale confirmed) which is less than a lot of sedans these days.



These tires are 27" tall. The factory tires were 29". They will give me the extra clearance I need when I drop the truck. There shouldn't be any fender rubbing, except over maybe the harshest of bumps. For now I have to deal with the huge wheel gap. As long as I know it's short-lived, I can deal with it.

[occasional demons]

I try to just take wheels, and tell them what tires I want them mounted on them when I get tires. If they won't mount tires without knowing what they go on, I go someplace else, or just buy tires on line, and have them mounted locally.

Sam's Club is the worst when it comes to tire Nazi's. They won't even mount anything other than the size(s) listed on the doorjamb.

[JeremyJ]

These guys were cool about the shorter size when I explained my reasoning. I just wanted something with directional tread and a better speed rating, but they were all designed for cars. Discount has a policy against mounting them on anything with a bed. There is a shady local shop where I bought the RPF1s and tires for my Neon, and I'm sure they would have mounted anything I wanted on it. The problem is that it took them about a month to get my order shipped and they weren't very good at communicating. I hate dealing with that, so I avoided them this time.

[occasional demons]

I'm sure they are more concerned with someone using the tires and loading the pick up down.

Being you are dropping it, I don't see you using it in that manner.

Technically by their reasoning, they wouldn't even mount P tires on anything with a bed, just LT's.

But I know a lot of people with P tires on pickups.

Stickier tires are more temperature sensitive than load sensitive I would think. It's not like you were going for wrinkle walls...

The tires on the Hellcats and Scat Pack Challengers are not supposed to be used below 50ºF or they will not grip at all. But I don't know about load ratings. Given the lateral loads they support in hard cornering...