ABS, cruise control and ebrake light problem
From : david burton
Q: for any of you folks under the delusion that a chrysler extended warranty is/was money well spent disabuse yourself of that foolish notion! i think you will find that you purchased a service contract. as mike pointed out to me and after a bunch of reading i too learned there is a big difference between the two. also there are big differences between the various factory service contracts. roy .
Replies:
From : miles
tom lawrence wrote my a/c isnt working in my 97 ram pu and i noticed that the a/c clutch does not come on and drive the compressor at all. i checked to see if it spins and it does. is their a way to test the clutch their is a 2 prong electrical plug leading too it and is it just a matter of putting 12 volts on it disconnect the connector on top of the accumulator cylinder-looking thing next to the firewall on the passenger side - has a/c hoses coming out of it and stick the ends of a paper clip into the connector the part on the wire not the part left in the accumulator. with the engine running and the climate controls in the a/c position if the clutch engages youre low on refrigerant and need to get the leak found fixed and the system recharged. dont let the clutch stay engaged for too long this way - just long enough to verify the problem. thanks!! the clutch worked almost immediately. .
From : david burton
now that ive owned my new pickup for a few weeks i thought id stop and compare new vs old while my 97 is still fresh in my mind. both trucks are single cab short bed loaded. comparing 1997 laramie slt 5.2 l v8 auto 4spd + od 2003 slt laramie is now an additional trim option which i didnt purchase 5.7 l v8 auto 5spd + od things that have gottten better storage theres now even more room behind the seats of the standard cab! you can actually stash suitcases behind the seats. and the under-cushion storage in the middle seat makes good use of formerly wasted space. they retained the big armrest with storage and now it also has a 12-v power outlet inside. strangely there are no longer removable mini-shelves provided for the back wall of the cab. ill miss those. my dealers parts department says there are none available for the new trucks. looks like a good aftermarket opportunity. mainenance replacing the air cleaner in my 97 always seemed more of a hassle than it should have been. why did they not make it where the cover could be easily popped off without unfastening the entire housing from the air intake on the 2003 this appears to be corrected. also i think im really going to like the built-in funnel on my 03 for pouring in the fresh oil. for 6 years ive been making paper funnels from big gulp cups.. engine my 03 5.7 l v8 has noticeably more pep than the 97 5.2. so far the fuel economy in casual driving seems about the same 13.5 in the city and 17.5 on the highway. brakes love the 4-wheel disc brakes they work great and will be easier to service on the rear than my 97 drums. i also bought the 4-wheel antilock option. my 97 had two human engineering items i considered flaws and both have been addressed in the 03. first item the parking brake pedal of the 97 did not stay down when set making it impossible to tell at a glance if the brake was set. and the brake indicator light was positioned where it could be hidden by the steering wheel. i drove off more than once with the parking brake set on my 97. on the 2003 the pedal stays down when set plus the indicator is moved to a more visible location. second item the cup holder on my 97 was positioned above the radio and partially obscured it when pulled out. and obviously the drinks had a long way to fall if one tipped out of the holder. on my 03 the cup holder is larger and in a much more sensible position near the floor. sun visor finally the drivers visor extends to properly shield the side of your face! what got worse suspension ok a truck is a truck and rides like one but the 97 definitely beat the 03 in this department. front seems ok but the tiniest bumps in the road will have the 03s rear wheels bouncing like a rubber ball. on a washboard surface better hope there are guardrails or you may be in the ditch! forget about singing along with the radio unless you like random tremelo. smooth road handling is fine and the new truck does corner better. transmission dont know about all the reasons for changing to a different transmission but my 97 was the smoothest-shifting automatic i had ever driven. youd see the tach drop but not feel a thing. on the 03 the transmission is jerkier particularly the 2-3 upshift when it occurs around 2000 rpm. armrest controls my 97 had three uncluttered buttons on the armrest two for windows and one for locks. the power mirrors were sensibly controlled by one single knob mounted logically near the mirror. for the 03 this one knob has been converted to a three-position rocker switch plus a four-quadrant pushbutton all placed down on the armrest to collect dust and spooge. doors i notice that both front door edges snag on the front weatherstripping and i expect this to become a wear issue. maintenance the engine appears to have been set back under the firewall by an additional half- foot or so making at least two cylinders very difficult to access for plug changes. cruise control buttons the ones on my 97 were all in a row and easier to reach than the two stacks of buttons on my 03. hopefully ill get used to it over time. what stayed the same the roomiest most comfortable interior on the market! overall for someone who wants the maneuverability of a short-wheelbase truck the dodge ram is still top of the heap. its actually got enough useable space in the single-cab configuration to not only be liveable but loveable. look behind the seats of a ford sometime theres maybe enough room for a sunday paper. .
From : jacob suter
i have a used wix paper filter you can buy for $40. ill be happy to throughly soak it in oil before i send it. js i am looking for a used k&n air intake - or - other brand.. for dodge dakota 2000 .
From : david
great review! on 10 jul 2003 114952 -0700 funkychateauspam@yahoo.com remove spam from address to reply wrote now that ive owned my new pickup for a few weeks i thought id stop and compare new vs old while my 97 is still fresh in my mind. both trucks are single cab short bed loaded. comparing 1997 laramie slt 5.2 l v8 auto 4spd + od 2003 slt laramie is now an additional trim option which i didnt purchase 5.7 l v8 auto 5spd + od things that have gottten better storage theres now even more room behind the seats of the standard cab! you can actually stash suitcases behind the seats. and the under-cushion storage in the middle seat makes good use of formerly wasted space. they retained the big armrest with storage and now it also has a 12-v power outlet inside. strangely there are no longer removable mini-shelves provided for the back wall of the cab. ill miss those. my dealers parts department says there are none available for the new trucks. looks like a good aftermarket opportunity. mainenance replacing the air cleaner in my 97 always seemed more of a hassle than it should have been. why did they not make it where the cover could be easily popped off without unfastening the entire housing from the air intake on the 2003 this appears to be corrected. also i think im really going to like the built-in funnel on my 03 for pouring in the fresh oil. for 6 years ive been making paper funnels from big gulp cups.. engine my 03 5.7 l v8 has noticeably more pep than the 97 5.2. so far the fuel economy in casual driving seems about the same 13.5 in the city and 17.5 on the highway. brakes love the 4-wheel disc brakes they work great and will be easier to service on the rear than my 97 drums. i also bought the 4-wheel antilock option. my 97 had two human engineering items i considered flaws and both have been addressed in the 03. first item the parking brake pedal of the 97 did not stay down when set making it impossible to tell at a glance if the brake was set. and the brake indicator light was positioned where it could be hidden by the steering wheel. i drove off more than once with the parking brake set on my 97. on the 2003 the pedal stays down when set plus the indicator is moved to a more visible location. second item the cup holder on my 97 was positioned above the radio and partially obscured it when pulled out. and obviously the drinks had a long way to fall if one tipped out of the holder. on my 03 the cup holder is larger and in a much more sensible position near the floor. sun visor finally the drivers visor extends to properly shield the side of your face! what got worse suspension ok a truck is a truck and rides like one but the 97 definitely beat the 03 in this department. front seems ok but the tiniest bumps in the road will have the 03s rear wheels bouncing like a rubber ball. on a washboard surface better hope there are guardrails or you may be in the ditch! forget about singing along with the radio unless you like random tremelo. smooth road handling is fine and the new truck does corner better. transmission dont know about all the reasons for changing to a different transmission but my 97 was the smoothest-shifting automatic i had ever driven. youd see the tach drop but not feel a thing. on the 03 the transmission is jerkier particularly the 2-3 upshift when it occurs around 2000 rpm. armrest controls my 97 had three uncluttered buttons on the armrest two for windows and one for locks. the power mirrors were sensibly controlled by one single knob mounted logically near the mirror. for the 03 this one knob has been converted to a three-position rocker switch plus a four-quadrant pushbutton all placed down on the armrest to collect dust and spooge. doors i notice that both front door edges snag on the front weatherstripping and i expect this to become a wear issue. maintenance the engine appears to have been set back under the firewall by an additional half- foot or so making at least two cylinders very difficult to access for plug changes. cruise control buttons the ones on my 97 were all in a row and easier to reach than the two stacks of buttons on my 03. hopefully ill get used to it over time. what stayed the same the roomiest most comfortable interior on the market! overall for someone who wants the maneuverability of a short-wheelbase truck the dodge ram is still top of the heap. its actually got enough useable space in the single-cab configuration to not only be liveable but loveable. look behind the seats of a ford sometime theres maybe enough room for a sunday paper. .
From : tom lawrence
what both sides fail to see is that they are killing themselves and each other. the customers are hurting the american companies by buying foreign made stuff for nothing more than a dollar or two less than the american one and by doing so reducing the need for american workers. the companies by outsourcing everything to save money the easy way are eliminating needed jobs and are in effect eliminating their own customer base. the economic boom of a few years ago shows that american companies employing american workers increase the customer base and americans buying american products when they can creates more good paying jobs but then again people may have to give up a few things here and there and we cant have that now can we. i would have put in terms of competitive forces but greed. and i would have added a hug section on the governments and unions role in driving up the costs of making products in america creating the almost insurmountable difference in the cost of home vs. foreign manufacture. but otherwise that was pretty much were i was headed. no speeches for me today i guess okay. a truck made completely in the u.s. by a domestic manufacturer costs $30000. the average wage union paid to produce this vehicle is $30/ hour . the auto manufacturer says i am not going to pay those illiterate union bastards all that money and moves his plant overseas or to hecho en mexico. the labor cost to assemble the same $30000 truck is now $8/hour. but the truck still sells for $30000 or more. so whos getting phucked in this deal select as many as applicable 1. the auto manufacturer 2. the u.s. union employee 3. the non-union overseas employee 4. the customer well lets look at that. first i dont accept your assertion that the price of manufacture wouldnt effect the price at market. possibly if only one company was involved but say three automakers are doing this then competetion comes into play. but lets assume that this business-class-envy canard is actually true. lets see 1 the auto manufacturer got to side step a billion assinine regulations and was able to put out a product on time for less money. since it will still have to meet the government product restrictions so it probably the same quality product. not getting screwed here. 2 the u.s. union employee. didnt get to make the car. possibly got laid off. is he screwed by the company or by the union leaders that care more about power and their personal wealth then abotu keeping jobs in america union working definately gets screwed. im not shedding a tear here. 3 the non-union overseas employee gets a job. gets to get paid and buy food for his family. if you ask him hes not going to say he is getting screwed. but i bet hed vote for higher pay for the union worker if he could 4 the customer he bought a car for $30000 that he was willing to pay $30000 for. does he care whether he paid $15000 extra into union employees pockets or into corportate owners pockets assuming your cannard about lowered costs not being reflected in a lower price he might if asked but he isnt so hes happy and purchased what he thought was fair market value as defined as what you are willing to pay. to suggest otehrwise is to say he has no choice in the brand of car he buys. well lets see whats wrong here. 1. many regulations are asinine but many more protect the environment or the safety of the worker. no problem there. send the product to a third world sweatshop. their environmental degradations wont reach this country for maybe 40 years and by then many of us will be dead anyway. the quality of the product is not the same. the domestics have slipped tremendously since making inroads in the 1980s. so the consumer and the u.s. worker both get screwed. 2. u.s. worker gets laid off. get rid of the unions. the same organizations that brought time and a half 40 hour weeks vacations etc. we see you are another sweatshop boss. you must sleep with king george. u.s. corporate management is the most inefficient and short sighted of any major industrialized power which is why we are no longer one of the same. 3. im sure the u.s. worker would love to keep making the cars here. theres just something about trying to make a living and exist on $8 an hour in this country. of course the american worker could emulate the overseas worker and live 20 people in a one bedroom hovel with no indoor plumbing drive a 35 year old chevy nova and have no future goals other than snagging a little snatch tonight..... 4. the customer buys a vehicle with more defects in it than one produced here. a vehicle which sells for the same price but allows the corrupt and short-sighted american corporation to pocket a substantial addition profit. so who wins the manufacturer. everyone else loses. .
From : david burton
hi group the last couple days my 95 dakota 5.2 liter v8 has been shutting down when i come to a stop. it will start right back up and next time it may be ok. i have had this since it was new and never a problem like this. this has just started to happen and i am worried that it is a symptom of something that may leave me stranded. any ideas thanks al arold al green .