clanking noise from engine of 98 dakota 4 cyl

From : joe brown via carkb com

Q: to roy im not the newest troll. i was a member of this ng before you found it. so you know where you can nicely place this ng. to the guy; i more than appreciate your ideas. a technician does deserve to make a decent living independent or dealer. they spend their lives learning how to service customers on vehicles that will change in less than six months. your support is welcomed by every honest and hard working technician out there. as for special tools and training they cost money and are required not chosen to a dealer. this will drive up the labor rate over an independent as the independent has the choice to invest in similar training and tools. choosing a reliable repair facility is the single most important decision a customer can make independent or dealer. you have to trust the decision you make or the repair is worthless. brent .

Replies:

From : dick puter413atyahoo com

i am 65 years old and dont let the excuse of reflexes hold you back if you have ridden before then you can see it coming all the time. its the dummies in back that dont know how to stop that get you every time. vette same weight and more power just does not drag around a transfer case. 15 mpg to a 21 mpg is a big difference even if its a 4x4. there are things you can do to get better mileage better breathing is one like i&n filter setup. am sure there are other things but hay cost less to just burn the gas huh. oh well. steve on thu 14 apr 2005 214746 -0400 steve sahd@hotmail.com wrote thanks for the input. mine is also a slt but just reg cab. a friend gets 21 mpg in the city and he has a big motor vette. go figer. price is 2.07 a gallon here in massachusetts usa. i will be using my harley more this summer. steve =========================== why go figure.... completely different animals.. even with the optional preformace rear axel in a vette with an automatic..boo hiss...shame i would expect it to get better milege then almost any truck... i own 64 72 76 79 & 95 corvettes...but drive a 2001 dakota 3.9 5 sp daily.... we will not talk about gas milege in the any of the carborated vettes...but will comopare the 95 ...which now has 65000 miles on it and the total average mpg as of last saturday when i filled it up comes in at 24.3 ....for the entire 65000 miles... my little underpowered 3.9 dakota with a 5 speed tranny now has 39000 miles on her clock...total average mpg is 19.2 ... truck is completely underpowered...geared completely wrong 5th gear is useless on any grade exceeding 2 degrees . you get the idea... oh to sixty mph....equals all day... the newer vettes are not geared to haul anything except ass.. they can cruise up a good grade in 6th gear at 1100 rpms without any sign of lugging... hell on a trip i once got 34 mpg on a level 400 mile jaunt down 81 with the crusie set at 82 mph...and the wife bitching all the way i may add.. wish i had the reflexes to ride a bike again... but since i am in my 60s i am too slow to react fast enough anymore... to avoid the idiots on the roads today...none have eyes good enough to even see a bike. good luck to ya... and i wish i had the reflexes and the place to ride a bike again... bob griffiths .