The first generation of the Dakota was produced from 1986 through 1996 for the 1987 to 1996 model years. For 1992, the engines were given the Magnum treatment for a substantial power boost see the engines section and better gas mileage and driveability, which may explain the sudden sales boost that lasted for several years. A cupholder pulled out of the center stack. On fuel injected models, the Engine Control Module regulates voltage. Gas tanks were 15 or 22 gallons. The Dakota had a stainless steel exhaust and the highest percentage of corrosion protection material ever used on a Dodge vehicle, helping to support a five-year, 50,000 mile warranty.
It had a maximum towing capacity of 1,800 lb 816 kg and a maximum payload capacity of 970 lb 440 kg. . On carbureted models the voltage regulator should be mounted on the firewall near the ignition coil. Mine has well over 250,000 miles on it though and the engine is still strong. Have owned 2; a 94 and 95, never had any major problems other than rust, but that's because I live in snow country. Gas mileage did not vary much by year, despite major power boosts and technology changes. The Li'l Red Express Dakota was made to resemble the original Express, which was based on the Dodge D-Series.
Was leaking transmission fluid, bad rear main seal; that was pretty costly. Chrysler provided a new heavy-duty four-speed automatic transmission with an auxiliary transmission cooler and high-stall-speed torque converter with 3. Dual mirrors came standard, along with 14 inch wheels 15 inch on 4x4s. At launch, the Dakota had a choice of 112 inch or 124 inch wheelbases, with a 6 ½ foot or an 8 foot cargo box; rear and four wheel drive were both available. Faults: Tranny went at 150,000 miles. It will be in the housing that at the end of the hose that attaches to the manifold. This truck should have come with a standard V8; I can't even imagine what the performance on the 4 cyl.
This model wasn't typically seen as a Club Cab model, and also wasn't available with a V8 engine option like the other Dakota models were available with. We had a challenge on the V-6 because the crank-pins had to be split in order to get away from the very unequal firing if we had only 3 crankpins, each crankpin having two of the connecting rods as is V-8 practice. Seats up to 6 people, but only about 4 with leg room left over. Sales fell somewhat from 1988, but remained strong compared with other Dodge trucks. I am done with the company.
Dodge claimed a 0-60 time of 8. In the late-1970s, Chrysler was still recovering from their near-bankruptcy and resources were in short supply. This Dakota would be more successful than the original, with sales peaking in 2001. I knew Dodge's weren't the easiest on gas, but I would have expected better from a '95 3. Also, had trouble whenever it rained. Starr being approved in mid-1993 and frozen for production in January 1994, 30 months ahead of Job 1.
When I first got the pick-up, I was getting around 20-21 mpg highway, however in the past 4 or 5 months, that number has dropped to 14-15 mpg. Only the club cab and quad cab configurations were available. Another important addition that year was 's -powered , his first vehicle in two decades. Model year 1995 Year of manufacture 1995 First year of ownership 2010 Most recent year of ownership 2010 Engine and transmission 3. The Quad Cab featured a full-sized flip up rear seat to provide room for three passengers in the back or lots of dry, interior room for cargo.
I have ran injection cleaner through it, replaced the spark plugs, and even ran higher grade gasoline in it, but to no avail. Engineer Pete Hagenbuch added: The 3. The gave this generation a 'Poor' rating in the frontal offset crash test. The Dakota has always been sized above the compact and , but below the pickups such as Dodge's own. The standard engine remained the 3.
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Unlike the previous years, colors and options varied more than before, as the manufacturer picked each of these trucks in a somewhat random fashion. The Club Cab added around 230 pounds. The Sport was the mid-range trim level. So we had to do some redesigning of the bottom end in order to split the crank pins and make the firing order a little more uniform and it seemed to have worked out ok. The fuel filter I would check, and probably change, but it is in the gas tank! A , based on the , replaced the three-speed Torqueflite itself as the optional transmission.