D Thoughts
timthetoolman
01-10-2004, 12:07 PM
Since taking over the pilot seat from my wife of our 01 D, which now has 37K miles, I've decided to research the three most common performance and quality issues that haunt this Mopar. I have concluded the following.
The front brakes are weak on this vehicle due to the absence of rear disc to help take up some of the stopping load. In addition, the minimal size of the front rotors cannot adequately dissipate the heat generated by the pads. Rotors warp, pads crack, it all bad. Look at upgrading rotors and pads!
The sludge issue probably occurs on the 4.7-liter engine, which I happen to have in my D (the engine, not the sludge). However, considering the number of Ds with this engine, it seems to be more of an anomaly, then a chronic problem. Change that oil every 3000 miles!
The ball joint issue seems to be getting a great deal of attention. Prior to my warranty expiring at 36K, I decided to take my D to the dealer (which has a tremendous service department) because I started hearing popping in the front suspension area. They replaced the control arm bushings and the sound went away, for a while. I took the D back just last week, after I passed 36K, complaining of the same noise. I ask them to inspect the ball joints and document their findings. They found the ball joints to be OK (which I now have documented). What they did find was the lower control arms bolts were not tight. They re-torqued all related front suspension bolts, and the sound is gone. All this was done at the dealer’s expense. The bottom line is… one must keep an eye on the front suspension of these vehicles and make sure a dealer documents their findings. That way, if the front end fails on your D and you find yourself in the ICU with a tube shoved up your butt, at least your spouse will have documentation to share with his/her newfound love…a personal injury attorney!
The above is my opinion based on the opinion of other people’s opinions. In other word’s it’s blah, blah, blah. The front brakes are horrible, but are fixable. My 4.7l engine is fine. However, I have some concerns about the front suspension on these Ds. But hey, it is an American made vehicle (is there really such a thing any more??), and I’m sticking with it!
TTM
The front brakes are weak on this vehicle due to the absence of rear disc to help take up some of the stopping load. In addition, the minimal size of the front rotors cannot adequately dissipate the heat generated by the pads. Rotors warp, pads crack, it all bad. Look at upgrading rotors and pads!
The sludge issue probably occurs on the 4.7-liter engine, which I happen to have in my D (the engine, not the sludge). However, considering the number of Ds with this engine, it seems to be more of an anomaly, then a chronic problem. Change that oil every 3000 miles!
The ball joint issue seems to be getting a great deal of attention. Prior to my warranty expiring at 36K, I decided to take my D to the dealer (which has a tremendous service department) because I started hearing popping in the front suspension area. They replaced the control arm bushings and the sound went away, for a while. I took the D back just last week, after I passed 36K, complaining of the same noise. I ask them to inspect the ball joints and document their findings. They found the ball joints to be OK (which I now have documented). What they did find was the lower control arms bolts were not tight. They re-torqued all related front suspension bolts, and the sound is gone. All this was done at the dealer’s expense. The bottom line is… one must keep an eye on the front suspension of these vehicles and make sure a dealer documents their findings. That way, if the front end fails on your D and you find yourself in the ICU with a tube shoved up your butt, at least your spouse will have documentation to share with his/her newfound love…a personal injury attorney!
The above is my opinion based on the opinion of other people’s opinions. In other word’s it’s blah, blah, blah. The front brakes are horrible, but are fixable. My 4.7l engine is fine. However, I have some concerns about the front suspension on these Ds. But hey, it is an American made vehicle (is there really such a thing any more??), and I’m sticking with it!
TTM
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