99 Dakota Sport Rattle

[JHawk1986]

I have a Dakota Sport with a terrible rattle problem coming from the exaust. It does it when the steering wheel is turned all the way, if it is rainy or wet outside, or the truck has been sitting/cold. It is NOT the power steering because it make a completly different sound. I have narrowed it down to faulty hangers or a Catalytic Converter going bad. I was wondering if anyone has had or has this same problem and what they did or are doing to correct it. Any suggestions or help would be EXTREMELY nice.

Thanks!!!!

[jharres]

Does it sound like you are dragging a bunch of empty beer cans? If so, it's likely the cat. I have a 97 Dak sport and am about to replace the cat for the third time in just under two years. I've been doing some research and it seems to point to a problem with the o2 sensor that sits right in front of the cat malfunctioning and causing it to run to rich, which causes the cat to overheat and the ceramic to shatter or break. It's apparently a common problem.

[bdiddy401]

its quite alright your catalytic convertor is tapping your chasis its not bad for your truck its just the welds on the hangers have been broken probably from your motor mounts being bad and pushing your engine along with your piping backwards its very simple and cheap to get fixed

[bnuts40]

I agree with the cat converter - I'm replacing my 2nd on a 99 Dakota 40,000 mls.

I was wondering about the frequency of these. A converter is usually good for 60,000 + mls.

[Diesel2NR]

By law, Catalytic Converters must last at least 60k miles. Dakota's have a bad habit of tearing apart converters for some reason (something about a leaner fuel mixture that burns up the interior structure of the converter). When I had my Dak, this was solved with a high flow cat, which I never had any problems out of. If you can afford to go with a high flow, I'd say it's worth it. Sorry for bringing back a 1 month old thread. I think it's also worth including that if you had those cat's replaced to a dalmer-crysler dealership, they should not have charged you. All you have to do is print out the law and show it to them. They cannot challenge it and are required to replace it at no cost to you. HTH

[Dakaty]

Cats are covered by the Manufacturers warranty for 7 years or 80,000 (in Texas anyway). It doesn't matter if you are the original owner or not.

Mine sounded like a loose marble in the engine.

[wellerk]

Originally Posted by Dakaty

Mine sounded like a loose marble in the engine.

I just joined the boards here to find an answer to that same sound. I thought it was the valves tapping. It only does it when I'm going up a moderate incline at 45+ mph, you think it could be the cat?

Thanks

BTW I have the 5.2 V8

[Dakaty]

It could be a cat, but it may likely be engine ping. Try using a higher octane grade gas and see if it goes away.

[dakotafixer]

There is a Federal Mandated warranty on all cat converters. It is 8 years/80,000 miles. Any dealer will replace the cat converter under this warranty. Be sure not to modify the converter in any way as this will void the warranty.

[BleedDodge]

Engine ping is caused by a problem. Higher octane gas will cost you more money to buy, will not correct the problem, and it is not the recommended fuel for a fuel injected engine. Diagnose the problem and correct it.