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"Some of the 22R/22RE engines had problems with head gaskets over 200k. Other than the timing chain getting sloppy (change it at 150-175k before it gets to be a problem) and body rot, that's about it. Very reliable trucks."
These things you mention would turn most people away right away. I've never had to change a timing chain in any mopar product I've owned. All my vehicles have a lot of miles to. Then older Dakotas don't rust that bad either. My brothers dakota is decent on fuel mileage to. EW
On Dodge trucks you just need headgaskets, torque converters and transmissions replaced instead.
"Some of the 22R/22RE engines had problems with head gaskets over 200k. Other than the timing chain getting sloppy (change it at 150-175k before it gets to be a problem) and body rot, that's about it. Very reliable trucks."
These things you mention would turn most people away right away. I've never had to change a timing chain in any mopar product I've owned. All my vehicles have a lot of miles to. Then older Dakotas don't rust that bad either. My brothers dakota is decent on fuel mileage to. EW
Timing chain is part of maintenance. If you read any owners manual it calls out when to change a timing chain.. Neglecting this will lead to a catastophic engine failure.
As far as Dakota's go I never met anyone with any real miles on them that liked the problems they faced. Most notably tranny issues.
Compare the dodge mpg against a yota? No comparison. My 1994 averaged 24mpg combined on the highway not uncommon to see up to 28mpg and it was a 4x4.
My ranger on the highway might have gotten 20mpg on its best day. Combined 16 or 17 mpg...
My tacoma with 120,000 on her gets a combined 21mpg and yes thats a 4x4 with the V-6. Its only naggig issue is that the E-brakes tend to sieze unless I lube the likages with every oil change. No rust what so ever on my 2000 tacoma and the paint still looks good in spite of off roading with it.
The best mopar product is the diesel engine. To bad they don't mount a good tranny to it. Neighbors own a farm and use their dodge for the truck it is. Can't keep a clutch for more than a year at a time. LOL more than once my Yota has pulled them home.
Most people have mopar transmission failure because they don't know how to use it. The 4th gear is only for freeway use. Be honest, How many of you lock out the 4th gear when you drive? I know quite a few people who blow trannys out in everything they touch. Why haven't I had any tranny problems? Been driving mopars for 20 years.
I checked my owners book for my ram truck. It says nothing about timing chain. Man, I sure would hate to take the front of my engine apart to inspect the chain.
Here's what it reads about overdrive transmissions, "Lock out in hilly areas, towing a trailer, carrying a heavy load, in frequent shifting , against strong winds, transmission is designed for steady driving conditions such as freeways to improve fuel mileage" Ew
Also, when a clutch goes out thats 99% the operators fault. I've been a mechanic for 15 years. When you purchase a vehicle you should always be aware of the repair costs that incur by a brand. Foreign jobbers are "pricey." Resale for a foreign name brand is getting better but its something to think about to. Ew
Most people have mopar transmission failure because they don't know how to use it. The 4th gear is only for freeway use. Be honest, How many of you lock out the 4th gear when you drive? I know quite a few people who blow trannys out in everything they touch. Why haven't I had any tranny problems? Been driving mopars for 20 years.
I checked my owners book for my ram truck. It says nothing about timing chain. Man, I sure would hate to take the front of my engine apart to inspect the chain.
Here's what it reads about overdrive transmissions, "Lock out in hilly areas, towing a trailer, carrying a heavy load, in frequent shifting , against strong winds, transmission is designed for steady driving conditions such as freeways to improve fuel mileage" Ew
Its been in just about every owners manual I have ever seen. Not calling you a liar at all. Look in a chiltons or a hanes. Most call for replacement at about 100 grand.
A chain is a wear item. They will stretch even under ideal conditions. They will wear even under Ideal conditions. Its not a repair most people or home mecanics would tackle. Its time consuming and you must remove a ton of stuff first. Failure to do so can bite you in the wallet.
The mopar guys I know that suffered tranny issues used their trucks as daily drivers. LOL they feared the mud. Mopar manuals seemed to fair a lot better.
In the case of the farm truck. I'd put my money on their skills anyday over Joe Yuppy. They didn't see these same failures with their Chevy V-8 powered trucks. They believe torq to be the issue. As in more torq than the clutch can handle. That Cummins is a mean engine.
Repairs of foreign vehicles is higher a lot higher. But, the failure rate is much lower. My Toyota truck in 8 years and 120,000 miles has never caused me any issues. I changed its clutch at 110,000. Not because it was slipping but I was worried it was due. Heading towards winter I prefer to do it while its still warm outside. That clutch had another 50,000 in life left to it.
Same story with the brakes Changed them at 80,000 miles but they had some serious life left. I prefer preventative maintenance over breakdown maintenance.
Well an owners manuel is not the same as a chiltons. But anyway I just responded to the OP question. He asked about smaller trucks and I gave my 2 cents. I only suggested a Dakota. We could go back and forth about whats better and get nowhere. EW
I had a friend that had an '87 Mazda 4X4, his had the 2.6 engine which quit, and he was told the 2.6's were hard engines to come by and expensive...anyone heard of this?
The '88 S10 I referred to was my brother's truck, and he maintained it religiously. He's one of those died-in-the-wool Chevy guys who won't drive anything else. The paint started peeling off within 12 months. He had it repainted twice, and the same problem occured each time. It was mechanically unreliable and suffered regular nagging problems. Brakes, alternator, cooling system, air conditoner, you name it, it probably crapped out. Off-road, it was a real slug. I had to tow him out of the sand I don't know how many times. It had the big 4.3 liter V6, but still didn't have the guts of that little 4 cyl Toyota. On two occasions, the S10 4WD system went out entirely - it's a very poor design. The system is engaged by a plastic vacuum line. If that line gets disconnected or punctured (like it did twice), you're in 2WD regardless what the selector in the cab says.
The '88 S10 I referred to was my brother's truck, and he maintained it religiously. He's one of those died-in-the-wool Chevy guys who won't drive anything else. The paint started peeling off within 12 months. He had it repainted twice, and the same problem occured each time. It was mechanically unreliable and suffered regular nagging problems. Brakes, alternator, cooling system, air conditoner, you name it, it probably crapped out. Off-road, it was a real slug. I had to tow him out of the sand I don't know how many times. It had the big 4.3 liter V6, but still didn't have the guts of that little 4 cyl Toyota. On two occasions, the S10 4WD system went out entirely - it's a very poor design. The system is engaged by a plastic vacuum line. If that line gets disconnected or punctured (like it did twice), you're in 2WD regardless what the selector in the cab says.
The problem with the S-10s (off road capability) was their complete lack of ground clearance and garbage stock tires. I had a hard time telling 2WD from 4WD models sometimes, thats how low the 4WDs were sometimes. They went on to offer the hi-rider package later, which was a HUGE improvement, but I still think my stock 85 Toyota was better off-road. The low gears were almost too low, but were incredible for crawling.
The major problems plaguing S-10s were transmission problems, u-joints (notoriously bad), water pumps (horrible), alternators, A/C condensors.... pretty much all the stuff you listed.
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Small 4x4 pickup...
