[ericbneverscared]

I just upgraded my 2006 Dodge Dakota to a.... 2006 Dodge Dakota!

I went from a barebones ST to an SLT quad cab 4x4 (4.7L). Couldn't fit two adults plus a car seat in the old club cab

Only complaint thus far is the dumb Sentry Key. It only came with 1 key, and I'm not sure how to get and program another (locksmiths aren't interested; Ace Hardware can only clone keys, and supposedly their keys have a battery that will eventually leave you stranded...).

Hope everyone's having a good start to the week!

 

[02GenDakota]

I just upgraded my 2006 Dodge Dakota to a.... 2006 Dodge Dakota!

I went from a barebones ST to an SLT quad cab 4x4 (4.7L). Couldn't fit two adults plus a car seat in the old club cab

Only complaint thus far is the dumb Sentry Key. It only came with 1 key, and I'm not sure how to get and program another (locksmiths aren't interested; Ace Hardware can only clone keys, and supposedly their keys have a battery that will eventually leave you stranded...).

Hope everyone's having a good start to the week!

Welcome to the forums! Got a pic of your truck? What are your plans for it, gonna do some upgrades or keep it a stock daily?

 

[ericbneverscared]

Welcome to the forums! Got a pic of your truck? What are your plans for it, gonna do some upgrades or keep it a stock daily?

Well, I’m a beginner. The most I’ve ever done on vehicles is air filters, oil changes, and adding a hitch receiver, so don’t expect much!

I’m planning to install 7-pin trailer wiring (to tow an A-frame pop-up trailer) and replace the spark plugs (there was a good thread on that topic that lead me to this forum).

I’m also hoping someone can eventually solve the mystery of the previous owner putting a new ground wire from the negative battery terminal to (what I think is the) throttle position sensor. I’m planning to get a photo of that at some point 🙂

 

[02GenDakota]

Well, I’m a beginner. The most I’ve ever done on vehicles is air filters, oil changes, and adding a hitch receiver, so don’t expect much!

I’m planning to install 7-pin trailer wiring (to tow an A-frame pop-up trailer) and replace the spark plugs (there was a good thread on that topic that lead me to this forum).

I’m also hoping someone can eventually solve the mystery of the previous owner putting a new ground wire from the negative battery terminal to (what I think is the) throttle position sensor. I’m planning to get a photo of that at some point 🙂

So am/was I! I bought this truck knowing absolutely nothing about motors at all (although I grew up around trucks in general), but here I am a few months later in the middle of completely tearing down my motor (see my build thread 2002 4.7L RWD Dakota Build Thread | Page 5 | Dakota Durango Forum (dakota-durango.com)). With youtube, a will, and good tool kit, you can do almost anything to these trucks! If you want to add more power, I bought one of these cheap performance chips (Fits 1996-2012 Dodge Dakota - Performance Tuner Chip Power Tuning Programmer | eBay little tip, if you do buy one, put $45 into the offering system and it should automatically accept it, that's what I did and I saved $13), and paired with a cold air intake (which you can get for a decent price off ebay), you can add 30-40hp to your motor easy, just a matter of tightening the clamp for the cold air and plugging in the chip! I'm also lifting mine 2 inches with a cheap suspension lift. Some other cheap/free tricks you can do are select a mesh pattern you like off ebay, cut the stock slats out of your grille, and replace them with the mesh (you can rig up an extended hood latch with a piece of wire, or cut a little hole in the mesh), look up a youtube vid on debadging it, and get some cheap tint film off ebay to tint your taillights.

 

[dakotaff]

To program a second key, you need to find a locksmith that is able to program the second key, not all locksmiths have the equipment necessary, otherwise a dealer is your only option. Then after you have two keys, you will be able to simply buy keys off Ebay and program additional keys so you are not in this position again. I currently have four keys programmed for my truck. We can program up to 8 keys for our trucks. Any vehicle that you have with chipped keys or FOBs, get yourself at least a third key programmed.

And if you want a programmer (tuner), get yourself a Superchips programmer to add some HP. You can find a used Superchips 3865 or Cortex 3850 (which were replaced by the 3841 & 3842 models) on Ebay or forum classifieds sometimes for a good price. Make sure the device is Unlocked, or Unmarried so it can be used on your truck, I am not a believer in the 'Chips' that plug into your OBDii port.

And use regular copper plugs if you are changing them out, these motors run better with them.

Welcome aboard.

 

[ericbneverscared]

To program a second key, you need to find a locksmith that is able to program the second key, not all locksmiths have the equipment necessary, otherwise a dealer is your only option. Then after you have two keys, you will be able to simply buy keys off Ebay and program additional keys so you are not in this position again. I currently have four keys programmed for my truck. We can program up to 8 keys for our trucks. Any vehicle that you have with chipped keys or FOBs, get yourself at least a third key programmed.

Thanks! Yeah, I spent way too long researching this and came to the same conclusion about having at least 3 unique keys (cloned keys from Ace don't count). By the way, I called around to 4 dealerships and 5 locksmiths (Pacific Northwest) and dealer prices (key, cutting, and programming for a Sentry key with no fob/remote) ranged from $150 to $330 (!!!); 4 of the 5 locksmiths didn't want anything to do with transponder keys, and the last one quoted me $125. Pretty annoying on a vehicle I bought for under $10k, but not the end of the world.

 

[Kevin from Calgary]

If you don't have two programmed keys already, you just have to bite the bullet and pay the price. Just think of the savings you have compared to the monthly loan payment on a new truck, or the monthly depreciation, for that matter.

 

[mynameiskoebel]

I say bite the bullet and go to the dealer for a new key! I bought two off eBay for 20$ and some 10$ batteries and I followed all YouTube instructions and it didn’t work. Heard u need to have a programmer hooked up to do it properly.......but I’ve been lied to before! Hahahaha

 

[radioactive]

Agreed, the "chips" are nothing but placebos. All they do is trick the ECM to richen the fuel mixture based on intake air temperature, and/or re-map the throttle. There is no magic way a chip can add horsepower on these engines. Only move it around a bit in the torque curve.

That is not true for modern day engines -- Dodge actually unlocks more horsepower on the new Challengers with a chip. Their chip.