I just sold my 01 CRV to buy my friends 01 Dodge Dakota 2WD with a manual trans and 197k miles.
I figured a truck would be better for towing and stuff than a CRV. Sometimes I have to flat tow or something.
Anyways it runs good. No engine lights. And clutch is good.
Only thing when I reach 5th gear and slam the pedal it will bearly accelerate. And it was a very tiny hill. So I can only imagine how this would handle regular hills.
Is this normal? I don't have much experience with manuals. Been only driving manual for day 2. Maybe I'm missing something.
Also how well are these trucks? Seems ok.
Your pulling power in 5th gear will depend on the power output of the engine and your speed. That is more than likely an overdrive gear meant for cruising at speeds over 50 miles per hour. A small 4 cylinder engine will not do well on hills in overdrive, a powerful V8 will do much better. (You did not specify what engine you have.) You may well be talking about a situation where an automatic transmission will drop down a gear for more power.
I just sold my 01 CRV to buy my friends 01 Dodge Dakota 2WD with a manual trans and 197k miles.
Out of the frying pan in into the fire.
Is this normal?
No.
Also how well are these trucks?
It's a 23-year-old Chrysler product with all that implies. It looks like you have some diagnostics ahead of you.
@chucktobias yes, it is normal. No car with a manual transmission will accelerate fast in an overdrive gear, even on a plain road
@g-t At first, in a hurry and going by the subject line, I thought that "can't go fast" meant that the thing wouldn't run at highway speeds. It was only after revisiting the topic later I realized this guy just didn't understand how a manual transmission works and was trying to accelerate uphill in an overdrive gear, probably from a low speed. (D'oh!) So I added another response that that was more to the point. After driving manual transmission vehicles for over 50 years things like selecting the correct gear are pretty much automatic via muscle memory - it's easy to forget how tough it can be for someone just starting to learn.
I don't have much experience with manuals. Been only driving manual for day 2. Maybe I'm missing something.
There's a learning curve involved in driving a manual transmission, especially when towing. When towing your shift points/times will typically be later than before.
Only thing when I reach 5th gear and slam the pedal it will bearly accelerate. And it was a very tiny hill. So I can only imagine how this would handle regular hills.
Is this normal
No, it's not. 5th gear is overdrive, which means you trade torque for efficient speed. Overdrive is intended for highway cruising with the truck unloaded or slightly loaded. 1st gear has way more torque but not speed; you consume a lot more fuel per mile traveled., and your truck would VERY fuel inefficient if that were its only gear. You always start accelerating in 1st when you come to a stop.
You need to downshift if you're going to accelerate if you're doing it in overdrive. Think about it. If you drive an automatic, when you put the pedal to the floor, there's a kick down switch that activates, causing you to downshift a gear or two. It's the exact same concept with a manual, only you do the shifting, not the car.
I just sold my 01 CRV to buy my friends 01 Dodge Dakota 2WD with a manual trans and 197k miles.
Only thing when I reach 5th gear and slam the pedal it will bearly accelerate.
That’s normal.
I recommend you take a few lessons on how to drive a manual.
A manual drives significantly differently to a regular automatic transmission.
PS. Good luck trying to get going from a full stop up a steep incline..
thank you everyone. Still learning
Are these dodge Dakotas reliable ?
Between the Honda and the Dodge with the same model year, I would have kept the Honda. Much better build quality.
Your transmission is manual, though, so as long as you're not lazy with shifting and grinding gears constantly, it will last longer than the automatic transmission variety. Don't expect it to last a whole lot longer, it's 23 years old already.
Do a thorough inspection of the undercarriage.