OEM 2000 Dodge Dakota Camshaft

2000 Dodge Dakota Camshaft Parts and Q&A

• Q: How to Remove and Replace a Camshaft on 2000 Dodge Dakota?

  A: Before you can put in a new camshaft, disconnect the negative battery lead and let the heat out of the cooling system from a clean container. If the car has air conditioning, remove the housing for the radiator and condenser. Then, place a scribed mark on the distributor housing where the rotor lip is and another near the clamp which should be drawn onto the cylinder block. Watch the location of the rotor and its housing as you check the area around the engine, then remove both the ignition wires and assembly from the inlet hose and resonator. After that, take out the engine cylinder head cover, rocker arms, bridges, pivots, push rods, hydraulic valve tappets, vibration damper, timing case cover, timing chain and sprockets and, finally, the camshaft. During installation, inspect the cam lobes, bearing journals, bearings and distributor drive gear for possible wear and check the rear cam journal for any oil pressure relief hole debris, just in case the camshaft touches the timing case cover. Rub the camshaft with Mopar Engine Oil Supplement or another similar product, then fit it in place being sure not to damage the bearings. Push the tensioner lever to the unlocked point, pull the tensioner block to the lever and lock it again. Setup timing marks on the timing chain, crankshaft sprocket and camshaft sprocket, install the retaining bolt of the camshaft sprocket with its washer and use a torque wrench to tighten the bolt to 108 Nm (80 ft. lbs.). Loosen the timing chain tensioner, set the new oil seal into the timing case cover and replace the vibration damper, hydraulic valve tappets, push rods, rocker arms, bridges, pivots and engine cylinder head cover. Fix the oil pump gear, add the distributor and spark plug wires and follow up with the resonator assembly and air inlet hose, fastening all clamps to 4 Nm (35 in. lbs.). For cars with A/C, replace the radiator or radiator and condenser, fill the cooling system and hook the battery's negative cable back up.