OEM 2001 Dodge Dakota Camshaft

2001 Dodge Dakota Camshaft Parts and Q&A

• Q: How to Remove and Reinstall a Camshaft in an Engine on 2001 Dodge Dakota?

  A: Before taking out the camshaft, detach the negative battery cable, drain the coolant and save it in a clean container that you plan to reuse. Then, if your car has a radiator, remove it and if it has A/C equipment, also remove the radiator and condenser. Mark the distributor housing and cylinder block for easy alignment. Disconnect the distributor and its wires, then remove the resonator assembly, air inlet hose, cylinder head cover, rocker arms, bridges, pivots, push rods, hydraulic valve tappets, vibration damper, timing case cover, timing chain and sprockets. The camshaft rotates inside four steel-shelled bearings lined with babbit which are pressed into the cylinder block and sized in decreasing increments of 0.254 mm from front to back. You should use a designated tool called 8544 Camshaft Bushing Remover Installer to replace the bearings. Replace it only after the engine is out and the entire assembly is dismantled. When you remove the camshaft, check the bearing journals, camshaft lobes, distributor gear and thrust plate, along with the clean and align the number 1 bearing with the oil gallery outside. Put on new camshaft bearings using tool 8544, lubricate the camshaft using Mopar engine oil supplement and gently install the camshaft. Move the tensioner leaver to the unlocked side, pull the spring and secure the tensioner. Lay in the timing chain and sprockets, release the timing chain tensioner and place the timing case cover with a new oil seal, then add the vibration damper, hydraulic valve tappets, push rods, rocker arms, bridges, pivots and engine cylinder head cover. Mount the air inlet, the resonator, the distributor and ignition wires, fastening the clamps by hand to 4 Nm. For those with A/C, reinstall both the radiator and the radiator and condenser before filling the cooling system and attaching the negative battery cable.