Poor man's mod's

This is a thread to help everyone out with any cheap Dakota mods, I'm hoping to have it stickied in the near future to help current and future members out.

If you have anything to add to the list I'd suggest that you post what engine you have and an estimate to the gain you got from the mod.

I'll start, (for reference, my suggestions are for 5.2L and 5.9L magnum engines)

Clean your throttle body!

It doesn't sound like much, but depending on the last time you did it, you might see a small gain in performance and fuel mileage.

Clean your IAC solenoid,

If you've ever noticed an erratic idle from your truck, this would be a recommended service. To do this you must first remove the plug from the sensor located at the back of the throttle body. Then remove the two torx screws holding it to the throttle body, there is a rubber o-ring to seal the area around the throttle body don't lose it! Spray some throttle body cleaner in the hole where you just removed the IAC and also spray some on the IAC and wipe clean (don't use force, just wipe it clean) after this has been done reinstall and let engine run for about a minute, or go drive your truck to allow PCM to relearn idle.

Install a 180* thermostat,

They install a 195* thermostat from the factory to help the engine with emissions, installing a 180* thermostat will help with excess engine heat and give you some performance in the end.

Make a home-brew intake

Fairly cheap and easy to do, the less angles the better, just look at what other people have done. If you do have a CAI another thing that helps is if you remove the rubber flap that's between your radiator and core support.

Relocate your IAT

Either moving it to your intake tube, or using a 4.7 ohm resistor (power wire) and you will notice a small increase in power, different effects for different people from what I've seen. It increases or richens fuel mixture and slightly advances timing.

TPS modification

If you've ever felt a delay from a stop after you mash the gas it could be caused by a misadjusted TPS, There is a way to adjust it though. First you should check that yours is not already correct, to do this connect a volt meter to the center wire on the plug while it is still connected to the throttle body (drivers side of the throttle body 3 wire connector) with the key on, engine off. If it is close to .7v you can't make it any better. If it is not close to that you need to disconnect the sensor and remove it from the throttle body. Now for the fun part, you will need to put it in a vice and using a 1/4" drill bit, drill the brass inserts out from the back of the sensor. It will not drill them out it will just spin them and after they are hot enough they spin themselves out. After this the screw heads will be smaller than the hole so you will have to find washers to hold the sensor on. Now remount the sensor on the throttle body and use the volt meter with the key on engine off still to set the initial voltage as close to .7-.75v as you can, then tighten the screws and start the engine to allow the pcm to relearn the idle.

Advance your timing (only recommended if you know exactly what you are doing and what to listen for, heard it's only recommended if you have a 180* thermostat, and not recommended if you have a performance tuner or PCM, also different results for different people)

Remove the crankshaft sensor on the passenger side of the block. It is held down by (2) 1/2" bolts and pulls out of the tranny bell housing when loose. There is a rubber grommet in the bell housing also, remove it. Now look at the sensor's bracket, notice the 2 bolt holes. Slot each hole 3/8" both ways, still giving the bolts something to hold onto. Then insert the sensor back into the bell housing, making sure you pulled out the rubber grommet. Thread the 2 bolts back in loose, then slide the sensor as far as it can, towards the oil filter, away from the intake. This will advance, moving it towards the intake in the same direction of crank rotation and will retard the base timing; do not do this unless your teenager is driving the truck. It will usually be limited by the bell housing how far you can move it. If you are really brave, grind the bell housing and fab a new adjustable bracket. This will add 3-4 degrees of timing across the whole board of advance tables.