1996 Dakota Club, 4x4, V6 auto, NP-231D. About 130k miles.
Picked up this Dakota a while back for a dump runner and to haul landscape supplies. First time out on a washboard road the transfer case lever seemed to have a lot of movement and there was a thumping on the floor. Got under it and the t-case is only like 1/2" from the floor at rest. First thought was transmission mount bad...but the trans mount is sandwiched between the trans and the crossmember. If it was collapsed (weak) the t-case would have extra clearance, not less. Granted a worn out mount could allow more movement while driving but that doesn't explain why there is so little clearance at rest. I did the "power brake engine mount test" and the engine didn't wiggle. I also verified that the mechanical fan is centered in the shroud so I don't see the engine mounts being the culprit.

I was at the junkyard yesterday and looked at a couple others and they have like 2" of clearance there.

Spent several hours wrestling the mount out today. Lack of clearance means I had to try to drop the crossmember to get the mount clear. I say "try" because the boxed frame is angled such that when unbolted the crossmember wants to climb up the rails not drop down. There was a rainbow of language coming from under that truck this evening. It doesn't help that I'm doing this in the gravel driveway instead of on my lift because "it's 8 bolts and a little jacking to get the mount out". I should know better than to listen to my optimistic self.

Got the mount out, headed to NAPA with my old mount in hand (thinking I had outsmarted Murphy's Law) only to find that the new mount is actually about 1/8" taller!

Anybody have any input or suggestions? I'm headed back to the j/y tomorrow to compare mounts and the bracket that mates the mount to the trans.

I should also note that the truck has a "propeller" sound when driving. I assumed this was the cv axle on the right front because the boot is split and flinging grease around. Now I'm wondering if it isn't coming from the driveline u-joints maybe being out of alignment due to this clearance issue. U-joints are tight though, no slop.

PS I hope this is all making sense...I'm a little medicated right now and the g/f says I get all when I take my pain pills.

I had a NEW 93 clubcab 4x4 318 dakota that banged the floor on hard accel. Dealer got a bulletin for an updated trans mount, put it in and all was well. I would look at all body mounts for trouble or rot, if your trans mount is good.

Rot isn't a big issue around here and the cab/bed/etc. looks to all be lined up nicely. I will give the body mounts a once over just in case. V8 and V6 use the same looking mount just with a different bolt pattern. Oddly enough, the V6 uses 8 bolts all together but the V8 only uses 6. We compared them at the parts store just for s&g. I'll look into that TSB too. Thanks.

I have a 93 Standard cab V6 4x4 Dakota. My trans mount bit the big one a few weeks ago. On mine, the mount is attached to a plate above the mount that bolts to the trans, and a plate under the mount that bolts to the crossmember. Really stupid setup. Besides the rubber being torn apart, both the steel plates on my mount were bent! My truck lives a pretty pampered life, no abuse. I had to make a new top plate, and was able to straighten the bottom plate.

With the rectangle mount, both of the plates are suppose to be flat. If yours is bent, that would cause a clearance issue, the trans can only move up. Gene

The bracket between the mount and the transmission was "teepeed" a bit so I hammered it flat. New mount is in and despite still only having about 3/4" clearance an initial test drive on a washboard road didn't result in any thumping under the floor.

Gene, I think your '93 uses a round mount as opposed to the later square mount correct?

No, apparently the 2 wheel drive used the round mounts, and the 92 & older 4x4 must have used the round mounts as well, but my 93 4x4 has the square mount. I just had to change my trans mount. The 93 is a little different then the 94 mount, which I had to buy (93 mounts are not available anywhere, must have been a 1 year deal).
I had to make a new top plate for 2 reasons, first, my top plate was junk, and 2nd because it was different then the 94 mount required.

For what its worth, there is only about 3/4' clearance between the floor & the top of the trans, with the new mount, on my truck too. I may have some cab mount issues with my truck, the cab body lines are about a 1/2" lower then the same box body lines. My truck is in pretty good shape over all, but everything under it is more then a little crusty, I was surprised the trans bolts came off without breaking, doubt I'd fair that well if I had to remove the trans crossmember bolts. For being a 22 year old mid-west, rust belt, truck with just under 155,000, its expected life span probably isn't much longer. I bought the truck 4 years ago, and figured I could get a couple years out of it. The truck sits most of the time in the grass alongside my driveway (probable cause of the crusty bottom), it gets about 3,000-4,000 miles a year, mostly through the winter months. Sometimes I need to haul stuff for my business, so that is why its still here, and why it will be replaced with something else when it retires itself. Gene