I just read online that I can swap a 4 cylinder neon engine right into a dak.
Does anyone know if that is true?

I want to downsize for better MPG. what other engines will straight swap or be the easiest?

 

What is your goal MPG and where do you live (smog laws)? I've driven a Neon. Wasn't impressed with the performance in that little car... I can't imagine stressing the engine to keep up with modern California traffic.

If you want MPG, I say go Diesel.

 

what 4 cylinder diesel would work best?

 

I'm not sure on the neon part, but 96-up Dakotas has the Jeep 4cly. The V6 will be worth more, the simplest thing would be to sell your truck and buy a 4cly truck. The Ford Rangers get GREAT MPG! Now if you really want to swap the V6 to an 4cly it will cost more then you think, more time then you think more work then you think. Now if you still want to do it go for it, just make sure it is truly what you want to do. Post up tons of pictures of the swap.

 

my brother had a dodge van with a 4 cyl maybe 20 years ago worked great
It takes the same amount of hp to move the truck 4 or 6 or v8, some pumping losses
you always get better mileage running more throttle on a smaller engine, at least with a carb that was true try 235 75 15 tires first- what size are you running?

 

4cyl rangers suck gas like the v8 dakotas we have them and the v6's at work and only get 16 out of them combined about 22 out of the 6's combined. to swap the 4cyl in to the dakota you would have to swap in the 4cyl 5spd or get an adapter(the v6 and i4 bellhousings are different). fwiw, you'd be better off buying a different car in the long run.

not sure on 4cyl diesels so no comment there.

hope this helps clarify a few things.

 

There's no way a healthy running 4cyl ranger is getting 16mpg. I had a '94 2.3 4cyl ranger that would pull 26 in the city beating the living **** out of it. Highway was well into the 30's

 

diesel wouldn't be too bad, look up the write-ups for the 4bt cummins, they have been put into our trucks before and I'd assume, since they usually move big box trucks like little debbie or doritos or what have you, they can work a pretty good size load comfortably, so a midsize trucks like what we all got would be nothing to a diesel like that, depending on gearing you could probably tow just about anything you wanted and get pretty decent fuel mileage.

 

Take a look at your gears, tire size, and your driving habits. When it comes to fuel mileage, downsizing the cylinder amount and displacement really wont help a large vehicle. Like stated above, it takes the same amount of work to move your vehicle regardless of an engine. That said, it comes down to efficiency differences vs displacement differences. A 4cyl might get the same as the v6, mileage wise. It may even suffer if it is constantly struggling to move the truck if it is underpowered. The v6 may use a small amount more fuel while cruising just due to the fact that it has more piston displacement, friction, and swept volume to deal with... but not really enough to warrant a 4cyl swap. The best two routes are either a turbo setup (which requires a good bit of tuning and fabrication) or a diesel setup (a lot more fabrication work). Also a cheaper approach to keep in mind is intake and exhaust mods with a mild tune/chip. An engine is an air pump and the less trouble it has moving air in and out, the happier it'll be. The tune will help compensate for the changes in the fueling-needs caused by the changes in flow characteristics (also advanced spark timing helps a LOT).

 

my coworker has a 94(4cyl 5spd) that got a max of 22/26 being easy on it. the one at my work has an auto that slips going into overdrive but runs like a champ other than that.