Ive got a 92 w150 with a Magnum 318. Ive got some kind of problem with my engine (crankshaft, bearings or maybe just the pulley dont really know yet) so there is a good chance Im gonna need to rebuild it. Well if Im gonna have to get it rebuilt anyway Id like to either upgrade it (get more hp, that kind of stuff) or just swap a 360 in.

I read various reviews on both. Ive read the 318 gets better gas mpg which makes sense but I only get about 11 as it is. But Ive read that 360 have quite a bit more hp and torque. But ive read that 360 also tend to overheat easier and that its better just to upgrade the 318 but other people have said to just go ahead and do the swap because the 360 is gonna be better. My current engine has 269,000 miles on it and it was apparrently rebuilt around 200k miles but idk if its true or not. A couple mechanics from places ive taken too have been impressed the the motor runs as good as it does though and it seems to run fine other than my mysterious "crankshaft" problem. But either way Id like to get some more horses out of it

 

Your problem seems pretty ambiguous. What is the problem? If there's a chance its the pulley, is it just squeaking? I think a lot of the motor choice is dependent upon your goals. 250 hp and 14 mpg? 318 it is. Metric crap-tons of power and don't care about anything else? Grab the 360. Keep in mind that since you have a magnum, there are a whole world of performance parts for the 2nd gen truck engine you can use. Your performance options for both the 318 and 360 are pretty large.

 

the performance upgrades are not that great. you are still limited by the dumb computer. plus the parts are expensive compared to an LA engine.

 

i have a 318 la here...has cam,exaust, electric fan, msd coil, eddy intake an 650 carb

and its slower then power wheels...get a 360 lol...

i regret doin the cam in this motor...id rather have saved up for a good 360

 

you do realize in order to get any real power in one of these trucks you pretty much need a big block. the only real difference between the 318 and 360 magnum is the amount of torque they put down. truck were never ment to go fast.

 

Well I only have two symptoms, one: One of the mechanics noticed the the pulley on the crank shaft actually goes out (away from the engine) whenever you give it gas. He said its not supposed to do that. The second symptom which is very noticeable is hard to describe in text but the engines makes this awful noise and if i give it more gas it gets worse, but if i let off the gas it goes away then i can go back to giving it gas and its fine. I noticed it tends to do this when I have my foot level on the pedel (not moving it at all), such as going down a slight hill and when i go to give it more gas (about to go up the hill) then it makes this noise, so i just let off then it goes away and i can continue.

Its been doing this for awhile, one shop told me (this is referring to the pully pushing away from the engine, dont think they knew about the sound) that the crankshaft could be bent or the bearings could be bad. Someone else told me it could be as simple as the pulley itself or the bearings and that the crankshaft is unlikely.


What would be the best option for a 360? I dont want to spend 10 grand for a crate motor from mopar (or is it really worth it) but im skeptical about getting a junkyard. And as conversions go, is it a simple swap? Or do alot of things need to be changed.

Ill start looking around more for performance parts for the 318 to see whats out there.

@fast lol about power wheels. I miss those days. As for an electric fan? What are the pros and cons to that. Ive only seen a few people using those

@crazy I just kinda want to get an idea and to get as much power as I can I guess. If Im going to need to do a lot of work on the engine to begin with.

 

If you want any real increase in power the computer must go. Here is some food for thought as far as the capabilities of the 318. I haven't done the research but you could probably duplicate this for less than 10 grand.

http://www.popularhotrodding.com/tec...e/viewall.html

 

my crank moves in an out too...way to much in fact..but i drive it anyways (when it blows i planned on a 360 or a 400bb i found)

electric fan gets rid of that annoying clutch fan sound...plus my clutch fan locked up on me...and it frees up the motor a hair...one less thing for it to turn..many choices for fans..mines off a oldsmobile cutlass v6....best ones are from jeeps, and v6 thunderbirds(there huge)

cons...none imo...get a quality high amp relay...carry an extra in case it burns out...

 

i got an electric fan in my 81 and i have not really noticed much of a difference as far as power or fuel economy. i think the only place you might see the difference is on a dino. an advantage is does hit operating temperature quicker. the big thing i do like about having the electric fan is i feel a lot safer working on the engine while it is running than i did with the mechanical fan.

as far as relays go you should almost look into getting a power distribution center out of another vehicle with room for about 6-10 relays. it could help clean up the drivers side fender a bit and give you some room for future upgrades. i got one in my 81 and i am currently only using 2 of the relays and 2 fuses but when i finish putting my headlights on relays i will be using 4 relays and 6 fuses. i was also thinking about cutting all the fusible links that come off that tree like thing and hook them to some of the fused power lines out of the PDC

 

If you are going to post a picture at least shine up the air cleaner. LOL