Hello, Not a dodge owner, but i need some help. My dad just got a '87 ram d150. We are unsure what motor is in it. We thought it was a 318 or a 360 but we went to the parts store to get a thermostat and it was about an inch or so smaller than the one we needed. We got one for a 340 and it worked, but we were told that that year did not come with a 340. So now we are thinkning that maybe someone swapped motors before he owned it. I found some casting numbers on the driver side block. They were kinda hard to read but this is what i got. 18875303188 or18875303183. I cant see the last number clearly. I also found a tag on the passenger side that says 12513-001. Thanks alot fella's.

 

It's a 318

The 340 thermostat should've been the same as the 318 and 360 t-stat. Are you sure you got the right part # the first time? For the correct year? They made the 318 for a LOT of years, but there were changes made over the years that would've affected the thermostat.

 

Did you run those numbers or are you just saying that that is the motor that CAME in the truck?
Because we went to two different part stores and they both said the same thing about the sta being from a a 340. So i am pretty sure it is not the wrong part numbers.

I also got some more casting numbers today. On the intake it says 3830941 and on the exhaust manifold it says 3870055AF. If that helps.

 

Whats the VIN, that will tell you what engine should have come in the truck (318 must likely). Then take some pics and we can tell you if thats a 318 or not. Simple solutions prevent complicated processes.

 

3188 are ALWAYS the last 4 digits on a 318 block casting. They stand for 318 cubic inches and 8 cylinders I don't need to run the numbers to tell you that. All running the casting numbers will do is tell me what year the motor is from.

And if those are the BLOCK casting numbers, how would I be saying that it's the motor the truck CAME with? I'd have to run your VIN# to tell you what motor it CAME with

Also, I just looked up the part numbers for the 318 and 340, and they use the exact same t-stat Don't always trust the guys at the parts stores. They don't always know what they're doing

What I meant by the part numbers was are you sure you got a 318 t-stat for the correct YEAR. They put 318s in vehicles from the late 60s all the way through 2001....and they changed the t-stats more than once over the years.

 

thanks fella's, that helps a lot.

The VIN is 1B7HD14T1HS463055.

 

You entered the VIN Number: 1B7HD14T1HS463055

1 Country of Origin USA
B Make Dodge
7 Type of Vehicle Truck
H GVWR 6001-7000#
D Truck Line 2wd
1 Series 150 or 1500 for 94 & later
4 Body Conventional Cab
T Engine 318/5.2 2BBL
1 VIN Verification
H Model Year 87
S Assembly Plant Warren Main Plant or Dodge City for 88 & later
463055 Sequential Serial Number

Sourced from http://ramchargercentral.com/index.php?action=vindecode

Maybe the parts store guy gave you a '97 part instead of an '87?