Hey everyone, I need serious help. I just blew my motor in my 98 Dakota and need to know what all motors I can put back in it. It was a factory 4-cylinder and I want to put a v6 or bigger in it with out a lot of hassle. If I put a v6 in it, will I have to change the rear end out, or even the transmission. I figure going bigger than that will force me to change the rear end out. Please help me out so I can get my truck back on the road and actually have a vehicle to drive. Thanks

 

Well, I'm gonna say that you probiably want to get the matching transmission from the motor you install. Reason being the 4 banger tranny isn't engineered to deal with a V6 or a V8, I'm kinda sceptical if the bolt patterns even match from 4 cyl to V6 or V8. The rearend on the other hand shouldn't be much of an issue I would imagine. I've never really looked at a Dakota but every other manufacture uses the same housing in their trucks except of two particular model of s-series trucks use a different axle. Try to find a motor out of a Dakota though. That way you can take the engine harness and such. If you are lucky, the V8 or V6 engine harness will plug into everything else, but I wouldn't just assume this is the case. Even if the body harness is the same from 4 cyl to V6 or V8 the instrument cluster and such may not work because it is calibrated for a 4 cyl. Hopefully somebody else will chime in because there are alot of details electronically that I'm unaware of. The hardest part is if you have to worry about is emissions and such. CHECK YOUR DMV THOUGH because each state is different on engine swapping, and sometimes it differs from county to county. I know this much for certain because of my V8 swap into my S10. In Cali the motor has to be the same year or newer than the vehicle. It also cannot be a more poluting motor than what could be offered from the factory in that truck. IE a fullsize truck motor is techinically an illegal swap in Cali because the emissions standards for a fullsize are less stringent than a lets say a Dakota. Once the motor swap is complete the vehicle is now held to the emissions standards of the vehicle the motor came out of. IE in my case I have a 01 C5 Vette motor in my 00 S10. In California, my truck would not be tested as a 00 S10, but a 01 C5 Corvette because that is what the motor is. Also all emissions devices have to be functional on the motor. IE if the motor you are swapping in had air injection and the factory motor didn't then you have to add it in Cali.

Ok, here is how the laws are in Maryland. They don't care what motor is in the truck as long as it passes the tailpipe sniffer and the OBD II scan for the year of truck. IE a C5 motor has to pass light truck standards. That's alot easier for me. I know this is kinda long winded but it's information you need to consider before doing a swap like this. The s-series guys talk about it all the time and quite a few trucks are converted, but how many of them can say they can pass emissions? Probiably less than 1/3 because of the amount of work it takes to get it all right.