OK; I Know I'm A Little Late To The Party...
OK; I Know I'm A Little Late To The Party...
...but I've got some questions about something that was popular to do to Dakota's about probably two decades ago.
I inherited my father's 2002 Dakota SXT 3.9L V-6 (he was the original owner) when he passed away in 11/22. It's in generally decent shape, but about 6 months or so ago, the throttle pedal started to seem like it doesn't want to be pushed down. I have to stomp on it and push it all the way to the floor, and that seems to "free it up" (mostly; it's still not like it should be), and it's OK until I stop the truck and shut it off again, even just long enough to say put fuel in it. Then, it feels stiff again, and I have to do the whole stomping on it to get it to "free up", again. I'm guessing the problem is my throttle cable, and since I can't seem to find a new one anywhere, I was resigned to the idea that I'd probably have to go get another cable from a junkyard, and hope THAT one was OK!
That is, until today. I happened to be reading posts in this forum and discovered that people used to swap a 5.9L V-8 throttle body onto the 3.9L V-6, because apparently they were compatible and could be interchanged. So, since I found at least two seller's on eBay selling brand-new 5.9L throttle cables, I was wondering:
1. Can I purchase a 2002 5.9L throttle body (and gasket); remove my 3.9L throttle body, and install the 5.9L throttle body in its place, without any modifications?
2. Can I then buy the 5.9L throttle cable (says it's compatible with 94-03 5.9L V-8); install it in place of the 3.9L throttle cable, and have it work OK?
3. Can I transfer my IAC valve; TPS, and MAP sensor from the 3.9L throttle body over to the 5.9L throttle body? Do both throttle bodies use the same ones?
4. Anything else I need to know?
Thanks!
I inherited my father's 2002 Dakota SXT 3.9L V-6 (he was the original owner) when he passed away in 11/22. It's in generally decent shape, but about 6 months or so ago, the throttle pedal started to seem like it doesn't want to be pushed down. I have to stomp on it and push it all the way to the floor, and that seems to "free it up" (mostly; it's still not like it should be), and it's OK until I stop the truck and shut it off again, even just long enough to say put fuel in it. Then, it feels stiff again, and I have to do the whole stomping on it to get it to "free up", again. I'm guessing the problem is my throttle cable, and since I can't seem to find a new one anywhere, I was resigned to the idea that I'd probably have to go get another cable from a junkyard, and hope THAT one was OK!
That is, until today. I happened to be reading posts in this forum and discovered that people used to swap a 5.9L V-8 throttle body onto the 3.9L V-6, because apparently they were compatible and could be interchanged. So, since I found at least two seller's on eBay selling brand-new 5.9L throttle cables, I was wondering:
1. Can I purchase a 2002 5.9L throttle body (and gasket); remove my 3.9L throttle body, and install the 5.9L throttle body in its place, without any modifications?
2. Can I then buy the 5.9L throttle cable (says it's compatible with 94-03 5.9L V-8); install it in place of the 3.9L throttle cable, and have it work OK?
3. Can I transfer my IAC valve; TPS, and MAP sensor from the 3.9L throttle body over to the 5.9L throttle body? Do both throttle bodies use the same ones?
4. Anything else I need to know?
Thanks!
Hall Of Fame
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 12,946
Likes: 309
Cant answer your question but, my recommendation is to find a pick & pull, pull a part or any wrecking yard where you pull the parts, then go in & figure out the answers by pulling the v8 TB & put it on a v6 motor. It will cost you little to get this info (fuel & admission) & the knowledge gained will be worth the effort.
Once upon a time I had a 318 & 360 magnums in 2 different rigs. If looking for more performance out of your 3.9, I'd pull the manifold, cut the runners down and put the aluminum plate on the bottom to prevent the leak the oem plate gets over time. Then I'd play with the PL mod I did on the 4.7 on that motor to see the cause & effect. Check out the HP Tuners lessons learned thread, its turned into more of a build thread then anything. I was able to pull a good amount of power out of the motor without cracking it open (pistons, cams, head work etc...) using that PL mod & controlling how much of an effect it has with the ball valve.
Once upon a time I had a 318 & 360 magnums in 2 different rigs. If looking for more performance out of your 3.9, I'd pull the manifold, cut the runners down and put the aluminum plate on the bottom to prevent the leak the oem plate gets over time. Then I'd play with the PL mod I did on the 4.7 on that motor to see the cause & effect. Check out the HP Tuners lessons learned thread, its turned into more of a build thread then anything. I was able to pull a good amount of power out of the motor without cracking it open (pistons, cams, head work etc...) using that PL mod & controlling how much of an effect it has with the ball valve.
Record Breaker
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,758
Likes: 156
From: Parker, SD
I've got an 01 dakota with a 5.9L in it, I can compare those parts to my 1500 trucks, but I woudl imaging the sensors are going to be the same, no reason they should change, im surprised the throttle budy is different but i suppose the air intake volume is different enough they choked em down