What about using a 318 out of a 97-2000 Dakota?? I never thought of that it should be the same block as the Rams and earlier Magnum Dakotas right?? If I can find one with a 5-speed I bet it would have the shift tower located further toward the back of the transmission top too!


I found a 95' Ram today in a junkyard, it's a 5.2L manual transmission so I am assuming it is an NV3500 I did not crawl under and look at the tag though. Problem is if I pull this transmission I have a 2WD truck and I do not want an open spinning transfer/front drive shaft yoke, I can't drop the 4x4 tail end can I the 2WD manual transmissions were a whole different cast??



With this being a Dakota pan....



....and this being a Ram pan, I SWEAR by eye it would fit haha looks SO close!


^^I think they hold the same amount of oil, notice the Ram pan has a slanted side all the way down and the Dakota pan has BOTH front corners pushed out and "cornered" but the Ram pan has one corner slanted^^

What I am confused about is why didn't Mopar make it easier on themselves and just use Dakota pans on the Rams to avoid an extra part number? They must have felt the extra room was benefiting the engine enough to have a different/larger pan for the Ram.

 

Wait a min...hold up...all PowerTech engines are OBDII so I think I can abandon that idea, BUT that was making me think. Even if the Ram Magnum engines are the same from 94-2001 the 97-01's are OBDII aren't they?? So I have to find a 94-96 Magnum?

How much is different with the OBDII anyway? It's not as easy as just running a new interface/diagnostics plug and cable under my dash? Maybe the computers themselves don't bolt onto the original location etc?

 

You would need a 94-95 motor for OBD1. '96 was the start of OBD2. I don't know enough about the differences between the two systems to answer your second question.

 

i think the engine itself are the same but it is the things like intake, wiring and computers that changed.

 

Were there any 96' half years with OBD1? I see lots of 94-96 Rams in junkyards, I know of a 95' with 106K $400 for the motor and tranny.

I'm not going to try and put my 88' TBI on it, deff taking the intake and computer/wiring.

Are the engine computers separate then anything involved with the chassis? Or will all those sensors have to be connected to the new computer? I assume it's located under the hood, I will have to checkout the firewall plug differences between a Ram and Dakota. I know my oil pressure and heat gauges probably go through it along with my ignition/start.

Can anyone verify if the two round Dakota gauge cluster plugs on the back of the cluster are the same on 94-96 Ram clusters?

 

On the 96, the connectors aren't even round.......

On the engines, about the only thing that changed between OBDI and OBDII, was the newer flavors didn't have an EGR valve.... that's about it. Sensor connectors may or may not be different, as they changed periodically over the years as well. Ram, Durango, Dakota, probably all pretty much the same.

You ARE going to need the engine harness, and PCM from your donor vehicle though. Unless you want to put the TBI on the new motor.... That would require some manifold mods though, as your current motor is the older LA style, and some things are different.... (intake bolt angle, for instance....) nothing insurmountable..... No clue which way would be easier....

 

Not that I know of. Everything computer related refers to '96+, and '93-'95 (I think magnum 360's came out in '93? Maybe '94...)

 

magnum 360 started being used in 93 but they still used the older style motor mounts. don't know if they have the newer style holes. they started using the magnum 318's in 92.

 

Here are the cluster connectors on a '95 Dakota; they are round (same as Rams?)


I will probably end up having to cut plug ends and splicing wires to get everything linked up, as long as the number of pins/wires on the connectors are the same there shouldn't be any differences between the shapes of the terminals.

No I would assume the old TBI on a Magnum would defeat the purpose of upgrading to a Magnum with MFI. I do want to cam the engine though, would that require converting back to a carb??

Not that I am using a 360 but, are you saying ALL Magnum 360s are OBDII?

Speaking of motor mounts...there are mounts welded on the frame, and mounts that are detachable between the frame mounts and the block. Are the removable mounts called ears??

I took these pictures of a 1995 Ram (5.2L) as you can see here is the passengers side of the block with the removable mount I am referring to:


Here is the drivers side of the block, with it's mount including a picture from behind as well. Am I using the removable mounts (with the rubber bushing) on the 318 Magnum or from my old 3.9L??

 

you might need the correct ones for a Dakota. the parts numbers are not the same on rock auto so i would guess they are a bit different. any engine 95 and older is obd 1 including the 360's. if you where planing on installing a cam you may almost want to find a obd2 computer and wiring harness.