Little known Dodge Ram upgrades

[TerryBPP]

I recently bought another 2nd Gen Dodge Ram Truck. I got it CHEAP. Anyway, I started researching little add on upgrades to bump up the lowly 5.2L from 220 HP....and I'm bored since selling my last euro car.

1. Replace the air intake system with a standard 14"x3" round (old school) air filter. The factory system is extremely restrictive. This is a 5 min swap. $50

2. Swap the standard 1.6 steel rocker arms for 92-00 Dodge Viper arms which are 1.7's. Gives you a little more lift and duration. You can buy roller rockers in either size but this is not a race car so that loss of friction means little. Plus the Viper rockers are $70 and the roller are $400. 45mins.

I thought these were pretty cool little 5-10hp gains for about as cheap as it gets. Of course you can do all the normal stuff (exhaust, TB, etc.)....but its a freaking Dodge Truck and the tranny's are garbage.

[MichiganMat]

Is this the big diesel that was being rebuilt on the boards here a few months back?

Only 220 hp huh? What are the torque numbers?

[tcar]

The 5.2 is a gasoline engine (old Dodge 318 ci engine from the '60s updated).

The 'big' gas engine is the 5.9 (old 361).

The diesel is the Cummins. You can drag your house down the street.

[TerryBPP]

Correct. This is a gas 318. The other gas engine is a 360 5.8L. These are exactly the same engines throughout the 360 just has a larger cylinder bore. They even share the same heads.

The 318 produces 220 HP the 360 produces 230HP.

If it was a diesel I would crank up the boost and be done.

[VINMAN]

Originally Posted by tcar

The diesel is the Cummins. You can drag your house down the street.

Love my diesel! Wouldnt trade it for anything.
There are tons of upgrades available for this truck. I put in a Gale Banks programmer, kicked the power way up. Doing a few more upgrades this spring. New turbo, exhaust, injectors. Looking to get about another 200 hp over stock . Also tranny upgrades.( Dodge trannys suck)

[Dan in Pasadena]

Here's mine:



First time I've ever owns a Dodge. Never liked them before this model. Its a 2002 1500 Quadcab 4x4, it was a great deal used in Feb '03 with less than 8000 miles. Now it has 78K miles. It has the lowly little 4.7 which gets lousy mileage but frankly has been as reliable as a top. If I remember correctly it is rated at 235HP. Not much for such a big@ss truck but has never been a problem. I've had it in -8 degree weather (Lake Tahoe three years ago) with it in 4x4 High for an extended period at 40 mph on the drive south on Hwy 395 and I've had it in +124 degree weather (Laughlin, NV two summers ago) towing the skis and no problems*

*Interesting comment on the trannies though. Twice after towing my two jetskis for several hours at sustained highway speed (ordinary summer temps...say 85-95), it hasn't down shifted to 1st after coming to the first stop. It stays in high gear and lugs as I pull away. After shutting down a few minutes and cooling a bit (I assume) it runs/shifts absolutely fine. Interesting that this DIDN'T happen when I was in the extreme heat!(?) I took it to the dealer twice for this while it was under warranty and it had thrown no codes, they couldn't duplicate it. I am heading up to Lake Tahoe this Saturday and it ought to be between -5 and +25ish degrees all week. Just had the engine oil (always been Mobil One) and transfer case fluid changed today. Anyone have an idea the likely cause of the no downshift?

[TerryBPP]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Here's mine:



First time I've ever owns a Dodge. Never liked them before this model. Its a 2002 1500 Quadcab 4x4, it was a great deal used in Feb '03 with less than 8000 miles. Now it has 78K miles. It has the lowly little 4.7 which gets lousy mileage but frankly has been as reliable as a top. I've had it in -8 degree weather (Lake Tahoe three years ago) with it in 4x4 High for an extended period at 40 mph on the dirve south on Hwy 395 and I've had it in +124 degree weather (Laughlin, NV two summers ago) and no problems*

*Interesting comment on the trannies though. Twice after towing my two jetskis for several hours at sustained highway speed, it hasn't down shifted to 1st after coming to the first stop. It stays in high gear and lugs as I pull away. After shutting down a few minutes and cooling a bit (I assume) it runs/shifts absolutely fine. Had it to the dealer twice for this...it threw no codes, they couldn't duplicate it. I am heading up to Lake Tahoe this Saturday and it ought to be between -5 and +25ish degrees all week. Just had the engine oil (always been Mobil One) and transfer case fluid changed today. Anyone have an idea the likely cause of the no downshift?

I would add a trans cooler. I did.

[Shawn 357]

Terry,
I had a 96 Doge ram with the 318. I beat the snot out of that truck for over 120,000 miles and the only repair I ever had to do with it was a steering box (I hit a concrete wall), intake gaskets and lots of brake calipers. I always toasted the brakes because I towed way more weight than I ever should have. I at one time bought a spare trans for it and kept it in storage assuming it was innevitable that I would be needing it with how much I towed (I put about 35,000 miles of heavy towing on the truck) I ended up never needing the trans and selling it when I sold that truck. I had JBA Headers on the truck, they were pricey but held up very well. I wouldn't waste the money on a chip again because I couldn't tell a difference. The rocker arm trick is a great idea and those engines run low enough RPM's that the minimal difference in valvetrain geometry shouldn't have any ill effects on pushrods etc. I love cheap, effective, performance upgrades!

[Shawn 357]

+2 on the trans cooler

Also keep your OD off when you are towing.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by TerryBPP

I would add a trans cooler. I did.

Hmmm....I'm pretty sure it DOES HAVE the optional external trans cooler? Do you know if they are undersized or POS's? I'll take a look.

Honestly? I like this truck a lot. Its been a good vehicle for me and I really don't need much more capability. BUT.... Part of me (I'm a car guy just like you!) wants a new or at least newer truck...I'm thinking of possibly a Ford F350 Crewcab...possibly a diesel but for as little as I drive it, and as light as I tow maybe a gas engine would be plenty (hey, if going bigger may as well go big, huh?).

But until I decide to do that, it is JUST ABOUT paid off and I want to enjoy no payments for a while. This thing OUGHTA last another 78K miles, don't you think? Or am I kidding myself?

[TerryBPP]

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by Shawn 357

+2 on the trans cooler

Also keep your OD off when you are towing.

+1 on the OD thing when towing. Lot of the new transmissions have too many electronic doodads that fail and screw up your shifting, may be as simple as a bad diode.

If you are towing much, you need a trans cooler and maybe a differential cooler too

[TerryBPP]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Hmmm....I'm pretty sure it DOES HAVE the optional external trans cooler? Do you know if they are undersized or POS's? I'll take a look.

Honestly? I like this truck a lot. Its been a good vehicle for me and I really don't need much more capability. BUT.... Part of me (I'm a car guy just like you!) wants a new or at least newer truck...I'm thinking of possibly a Ford F350 Crewcab...possibly a diesel but for as little as I drive it, and as light as I tow maybe a gas engine would be plenty (hey, if going bigger may as well go big, huh?).

But until I decide to do that, it is JUST ABOUT paid off and I want to enjoy no payments for a while. This thing OUGHTA last another 78K miles, don't you think? Or am I kidding myself?

Mine didn't have one at all. If yours does have one then it may be a blocked passage in your trans.

[The Gaijin]

I say bring back the old slant-6. 225c.i. add modern EFI and other up-grades and maybe get a pick-up truck for a world with $3.00 / gallon gas.

[cashflyer]

The name Ram was first used in the 30's.
The Ram's Head emblem started appearing on the trucks in 1981.
So.... which generation of Ram do you have??? (Maybe just tell the year.)

The BIG gas engine was the 440 - depending on which year.
The biggest of the common small blocks was the 360 (5.9L)
The Cummins diesel, as introduced in 1989, was 359cid (5.9L)

On pre-"magnum" engines; Although the heads and intake will interchange, the 360 is not just a bored out 318. The main journals are a different diameter, thus the crank will not interchange. Don't know about the magnum engines. Never worked on them.


How are you getting the rocker train from a V-10 to fit into a V-8?

And not all of the transmissions are garbage, but most could use some tweaking.
Depends a lot on what you want to do with it (tow, race, off-road, etc).

[TerryBPP]

Originally Posted by cashflyer

The name Ram was first used in the 30's.
The Ram's Head emblem started appearing on the trucks in 1981.
So.... which generation of Ram do you have??? (Maybe just tell the year.)

The BIG gas engine was the 440 - depending on which year.
The biggest of the common small blocks was the 360 (5.9L)
The Cummins diesel, as introduced in 1989, was 359cid (5.9L)

On pre-"magnum" engines; Although the heads and intake will interchange, the 360 is not just a bored out 318. The main journals are a different diameter, thus the crank will not interchange. Don't know about the magnum engines. Never worked on them.


How are you getting the rocker train from a V-10 to fit into a V-8?

And not all of the transmissions are garbage, but most could use some tweaking.
Depends a lot on what you want to do with it (tow, race, off-road, etc).

I'm speaking of the 92-later magnum engines.

The rockers are a direct swap. Take of the old, bolt on the new. They have the same 3/8 studs and mounting points. Exactly the same aside from the length. Works on both 5.2 & 5.8 magnum engines.

[cashflyer]

Okay then. I have never bothered to crack into a magnum engine.
I'm strictly old-school when it comes to MoPar.

[lm6y]

Wish you would have told us that earlier.

We are putting a '99 360 and 46rh in a '97 Jeep Wrangler. We might need more power!

[VINMAN]

Dan, it sounds like something ( possibly the check valve balls) is hanging up in the valve body in the tranny. The 46RE are known for valve body problems.
The torque converters are another weak point in these trucks.
I replaced mine with ATS parts. Added a large capacity trans pan also. Huge improvement. I tow a 9,000lb boat on a triple axle trailer. I dont even know it is there.

[turbo6bar]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

*Interesting comment on the trannies though. Twice after towing my two jetskis for several hours at sustained highway speed (ordinary summer temps...say 85-95), it hasn't down shifted to 1st after coming to the first stop. It stays in high gear and lugs as I pull away. After shutting down a few minutes and cooling a bit (I assume) it runs/shifts absolutely fine. Interesting that this DIDN'T happen when I was in the extreme heat!(?) I took it to the dealer twice for this while it was under warranty and it had thrown no codes, they couldn't duplicate it. I am heading up to Lake Tahoe this Saturday and it ought to be between -5 and +25ish degrees all week. Just had the engine oil (always been Mobil One) and transfer case fluid changed today. Anyone have an idea the likely cause of the no downshift?

I had a similar problem, but it was constant vs intermittent. The problem was the pressure solenoid. It was a $250 sensor and solenoid. Drop the oil pan. Simple fix. They are a known bad area on the 2500 Dodge trucks.