DixieSatellite

Hi,

I hope you can answer the following question for me as although I do have a very nice 72 Plymouth Satellite Sebring Plus 400-4BBL, I know nothing about the Mopar trucks.

Can you tell me what Diesel engines (if any) came in the first generation (pre-89?) Dodge Rams / Ramchargers? I am looking at buying one of these trucks as a daily driver and would like a diesel if possible. Any hints on how these perfrom / tuning etc. also appreciated.

Thank you.

Ian B.

furious70

older than 89? There was a mitsu and a believe a perkins available 77-79? They were real turds tho, not turbocharged. I've never actually seen one, just heard about them from my grandpa and uncle.

wannadiesel

Around here we refer to the '89 - '93 trucks as 1st gen, '94 - '02 as 2nd gen, and '03 and up as 3rd gen. All these trucks have 5.9 liter Cummins turbo diesels. The engine has evolved with time, but it's still the same basic bottom end today. In 1st gen trucks, the major change came in '91.5 when the engine got an intercooler and the grille design changed. As for how to turn up the trucks and maintenance tips, that's what the whole forum is about. Take a few hours and do some reading. There is also a FAQ section with good basic info. See also Dave Fritz's site.

Suburbanite

My "Standard Catalog of 4x4s 1945-2000" lists a couple of diesels. For the '46-'80 Dodge Power Wagons, '78 & '79 are the only yrs listed with a diesel engine option & it's a 243ci (3.98L) in-line 6 cyl putting out 103HP/168TQ (woohoo ... talk about power!). Obviously not too good a seller (I wonder why!?).

The Dodge Power Ram that followed it from '81-'93 didn't get a dsl until '89. Same reference lists it as a OHV V-8 tho, so you guys running a 1st gen really need to take a closer look at your engines .

For the '82-'93 Dodge Power Ram 50 (smaller truck) only '83-'85 (inclusive) had a dsl option & it was a 140ci (2.0L) in-line 4 cyl putting out 80HP/139TQ.

DixieSatellite

Hi,

Sorry for the delay in responding - thanks for all of your inputs. The information is much appreciated.

Ian B.