Dodge Ram V-6

[Snuffy Smith]

Does anyone have the v-6 Magnum? (Dodge Ram 1500) Is it a good engine? Good gas mileage? Good power? Thanks.

[rambler]

Originally Posted by Snuffy Smith

Does anyone have the v-6 Magnum? (Dodge Ram 1500) Is it a good engine? Good gas mileage? Good power? Thanks.

Didn't know they put it in the 1500, I have one in my 92 Dakota, b-i-l has one in his 96(?) Dakota, have the bigger V8 in the 95 1500.

Love it in my Dakota, not sure on the power of a v6 in a 1500 if you actually want to use the pickup.....

--->Paul

[Hip_Shot_Hanna]

Pop has a new 2005 , 1500, V8 Magum.... 13 mpg on interstates at a steady 70 MPH with the tail gate off. local runing 6 MPG , OUCH

[HermitJohn]

Unless they've changed again, the truck V6 was their old 318/360 V8 minus two cylinders. Those old small block V8 Chrysler engines were durable and good engines but not great for fuel mileage. Dont know about fuel mileage of V6 version but havent heard any complaints about the engine. The 5 spd they offered in the early Dakotas was piece of crap.

Chrysler missed a bet by not keeping their old slant six around, mating it with decent 5 speed and offering it in Dakota and 1500. It was a lugger and got good mileage. I'd be driving a Dakota if it had a slant six in it. Ford was foolish in abandoning their 300cuin I-6 also. Not so great fuel mileage, but it also was real lugger. Both these engines were at the top of the list of all time rugged engines.

[Old Jack]

Originally Posted by HermitJohn

U

Chrysler missed a bet by not keeping their old slant six around, mating it with decent 5 speed and offering it in Dakota and 1500. It was a lugger and got good mileage. I'd be driving a Dakota if it had a slant six in it.

My friend had over 300k miles on his '64 Dodge dart convertible with the slant six.
Great motor IMHO

[Jolly]

I've got a 97 Ford F150 with the 4.2L V6.

Horrible motor...develops its HP higher in the rpm range than the old 300, and won't lug hardly at all. Not to mention you can't keep the darn thing in one piece. Bought the truck new, buried the first motor at 114,000, put in a used one. Fixin' to bury it after only 16,000 miles.

Nobody wants to rebuild it, and a long block costs a fortune. The cause of failure on mine (like most folks) is a leaky seal on the intake manifold causing water to get on the pistons, eventually causing hydrolock in one form or another. Bend a rod in one of these suckers, and all the sudden you have a 4000 pound lawn ornament.

[idahodave]

I've got a '96 2500 van with a 3.9 V6....100k and no problems with the motor. Mileage is from 13 mpg at 75 mph with headwind to almost 25 mpg driving around Yellowstone at 45 mph. Mostly about 16-17 mpg normal use. Little motor has enough power to run full-sized van into the wind at 80 mph but it's almost flat out.

[caballoviejo]

The only thing I didn't like about the Chrysler slant six is that it would always leak oil out the down side of the valve cover.

Course, you could glue it on and then fight that when you needed to remove the cover again.