Cummins in a 2001 Dodge van?

[mazdarotary]

Hey guys,



Do you think it is possible,or has it been done before?I have a 2001 Dodge Ram Wagon Van 2500(8 lug),and I miss having a Cummins. Do you think it would be possible to squeeze a non intercooled 12 valve under the hood/doghouse?You think it is too heavy?How about a 4BT?Would a 4BT have enough grunt to still haul the van,and a 5000lb camper around,or would it need significant work to do that?

 

[MLisle]

4bt would fit, same torque as the 360 gasser, and get a lot better mileage.

 

[mazdarotary]

My van has a 5. 2 ;itre in it so can I assume the 4BT will have more torque than the 318?How about towing that weight?

 

[Alphacowboy]

been contemplating this exact thing for my 98 Dodge Van. Check the rear, some of the 8 lug vans only have a Corp 9. 25" axle.



Also, I think it could fit, just will take some money to make it fit though.

 

[6BT-Dakota]

We squeezed a 6BT into a Dakota with an intercooler so i think a non intercooled Van couldnt be as difficult as the Dakota was. The only thing that you might need is a custom set of motor mounts on the frame and a custom aluminum radiator. If you need any info where I got my radiator just P. M me id be more then happy to help out any way I can.



Rob

 

[DBazley]

Hey guys,



Do you think it is possible,or has it been done before?I have a 2001 Dodge Ram Wagon Van 2500(8 lug),and I miss having a Cummins. Do you think it would be possible to squeeze a non intercooled 12 valve under the hood/doghouse?You think it is too heavy?How about a 4BT?Would a 4BT have enough grunt to still haul the van,and a 5000lb camper around,or would it need significant work to do that?

Ok, so me & my buddy Stev from the Ram Van forum over at DodgeTalk.com aren't the only crazy ones kicking this idea around ! ?



(Actually, I'm a member both here & there - having both a '97 Ram Truck 2500 CTD and a '96 Ram Van B-2500 w/ 318... . )



We were just supposing if the 6 BT - (I assume you mean our truck engine B series, 6 cyl, turbo) could be made to fit, you'd have a van that would blow the erstwhile Sprinter Van away.



Now do I understand that Cummins makes a 4 cylinder turbo version of our engine ?



Not surprising I saw a non-turbo 4 cylinder 'little brother' Cummins in my bud's Case Backhoe.



Fascinating thought - where would we locate a 4 BT engine ?



I bet it would fit dandy. Length would be the issue that would cause too much fabrication & fit issues with the 5. 9 in our trucks. Should be 'shoe-in' for the "shorter cousin".



Plus, at the risk of sounding wimpy, I'd like the best MPG possible out of a Cummins Ram Van project.



Right now, I enjoy the performance of the 318 - but the mileage is none too stellar. Not horrible, it can get up to 19 mpg empty cruising interstate - or 15. 5 towing. But around town here, mixed start & stop - 11-12 is the best it can muster.



Anyone care to guess what that could be with a 4 BT ?



Guess it's time to start looking up stats on that engine.



Love to hear your thoughts on this crazy idea.



BTW they're getting an absolute mint for the Sprinter van -you can't even find a used passenger model for much under $ 20,000 and even that's the early, trouble prone years '03-'04.



I'm not exactly looking forward to paying $ 40 k plus for a new Sprinter Van family wagon - hence this idea... ...



Best regards to all,



David Bazley

'Rock Solid' Ram Truck Steering !

Member: TDR & DodgeTalk.com

 

[mazdarotary]

Hey Dave,



I know Stev in Niagra Falls Ny on the dodge talk forum. He has been instrumental in helping me with my new to me 2001 Dodge 2500 Ram Van. I also am a member on both here,and the dodge talk forum,as well as RV.net with Stev.



Cummins does indeed make a 4 cylinder diesel engine that is basically a 6BT with two less cylinders. I believe they have made them over the years in both turbo,and non-turbo versions,and you see them a lot in Frito-Lay,and bread vans as well as other things. My friend bought a bread van a few months back with a good 4BT that he plans on mounting in his 1990 Dodge RamCharger 2wd. I would imagine the Ramcharger swap is going to be much easier than trying to fit one in a van mainly due to the size of the engine bays. From what I can see on his bread van 4BT it is a very tall engine like the 6BT cousin,and that may be an issue in a van,but the lenght shouldn't be a problem especially if it isn't intercool(but I would like an intercooler). I also think that even the 4 cylinder is a lot heavier than the 318 I have in my van,so it may require beefing up of the springs. I have no plans as of yet to do such a swap,but it would be cool to have a Cummins van.



I sold my 1992 Cummins club cab about a year ago,and I bought a 2003 1500 quad cab hemi to replace it. I liked that truck,and it towed my camper just fine,but I didn't like the $400 a month payments,and having the truck sit most weeks 5-6 days out of the week. I sold the truck two months ago,and bought my 2001 Ram Wagon 2500 8 passenger van to take careof the hauling of the family,and the camper from time to time,and I liek teh van,but it doesn't tow anything like the Cummins,or the Hemi,but it isn't bad. We are headed up to Lake George in upstate NY pretty soon,and that will be the first real test of the van. I plan on swapping the radiator out this weekend just because the one in it has 100k miles,and isn't looking great,but not bad either. I alsmost wish I had the 360 in the van,but then again the mileage is worse,and probably little change in the performance. I like my van,and I love teh Sprinter,but they don't fit into my budget yet,and may never,so I am stuck with the old red Ram Wagon. Thanks for the reply,and maybe I will see you on Dodge talk.

 

[DBazley]

Hey Mazda, good to catch you over here, too ! I don't think I've every replied to the same person twice in a day on different forums. Funny - plus we both know Stev from Niagra Falls. Small world ! Does he haunt the TDR ?



On your newly acquired Ram Van, if the rad doesn't look bad, I'd simply do an extreme flush (take loose both hoses, flush the rad & block seprately, to help get rust flakes & any chunks out... ) and call it good.



Maybe do a 'test tow' on a hot day to make sure it runs cool enough under towing conditions. I towed a 5000 # u haul all the way from East Texas to near San Diego no problem. You should be ok.



Yes, the idea of swapping in the 4 cylinder Cummins turbo diesel into a Ram van is intriguing. I bet with some oil pan mods to clear the crossmember, it would fit fine.



One thing I was trying to find out - I need to spend more time looking at www.4BTswap.com (seen it ?) to learn:



How are guys liking the engine tuning of the 4 bt in a heavier rig similar to our vans - a suburban or 4 wd truck should be slightly heavier than our vans, but a good approximation of their heft & wind profile.



IOTW, are they happy with the HP & torque, or does it feel doggy until they mod the engine up ? If so, how high do they pump it ? I know mods aren't that hard to do from my 6BT in my Ram truck.



Also, what are the reports of MPG in a 5000 to 6000 lb vehicle like our Ram Vans.



I know a Jeep might return 35-40 mpg, but what about something larger.



Like Stev, I've seriously considered buying a Sprinter van (used) but the high ticket scares me into keeping our trusty Ram Van, even if mileage is pretty bad. At least it's paid for, runs super & is reliable.



Any thoughts ?



God bless,



David B

DBazley on TDR

RamVanMan on Dodgetalk.com



I'd also like to know if the 4 BT can be shoehorned into my Samurai - he he now that would be a trick !!