96 dodge ram engine swap

[SB69GTS]

What problems would i encounter switching from a 5.2 magnum to 5.6 magnum engine in a 96 dodge ram 1500. Do I need to swap wiring harness or ecu box. Any help would be appreciated

 

[dragbaron]

You will need a 5.9 computer of the same year as the truck. Possibly a '97 computer would work also, but do some research on that. If the 5.9 your using is a '93-'95, then there will be some differences in some of the sensor connectors(like the cam sensor in the distributor), and the throttle body linkage may have changed. Any sensors and the throttle body can be taken off your old 5.2.

 

[Bobzilla]

If you are putting a completely stock 5.9 in place of your 5.2, you basically just need to swap on your original 5.2 intake and exhaust manifolds with all the related plumbing and install a correct engine control module for the year of your truck with a 5.9 engine. First thing though, 96 is the changeover year for OBD emissions standards, so check your truck to see how many connectors the ECM has. One large connector is the old OBD 1 system. Three smaller connectors in a row is OBD 2 system. If you have OBD 2, you can keep your old ECM and get an SCT tuner from one of the venders, and they will supply a tune that will feel better, in the seat of the pants, than a factory 5.9 ECM ever will. You cannot get a tuner for OBD 1 ECMs. Also, if you don't want an SCT turner and will just be swapping for fresher stock engine, you won't gain a bunch of noticeable power, unless the old engine is really tired.

 

[Bobzilla]

And to clarify, you can swap a different year ECM into a vehicle as long it has the same sensor and wiring arrangement, and same vehicle communication network arrangement. I have a daily driver 99 Ram 1500 4x4, and I have plugged in several different ECMs to test them. All ECMs I tried so far, regardless of part number or what engine it was for, would start and run the engine as long as the sensor arrangement was the same. I even have an ECM I just got out of a junk yard from an 03 Durango 5.9, and it runs just fine but the gauges don't work. This is for a Magnum swap into an old A body, so I don't care about running gauges. Magnum swaps are very forgiving and user friendly with just a little research.

 

[1994redram]

I had a 5.9 in my 1994 ram. Got a sweet deal on a mopar performance ECU and realized it was for a 5.2. Ran great for many years. That truck was driven HARD. My dad has a 1994 4x4 ram that was given to him with a bad engine. We pulled the 5.2 out swapped a good used 5.9 in and it's been his go to daily driver for over a year!

I don't know what the differences are with the computers. But the truck will run fine.