Posted By: joedust451
01 Dakota engine identification? - 12/07/11 02:51 PM
Question, When was the last yr. for the LA style magnums in the Dakota, The reason is, A lady i know bought this Dakota & says its an 01, but when i looked under the hood to see if it was a 5.2 or 5.9 i noticed the newer style engine like was in our 04 that we had, The LA magnums last run was 02 right? Or did they change early in the Dakota?
Posted By: buildanother
Re: 01 Dakota engine identification? - 12/07/11 03:21 PM
I believe the 5.9 magnum was avail thru 2004 ? (end of body style)
Posted By: buildanother
Re: 01 Dakota engine identification? - 12/07/11 05:21 PM
They called the 4.7(overhead cam) engine magnum also.
Posted By: 70Cuda383
Re: 01 Dakota engine identification? - 12/07/11 05:48 PM
1999 was the last year you could get a 5.2L / 318 V8 in a Dakota. in 2000 they introduced the overhead cam 4.7
the Dakota R/T was still produced through 2003 with a 5.9/360 "LA style" magnum engine.
no more 5.9 in 2004 though.
but I hesitate to call the 5.2/5.9 an "LA" style motor, they have a lot different than the true LA engines. pedestal mounted rockers vs shaft mounted, oil through pushrods, no oiling through the head, roller cams, no mechanical fuel pump provision, different engine mounts, etc.
the Magnum blocks kept the LA ears so you can put a newer Magnum with a carb into an old engine, but you can't put an LA engine into a newer vehicle without custom fabrication
so that 01 probably has the 4.7L unless it's an R/T in which case, the vin will have a "Z" in it, and it will be sitting lower than a sport model truck, and have 17x9" rims vs 15s or 16s, as well as the grille and bumpers will all be body color, and will have flares.
sport model trucks could be optioned the same way with the flares, body color grills, bumpers, etc. but the R/Ts ONLY had those options