89 dodge

just got my 1st 4 wheel drive yesterday , auto.318,, got over 200 thou. on her , but seems to be a very nice well kept truck ,,, just hope i can afford the gas its gonna want ,, previous owner said it will get 14 on hi way ,,, but i really didn't believe him even though i wanted to... don't matter that much because it will do heavy work around farm.10 would be ok.... Any of you fellas ever had such a truck ???

you'll be glad it's 4wd. I bought my first one recently and I should have had one years ago. it was one of those deals I couldn't pass up and with the wet winter we've had, the 4wd has been very useful. We had a van with a 318 and a 727 trans. and it was really tough.

I had an 85 with the 318 in it, but i had the 4 speed manual trans, couldnt stop the thing, it was just a work horse. personaly i would never own a dodge with an auto in it, nothing but problems with the ones ive been around. neighbors had one that went through trannys every other winter. I rebuilt mine from the frame up. lots of money into something with over 300,000 miles on it, but it was worth it at the time. Bought a 03 ford f150 4door, never been happier with a truck. Then again with three kids it was time to get rid of the reg cab and go with a crew cab.

It is possible. Dad had a 74 dodge 360 auto and that would get 14 mpg, but i'm sure it would get all sorts of other mileage too. Like you said it will just be on the farm and a truck isnn't for mileage. As far as the trans it shouldn't be a problem unless it is overdrive,. If it is a 727 it is the strongest one they made, a 904 and then it is lighter duty. the difference is a 904 the pan looks like a square with a corner cut off of it, a 727 has the same basic shape but also has a half circle area sticking out of it. Good luck

I've still got a 318-powered '90 van on the road, somewhere around 275k (odometer died at 202k in '02). My 318 experience is so good that I'm thinking about a 318 pickup for woodgas conversion.

Haven't much missed 4x4 though, since I retired my Wagoneer.

I have an 84 1/2 ton 4x4 4 speed. I get 16 or 17 on the highway. It has been a great truck. The 318 is a good engine. It just seems to keep going and going.

That 318 is a great engine! Dad had a '70 Plymouth Fury III with 318 that went to 200,000, and wanted more. He sold it then, so don't know for sure, but I am thinking the body rusted out from around that engine! Greg

I'm still using my 86 Dodge w-250 (3/4 ton 4X4). It is very HD and rides like a logging truck. It now has serious rust under the cab such that the cab is sitting directly on the frame and the floor squirms around while driving. Mine has the 360 with 727 tranny, 4.10 axles and a Rochester Carb. It is a good day if it gets a full 10mpg. But it is a bad day if I have to drive it very long. The steering is the weak link in the mechanical system. I have used it as a farm truck and a snow plow rig for its entire life. It does a lot of plowing with about 30 plowing accounts. The engine and tranny have never been opened.

Your 318 engine is probably a good engine, but may be plagued by the primitive single point fuel injection system, TBI, (a GM system, I think). The sensors and electronics on that system have driven some owners to dispose of the truck.

There is a wealth of information on the power wagon dodge site.
http://powerwagonadvertiser.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=5

The 318 in 89 is not the 318 of the early 70's! But it is still a good engine. Check the engine oil pan for pin hole rust spots, most have rusted through by now. I brazed mine up and keep using the same pan.

Good luck with your new ride.

Paul in MN

The only trucks on my friends dairy farm are Dodges.
The seem to hold up well with all that they do with them.
My friend and I have jumped one a few times and its still alright.
Drake

I loved these trucks. I think they were built tougher than the 94-01 models. Had a 89 W-350 5 speed that could move a house and a 92 W-150 with the 318 magnum that wasthe nicest 1/2 ton truck I've ever had!

I used to have an "86 Ramcharger 4X4 w/318/auto. I got about 8 to 10 mpg.

Jim...you didn't buy the red one my huntin' buddy Tony had, did ya? [He probably didn't leave the gun rack in it...]

Nope . His mame is not Tony . But , It is Red and white .......