obd2 magnum swap?

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robert87ss

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ive been reading alot lately. my dad want efi with his magnum swap. we have the ecm and harness out of an 01 ram. ive read that obd2 requires a bcm to run. is this true? what exactly is the bcm? is it the fuse box under the hood? will i need to run any wires inside the car? what fuel pump will work? these are just a few of my questions. any insight is greatly appreciated, thank.
 
Body Control Module
 
I just BARELY have my hands wet in this sort of thing (Recently bought a 97 RAM). Frankly if you are going to get that deep, I would highly recommend you scare up a factory shop manual. You have to be careful, as they come in "several" sections. I found one (wrong year but for general info) to download on one of the internet Dodge forums. I also ended up buying a set of paper ones off th' bay.
 
you wont be bothered with a bcm on an 01, as I have an 01 5.2 in my dart. what you will have check for is a factory security system. mine didn't have it, but if yours does, the computer will have to be reflashed for it to run. dodge place told me if you have an ordinary key, it doesn't have security. or at least that was the case for me. this swap is really easy to do if you have the patience to sort out all the unneeded wires, AND, have the pcm box . there's a ton of info on this swap in this section. if I can help just holler. dave.
 
^^Well he's talking about getting OBDII to work. What can you offer on that?^^
 
BCM isn't an ODB2 thing per se, but the security system on the truck relies on the VIN and security codes being the same to allow the engine to run. That's if the truck has an immobilizer security system. Some have it, some don't, but by 2001 I think it almost assuredly has it. You can get the PCM ( powertrain control module ) programmed to remove the security feature, but you'll need to send it somewhere to have it done. There is a company in Lantana FL that does it. I had to have my PCM done, took them about a week including shipping time.
.... I see aaadave beat me to it about the security thing ;)

Oh, and the ODBII port wires come from the PCM not the BCM so I'm almost sure it will work without the BCM although you might get some codes for not being able to communicate with it if you hook a code scanner up to it.

x2 on the factory service manual ( download if you can find it online, x2 on truck forums )
As for what wires you'll need... that depends on how much you are integrating.
You stated that you have the engine harness from the truck, but there isn't really an "engine only harness". If you have all 3 plugs that connect to the PCM and the PDC itself ( Power Distribution Center / Block of fuses/relays that goes under the hood ) then you should have all of the connectors that control the engine and trans.

I was going to go into some over simplified "do this, that, and that and you're good to go" thing, but I don't want people to read and rush into it without understanding what all the wires do.
Reply to my PM and I'll send over some color diagrams of the "simple version" if you want.

Oh, and welcome aboard!!! to another local
 
I also have the 01 Ram 5.2. Mine's not running yet due to some unanticipated setbacks, but I'm working on it. The BCM is kinda like an interior fuse panel/computer. It receives a CCD signal (Chrysler Collision Detection) that comes from the PCM. It's a binary signal that is decoded by the BCM and contains most of the information to operate the Ram dash cluster. Unless you plan on using the Ram cluster in the car, you won't need the BCM.
My recommendation is to use your existing gauges with the old sending units. Of course, the new sending units/sensors are required by the PCM, so you have to keep them also. I also recommend hooking up your DLC (data link connector) in order to use a code scanner. Look up a thread in this section started by Jeffthecomputerman on connecting a digital dashboard to the DLC. Pretty neat stuff there.
You can get a 2001 FSM on one of the Dodge Ram forums. I don't remember which one but I'll try to look it up. Like 67Dart273 says, it is a must! Do your research on the fuel system also. It can get complicated. Player1up helped me a lot.
You can also look at some of the Jeep forums. They've been doing a lot of the Magnum swaps for a long time. There is a lot of information there, also.
Study up and if you have questions, someone here will help you or direct you to help. Good Luck and welcome to FABO!


Oh! Hi Matt, Hi Dave - I've been lapping valves today! Gonna be down to 7 degrees here tonight.
 
thanks for the info guys. I need to go to my uncles and pick up the harness. right now Im going through the engine and found 2 cracked heads.
 
vegasanthony said:
I downloaded that link ,, igot 200 blank pages:wack:
Click to expand...

I dunno - I just clicked the link that I posted earlier and got 2889 pages of a 2001 Dodge Ram service manual.
Must be a loose nut between the operator's chair and the keyboard on your end. LOL

Try it again
 
further info I have obtained is, my engine harness and ecm are from a 96. I went to the bone yard and got the fuse box from 96 Dakota. I was reading the I have to "sync" the distributor with a scanner. is this necessary? if so how would I go about doing it without a obd2 connector?
 
aaadave said:
you wont be bothered with a bcm on an 01, as I have an 01 5.2 in my dart. what you will have check for is a factory security system. mine didn't have it, but if yours does, the computer will have to be reflashed for it to run. dodge place told me if you have an ordinary key, it doesn't have security. or at least that was the case for me. this swap is really easy to do if you have the patience to sort out all the unneeded wires, AND, have the pcm box . there's a ton of info on this swap in this section. if I can help just holler. dave.
Click to expand...
Seems like the octagon(suppose really hex) or triangular covered keys are non-security and the circular cover keys are.
 
Robert, I fired mine up since my last post. On the distributor, it's marked for no. 1. I just put the distributor in with no. 1 piston at TDC and the rotor pointing at the no. 1 plug wire and it fired right up. I did squirt a little gas down the throttle body.
Apparently, there was no security set on mine.

I wired my data link connector (DLC) in for future use. Check a thread in Magnum Section by Computermanjeff on connecting a smartphone to the DLC.

Sounds like you are making good progress! Keep it up.
 
I used the ECM from a 1998 Dodge 1500 Pickup with a 5 speed and no security. I bought it from Solo Electronics in Florida. It was reflashed to eliminate a lot of the functionality I didn't need. I also opted for the Hotwire Auto "hotrod" witing harness. It hooked up with 4 wires, was neat and located the ECM and fuse block next to the glovebox inside the car. It came with a e grommet to seal the wires at the firewall. It was plug and play.

I did have the injector connectors updated to run the more modern Ford 35lbs 2 hole injectors.

After it was in and running, I used Hemifever's tuner to adjust the mapping for my 408" Magnum Stroker. It's a beast.
 
Here's an under-hood shot of my install. It started out as a slant 6 car, then had a tired but slightly freshened junkyard 5.9 Magnum in it and now has a fresh 408" ported-aluminum headed, Hemifever-tuned OBDII stroker motor in it.
 

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It's been awhile but we are finally making some progress. I was looking at the wire harness and we are having issues with dad's dakota, the engine shuts off when the oil pressure gauge drops. So I was wondering does the ECM get a signal from oil pressure switch. If it does I need to "t" it for the aftermarket gauge we have.
0628152127_zpsthcmo6ha.jpg
 
hmmmm. I don't know . mine's an 01, never had the oil sending wire hooked up. been running fine for a year now. dave.
 
aaadave said:
hmmmm. I don't know . mine's an 01, never had the oil sending wire hooked up. been running fine for a year now. dave.
Click to expand...

Mine's not driving (no exhaust pipes yet), also an 01. Dave told me his is not connected, so I took the 01 oil sending unit out and put the 68 sending unit in to use the old gauge. Still starts and runs like it did before.
 
Thanks That's good to know. What is eveyone doing for power steering. I'm using the Magnum accesories and the pump and bracket are hitting the battery tray.
 
robert87ss said:
Thanks That's good to know. What is eveyone doing for power steering. I'm using the Magnum accesories and the pump and bracket are hitting the battery tray.
Click to expand...

HA HA - funny you should ask that - just settled that problem thanks again to AAADave! Go to Pull-a-Part or your favorite junkyard and get a PS bracket out of a van. I got mine from a 96 5.2 van. I don't have PS, so I took the vanes and pressure valve out of the PS pump and mounted it back on the bracket just to use as a idler pulley. You can get AC delete belts for the vans and pickup trucks, not for the Grand Cherokees. The van bracket positions the PS pump low enough not to interfere with the battery tray.
 
I grabbed a van ps bracket at the bone yard. Now I can't find a belt. I figured a van belt without account would work but it's too short. So maybe 1 of the truck pillegal is a different diameter. Looks like I'll be making a few trips to the auto parts. Then I have to address the ps pressure line it's way too long.
 
the only pulley difference I know of between the truck and van is the a/c clutch. if you have no a/c, the a/c delete belt should work, unless the compressor bracket is different. make sure you're routing the belt the right way. on mine, I used the truck compressor with the van p/s pump, and had to modify the tensioner a bit. dave.
 
oh, and by the way, I went to auto zone and bought a p/s hose for a 72 dart with 318. fit the pump perfect.
 
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