Hello, I just bought a 94 b350 van with a 318 and a A518 fourspeed trans. Is this a mgnum motor? Is the trans an overdrive and if so is there a way to turn it off for towing? I may have missed a button and its in the shop for inspection so I can't check it. Is there a shift kit that would make it last longer and are there bands I need to check or adjust? Is this a strong transmission? Is there a receiver hiitch that you recomend that will clear my fuel tank? I'm figuring on adding a trans cooler. This is the twelve passenger van with the 127 wheelbase. sorry for the long post and thanks for any help you could give me.
Dodgevanman
02-18-2008, 09:32 AM
The 5.2L (318) is the Magnum engine. Chrysler started with these engines in 1992. The A518 (46RH) is an OD transmission based on the A727 Torqueflite. There is a button on the dash on the left next to the A/C vent. The OD unit tended to be the weak point of those transmissions, but it all depends on if the transmission was maintained well from the previous owners.
I'm sure a shift kit is available and there are bands that do need adjusted...the procedure is spelled out in the factory service manual.
My '94 had a hitch on it when I bought it, but I removed it because I don't tow and it was in sad shape. My van has the 35 gallon tank. I would imagine Draw-Tite or Reese has a hitch for your van.
B-300
02-18-2008, 12:23 PM
If you are going to tow with it a transmission cooler is another thing to extend transmission life in warmer climates.
Ram3500Dually
02-18-2008, 05:20 PM
Welcome to DodgeTalk. There are a bunch of knowledgable guys here to help with your every question :)
DANVAN
02-18-2008, 07:08 PM
Change the trans fluid to ATF4. Its synthetic.
94b350
02-20-2008, 07:09 PM
Thanks for the replies. The van was one of the government surplus vans. I hope it was maintained as well as some people say. It looks as if it was mechanically. The body has some srapes and the interior would benefit from some newer seats. The motor sounds great and the trans seemed to shift well though I only drove it five miles or so. When I loaded it onto a trailer to come home and looked underneath I was thrilled that the only leak appeared to be a little oil on the torque converter shield. The rest of the motor and trans were dry and clean. No leaks at the rear axle or any of the breaks. I hope to add the trans cooler and a shift kit ( if I can find the towing type and not some racing deal) at the same time and flush the fluid. I'd like to update some things as these were very bland. Such as chrome bumpers and grille, Nicer dodge wheels I need to figure out what years these items interchange? It seems like 94 to 97 on the body. I'm not sure what year if an the wheels may have changed or if dodge truck wheels would fit. And a huge roll of decent quality window tint. Again thanks for any help you guys can give!!!
leeann
02-20-2008, 08:42 PM
I don't know about yours, but my '90 with A518 came from the factory with an external transmission cooler - it's sandwiched between the condenser and the radiator.
It sounds like the mechanicals were really well taken care of if you only saw the one little leak. That's great!
Dodgevanman
02-21-2008, 07:00 AM
The lug pattern on your van is 5 x 5.5. What kind of wheels are you looking for? I had a set of the bland alumium jobs on my '94 conversion van. I found a set of the factory (brand new take-offs) chrome wheels on ebay for around $200. This included all 4 wheels and center caps.
van-nut
02-21-2008, 08:45 AM
If its a B350 it should have the 8 luggers, right?
Pete
Dodgevanman
02-21-2008, 12:54 PM
Oh yeah....duh! I need to clean my glasses. :D
I don't know what the pattern is on the 8-luggers.
94b350
02-21-2008, 04:57 PM
Hello again, I have the 8 lug wheels with the old dog dishes. I've seen some with the addition of trim rings and it certainly helped. I've seen some sharp dodge truck wheels that were still steel rims but don't know what years if any may fit. I 'm trying to dress it up some so it does'nt look so much like a DOC van for my family to ride around in. Does anyone know what year bodies were the same as mine? thanks
94b350
02-22-2008, 10:48 AM
I went by the van today and it does have the O/D off switch. I was very happy to find this. I saw that the shifter did not have the O around the D for drive so I figured it was a three speed auto. When I got home I found the sticker under the hood that listed four speed auto so thats when I searched around the net and found it was O/D. This should really be sweet as it list a 3.9 rear ratio. Great for towing (with O/D off) but hard on gas unloaded. I'm not expecting great mileage but am hoping it is reasonable. I should get to prep it for inspection tomorrow and I can get a better Idea of what sort of deal I got. thanks again.
sca
02-22-2008, 11:01 AM
Welcome to DT!
Dodgevanman
02-22-2008, 11:15 AM
Does anyone know what year bodies were the same as mine?
The '94 vans share the same look as the 95-97 and also a bit with the 98-03 models. Mechanically the 94 vans share more in common with the early 90's vans, say 92-93.
DANVAN
02-22-2008, 05:36 PM
That 3.9 wont be as bad on gas as u think.
I went from a 3.55 to 3.9 and didnt feel any loose of mpg, but did feel a gain in power and overall drivability.
B-300
02-22-2008, 06:00 PM
Both Superior and Trans-go make shift kits for your van... They have more than one mode in each kit, so you can increase relibility without going to a race mode.
94b350
03-05-2008, 08:25 PM
Hello again, I got the van through inspection and it didn't need too much. I needed front pads, and all four shocks. I put air shocks on the back to help with towing. Hopefully that was a good decision. I got a great deal on a reese class three hitch and it looks like mounting will be straightfoward. I picked up a electronic brake box and will hopefully be able to get a plug in harness for trailer lights. It looks as if there's a connecor under the rear to accept it. Does anyone know if there is a connector or any wire at all under the dash that heads to the rear harness for the brake controller? thanks again
DANVAN
03-06-2008, 12:27 AM
My 93 did not have the plug under the dash for the brake controller, I had to wire it into the van. I think its 4 wires, one constant battery power, one ground, one to the brake light switch and the last one will go to the rear of the van to the trailer socket.
There was a connector under the rear bumper for the trailer socket to plug into, I didnt use it though, the connector was too much money, I cut off the end and hard wired it in for free.
94b350
03-23-2008, 10:54 PM
Hello Again, I've gotten to drive the van some now. It seems to run and drive well. I need to lower the air in the shocks. I set it at sixty psi but should probably drop it to the twenty five psi minimum. The trans seeme to really lag on the second to third shift. Driving around town it doesn't go into third till thirty mph, but we have 25 zones. Gassing it and letting off can help it shift. Getting out on the highway it will hold second til almost 60. The shifting gets better when everything is heated up. It shifts solid without slippage it just seems late or lazy. Will the band adjustments or mentioned shift kits help this problem? I'll do both at once. I got a chance to do some little things on it today. It had small things that needed tightened cleaned, or adjusted. I polished the headlights and it really cleaned them up nicely. The cable that controls the heater temp is missing a clip to hold it in place so it's always on heat. I don't know what it should look like to buy a replacement. Does anyone have any pics of the heater box area? thanks again for any help or suggestions.
