Dodge 440 to 5.9 Cummins Diesel conversion

[RedneckExpress]

So, what did you end up doing with the old 440-3?  I've been plotting doing a 360/440 swap for my truck as the 360 is a tad under powered and finding a diesel donor truck around here is a nightmare. 

[Oz]

Post a video on YouTube and then post the link here.

[pvoth1111]

You know this voids your warranty





nice work....good job!

[Wantawinnie]

Hey "The Boss" just might be a good name for it.

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Man that thing is looking boss!

[Wantawinnie]

Sorry,

Tried to post a video, didn't work.

[Wantawinnie]

No driving yet. The brakes are not up to it until they get checked out. All I have are the front right now. There was also an oil leak at the fuel pump that I just got fixed today. There are couple other small things and it should be ready.

I've let it idle a lot and did quite a few starting, stopping, and backing up manuevers to make sure the cooling system will handle stop and go traffic. Found out the sensor for automatic transmission cooler fan works today and it cools the tranny off nicely when sitting still in gear.   

All I can say at this point is you can feel the difference in low end torque. It's much different just puttering around compared to the 440. Hard to explain it really.

I will try to get a video of it but I've never messed with that before. Hm?

[audioguyinMI]

Thanks much for the update.   


Sounds like still no maiden voyage yet though?  I think we're all dying to know how the whole thing works on the highway.  Given all the work you're put into it, I suspect you are at the top of the list of people who want to know.

Best of luck, and may your schedule free up soon.

[Wantawinnie]

Sorry for the delay in posting. Life has been busy lately.

Here is the progress since the last post. I reinstalled the engine compartment to radiator shield and had to make a bracket as the shield originally fastens to the radiator shroud. That is not used with the Cummins so an alternative was needed to seal against the back of the radiator.

   

I also made these side shields up to direct air through the radiator. The parts manual shows something similar as factory but there were none and it doesn't really seem like any were ever there.





All of the new wiring and some of the old is going in plastic looms to help protect it.

With that out of the way I reinstalled the intercooler and carefully cut the holes for the intercooler tubes to go through the upper shield.



This one was a little tricky as it comes through at an angle.




All done with that!



Bumper back on for the first time since the conversion started.



Grill divider and lower grill back on. Really hard to tell much is different from the outside.....unless it is running.



Another shot of the intercooler and piping.



And some glamour shots out of the shop idling away.

[Wantawinnie]

Sorry Kevin, slow going lately.

I got the electric fuel pump wired up and controlled by a rocker switch under the dash. It made quick work of priming the tank lines. The main tank lines got hooked up yesterday and the 5 gallon pail was retired.

The Painless wiring kit was installed yesterday which involved draining a gallon of antifreeze out of the system to screw in the sensor probe. I used a coolant plug up in front by the alternator. The kit includes an adapter fitting that worked fine for installing it in the Cummins. The wiring was clearly labeled and I feel much better about the quality of this setup. I am going to run a manual override switch by using a toggle switch to provide a ground that bypasses the temp sensor when needed.

Tonight I started it up and let it run long enough to check that the fuel solenoid stopped leaking. Apparently that o-ring is rather important.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

OMG!!!  The suspense is killing me!


Kev

[Wantawinnie]

Got the fuel solenoid back out and reinstalled the O-ring. I made a tool to get it out easier by grinding down an old 7/8" wrench. First I ground out the size to fit the solenoid as it is 15/16 or metric maybe, then ground the outside of the open end down to slide in the tight space, and then cut the wrench in half. I was able to get it in between the fuel lines to break it loose and then loosen from above once the throttle bracket was unbolted. Hope it doesn't leak again.

Got the Hayden controller removed and returned this morning. Still waiting for the Painless relay kit to show up.

I forgot to mention that I put the engine cover on loosely when I moved it out of the shop. I couldn't get it all the way down as the fuel lines to the 5 gallon pail and an old A/C hose were hanging over. There is probably an 1" gap around the cover and floor. Even with the open spaces, no carpet, or any type of extra sound deadening the rig was suprisingly quiet compared to when the engine compartment is open. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to even hear myself talk but that is definately not the case. As expected, it is louder than the 440, I couldn't even tell that was running really.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Awesome!  SO close!!!

Kev

[Wantawinnie]

Getting pretty good at taking this thing apart and putting it back together again. The Hayden fan relay was bad out of the box so the fans engage all the time unless I manually flip the overide switch to shut them off. Went through the troubleshooting and the sensor is shorted out. So I get to tear all the wiring and controller back out and return it. My advice is to stay away from those controllers.(guess where it is made)

I ordered up a Painless wiring controller 30102 that features a screw in temp sender with 195 degree on and 185 degree off. It also has a circuit breaker and should be much more reliable. The Cummins uses a 180 degree thermostat and this should work well. This one cost twice as much and I can't find any bad reviews on it. Cooling the engine is not really an area I want to skimp on. Should have the controller in a couple days to get that up and running.

I also opted to install a frame mounted electric fuel pump back by the tank. It has a 30gph flow rate and a 5-9psi operating range. This is the pressure range where the mechanical pump operates. This will work well as a primer for the fuel lines and assist the mechanical pump when needed. Also, it can be used for a backup if the mechanical pump dies by bypassing it. The pump is mounted and plumbed in all I need to do is finish a little wiring on it.

Had to take the intercooler back out for the controller issues and found a small tranny leak at the cooler in front. I will take care of that as well.

BTW: I took the fuel shut off solenoid back out when we where trying to bleed the injecton pump thinking it was sucking air somehow.(it wasn't and can't as it is pressurized) After reinstalling it and getting the engine running for awhile I noticed a fuel leak under the rig. It was coming from the solenoid and it took me a few days to figure out what was wrong. The O-ring fell off when I pulled it out. I found it this morning laying on the floor by the steering column. D:oH!  I'll get that addressed soon too.



 

[Elandan2]

I am really interested in the amount of noise.  I think that has always been the limiting factor regarding puller diesels.  Winnebago has tried several variations, Deutz Air Diesels, GM 6.2 and 6.5 diesels and Freightliner FRED chassis over the years.  Your conversion and the attention to detail has been incredible.  Can't wait for the road test results!!  Rick

[vegas39]

I too am very anxious for a video! Keep an eye on the electric fan setup in hot weather and climbing hills, I gotta feeling what you have on there may not be enough. Keep us posted.

[ssapmoc]

Thanks for that info Wannawinnie. I not sure if I would be able to make it work with the shifter location being the problem. I think the inside motor access box would be square in the way. I'm going to take a measurement from the rear of the block to the shifter location in the floor and see what I might be able to come up with. I look forward to reading about your test run. I really want to find out what kind of mileage you are getting and what rpm the vendor gear is keeping you at.

[M & J]

And take a video of her running and being driven and post it on YouTube.

[LJ-TJ]

I guess you've all ready gathered the gang has been pretty excited about this project and you've done a stellar job taking us step by step through the hole project.I can't thank you enough. Folks have been talking about a project like this for as long as I can remember.What you've done so far is show many of us the We possibly could take on a project like this and succeed. We can't wait to here how she runs and the kind of mileage you get with her and hopefully you will consider sharing what a project like this might cost one of us. Well done and good luck.

[Wantawinnie]

Congratulations!!
I just have to say, that is such a pretty Winnebago. The body and paint are in such good condition.
You have done an amazing job on this conversion. I'm a mechanic, but I have very limited experience working with diesels. I could do the fabrication and the physical swap.. as far as making new mounts and brackets, and getting the engine sitting on them. But I don't have near enough knowledge to do everything needed to get it running. I've been reading your posts, and following along best I could even though a lot of it was over my head...lol But I thank you for teaching me a little bit about what would be required to do a swap like this.
It's still beyond my ability, but at least now I've got a better understanding about diesels.

Thanks Lefty!

It has been a challenging project. I had hoped the conversion process would take some of the questions out of a swap like this. As every chassis and body style have some differences there will be variations on what is needed. Hopefully,  the general theme and scope of what was done prove helpful if anyone decides to go with a diesel.

It was much more involved than a standard engine swap, maybe that is already apparent. 

[Wantawinnie]

I didn't know I could use any of the transfer case for a creeper gear. I just thought it was dead weight without having it connected to anything besides the transmission. Do you know how hard it is to disconnect the chasis from body. I was hoping to set mine on stands and roll out the chasis and do the conversion.

Meant to respond earlier but got busy.

On the transfer case, you would basically use it as is. Just leave out the front drive shaft.  For operation on the highway you would put it in 2wd high like normal. In situations where the low range is needed just stop and put it in 4 low as you would in the truck. The front flange will spin but it won't affect anything not being connected to a drive shaft. 4 High wouldn't be used for anything.

I can't help much in regard to removing the body. A lot of my fabricating was to accommodate fitting around body constraints in the engine compartment and transmission area. Those items would need to be in place to make it work.

[Lefty]

Congratulations!!
I just have to say, that is such a pretty Winnebago. The body and paint are in such good condition.
You have done an amazing job on this conversion. I'm a mechanic, but I have very limited experience working with diesels. I could do the fabrication and the physical swap.. as far as making new mounts and brackets, and getting the engine sitting on them. But I don't have near enough knowledge to do everything needed to get it running. I've been reading your posts, and following along best I could even though a lot of it was over my head...lol But I thank you for teaching me a little bit about what would be required to do a swap like this.
It's still beyond my ability, but at least now I've got a better understanding about diesels.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Awesome!  I hope your first trip is not only successful, but long enough to be give us some real time real life road data...lol!

LOVE it!

Kev

[LJ-TJ]

WOW!

[ssapmoc]

I call SHOTGUN.
HAPPY,HAPPY,HAPPY.
You did it !!!!!
Congrats