Just the group I was Looking for.

Hello group. I was more than a little surprised to find a site dedicated to the Ram 50 truck. I don't think I've seen more than two or three in the past seven years that I've owned my 1988 Ram 50 4x4. Question: Motor options, but first my truck is a 1988 4x4 with a (G54B) 2.6 motor. Its not the original this one is out of an 1985 2 wheel drive. the original had so much timing chain noise I was sure everyday would be its last. It had 201.00 miles on it the previous owner had put a new head on it and with the racket it made i was sure something was done wrong. Seven years later it was still going. Pulled VC and timing chain cover discovering no jet valves or balance shafts. What the hell! a motor can't be missing parts and still perform. that must be the cause of noise. found used motor and swapped them out. Keeping the old motor. That was before finding the "Ram 50 Net" and reading that the motor not only doesn't need them but is better without jet valves the balance shafts seem to be a 50-50 for and against them. Back to my question. The replacement motor is no good. I was wondering if there was a 6cyl. or newer fuel injected motor is available that would bolt up to my trans (stock 5 speed). Any other opinions on balance shafts pro's and cons.

Welcome to the club! There are V6 4x4 trucks made from 1990-1995 but they are not a "simple" swap for 4 Cyl guys. Trans, motor, ecu, wiring, rear axles, are all different. Can it be done, yea, but i cannot say Ive ever seen it done yet.

If you like the V6 idea I suggest keeping your eye open for one and then selling yours.

the jet valves are useless and the balance shaft is a grenade waiting to happen. they are common upgrades. something else is wrong, you need to get it tore down and completely inspected. my brother had a 1980 D50 with the 2.0. weber carb, header, cam, no jet valves, balance shaft delete, and he put 350,000 miles on it before his gf (my now sister in law) made him sell it because it was 'unreliable'

*the delete is common upgrade.

you can be missing those parts and still crank it, you were missing them for 7 years. did it quit on you? no. why 'fix' something that isnt broken? couldve just been an exhaust leak or timing chain slop or something like that.

The jet valves and balance shafts are a standard performance mod on these engines. The jet valves are prone to burning out/failing and the balance shaft delete also eliminates an inherent hidden bearing failure that leads to a catastrophic engine fail from oil pressure drop. There aren't any direct engine swaps to can go to like a straight 6 etc. Mitsubishi has V6 optioned trucks but they require a matching transmission. There's a possibility that when the shaft delete was done something was screwed up (or the chains and guides are just tired) You can swap the FI 4G64 onto that transmission (2.4) but obviously you'll need the ECU, harness and all of the ancillaries from the donor truck to go with it.

Thanks for the quick response. What about a factory fuel injection system for the 2,6. to replace the carb. I'm at about 10.000 feet and after my trip to Phoenix the difference in power was huge. Top speed here is 65 on a good day, in Phoenix 95MPH with spare pedal. Is there a site where I can look up the options offered for the 1988 ram 50?

If you are chasing HP - look no further than the Conquest/Starquest turbo engine. Factory 2.6 Mitsubishi turbo, straight swap but you'll need all of the donor vehicle stuff. There 'is' a multi point EFI option for the 2.6 but it's not that simple. Here in Oz, Mitsubishi made the FWD injected 2.6 "Magna". The injection manifold from these has long been pursued for both NA and turbo applications in the US but it requires the manifold to be modified for RWD as the throttle body is facing the wrong way. You will need either ALL of the factory assemblies to run it (ECU, harness, relays, sensors, distributor, injection system etc) or a stand alone programmable EMS. Already modified manifolds sometimes do come up for sale in the US. Check out the Conquest/Starquest tuner sites for info.

Thanks for the information, makes things easier.