the key to any diesel is more air + more fuel = more power. Try this forum for 12v info. cumminsforum.com I have toyed around the idea of a 12v becuase it is three wires and it will turn over. I believe the whole conversion would be much cheaper using a 12v than a CR.

The limiting factor to me is, will it be economical after you figure out everything involved. New fuel system, exhaust, adapter plates and building the transmission to hold the power versus just staying with the stock v10. My previous truck was a 07 Ram 2500 CR 5.9 with a smarty and other add-ons it was awesome to drive around but it did get expensive in a hurry.

 

I don't have much in this excursion so it would be worth it to me for what a diesel equipped excursion cost. I need the towing power of the diesel for a camper. My gasser suburban doesn't like it at all especially in the mountains.

 

I did it. I have a 12v cummins from a 97 Dodge that I put in my X. I pulled the engine, tranny and computer from the Dodge and bolted them up to the transfer case on the X. I did have to take apart the transfer case and change the input shaft.

John

 

Do u like the 12v? All my friends say its a lot louder than a common rail. This will be my daily drive plus family vacation rig pulling my camper. So I don't wanna be hearing my engine over the radio lol. Did u get all ur dash stuff to work using the dodge computer?

 

I like the 12v. I have a 96 Dodge truck with a 12v as well so I am familiar with the engine. 12v is definitely louder. 12v is cheaper to buy, mod and easier to hook up due to the fact it has less electronics. The X is our family vehicle and camper hauler. Idling or putting around you can hear the engine in the cab, but on the highway you can hardly hear the engine in the cab. Everything works on the dash except the rpm gauge. I just need to buy the kit.
A/C does not work with the switch the way I want it to. The 4 low also is not hooked up to work yet, but I think that will be easy to get working as well. I think every other thing works as it should. Funny thing is my wife has had guys approaching her asking about the conversion. I have about 40k since the upgrade.

John

 

Cool thanks for the info. How do u like the dodge tranny? I was planing on keeping mine just up upgrading it some. If u got any tips u could give me I'd really appreciate it.

 

In stock form the Dodge trannys are not great. I like to mod so in I have a built one in my truck which is very nice. I am hoping to mod the one in my X soon. The Excursion I bought had a bad V10 and tranny trouble. I bought a wrecked 97 Dodge with 120k for $2200 so I used the engine and tranny from there. It was nice to have the Dodge parts truck so I could glean a few extra parts from it for adapting to make the Fodge. Are you still in the planing stages? Are you going to do it yourself? If you have any questions feel free to ask and I will try to help.

 

Hey i am still planing. Yeah im gonna do it all my self. This is my first diesel project though. I know nothing about diesels. So im learning as i go lol. I can work on gassers all day long with no problem lol. I just got my camper last year and took it to the beach using my suburban with a 350 which was very slow i had no passing power when i wanted to go around someone lol so i been lookin at excursions and a diesel one is like GOLD so i thought id build me one. Ive been trying to decide which cummins i was gonna use i started out goin to try the commonrail but i think im gonna go the 12v way. With it being cheaper and easier to install an work on. Im looking for an engine or a truck i can strip but no luck yet. Its hard to find cummins around here. Everyone keeps them. Thanks for all the info.

 

Well when I started I did not know anything about gassers and very, very little about diesels or mechanics. I would just search forums and study the manuals. Since I already had a 96 Dodge I had bought the repair manual so I had all the wiring diagrams for the Dodge side of things. I watched ebay for Ford mechanics manual for the Excursion and bought a set of those so I had all the wiring diagrams for that as well. They are very useful when splicing wires together. At this point I don't have much for passing power either, tranny is tired and I have just had to get by. I hope to get it built for this next towing season. Where are you located?

 

I'm in upper east tennessee.

 

If you have time and keep your eyes on different Dodge and Ford forums and Ebay you can usually find deals on almost everything. I debated buying a cheep truck taking out the engine and selling the rest, but came across a salvage one instead. Many forums also have a wanted section you can post what you are looking for. Stick with the 94-98b 12v with the p7100 injection pump.

 

Ok thanks. Can i ask why? like i said i know nothing about diesels 94-98 a better engine? i have read the p1700 pump was good

 

The P7100 pump is only on the 94-98 12v they are fairly easy to mod and quite cheap some stuff you can do free. The engine essentially the same, different injection pump. The pre 94 have less hp to start with and the injection pump is more limited.

 

I found a 12v with a 175 horse pump on it? what is that? any idea i can pick up the complete engine minus a/c and vacumm pump with 43k on it rebuilt for 2300.00 it was original out of a street sweeper. Does that sound like a good deal?

 

The 5.9 Cummins has been used in all kinds of equipment all over the world. I don't know much about the specs on a Cummins without the Dodge wrapper. I am not sure what to tell you on that. There are some differences, but I don't know if they would be more positive or negative for a conversion. Here is a link to some specs showing the different hp pumps for the Cummins in Dodges through 2002.

Ram Diesel Index