Hey DMLers,
I got my Mopar Performance News magazine yesterday and as I
was reading it this morning, I came across the following info
which may be of interest to some of you...
The article was about the up and coming 1999 catalog and some of
the new parts that will be available. MP says they're putting
more emphasis on sportsman racers and enthusiasts instead of the
hard core big bucks guys. (we'll see...) ;-)
There are a few new engines, including a new HEMI and a Viper
V10 crate motor. (no price listed) They will also be offering a
380 Magnum short block.
Anyway, the info that I thought was interesting was in regards to
the 1998 PCM's. (Although it looks like they're calling them ECU's
now. ARGHHH!! SBEC, JTEC, PCM, ECU, make up your friggin' minds,
CC!!!!) ;-) Apparently, the 1998 OBD-II standard is different than
the previous years in that the VIN and the mileage are now stored
inside the computer. (I don't know wether this is a national thing
or just something that CC is finally getting around to implementing
this year.) This means that when you buy a 1998 or 1999 MP PCM,
you'll get a check engine light along with some other dash lights.
You'll have to take your truck to the dealer, where they will program
in the VIN and the mileage.
Apparently, the 1998 and 1999 PCM's have passed all tests and
have successfully obtained EO numbers. The first one to be
released wil be for the 360 auto 2WD Ram. (I don't know if
that would work in the R/T or not.) Actually, there are 2 versions
of that PCM, one for California and one for the other 49 states.
(Kinda makes you wonder how "detuned" the CA version is, doesn't
it? I'm glad I don't live there...) :-P
Unfortunately, there wasn't a single thing in the entire article
about the '97 computers.
Also in the same article (in a list of up and coming products is
a "Magnum R/T Cylinder Head"). There aren't any details. It'll
probably be just as outrageously expensive as the ported 360 heads
(maybe even the same head?), but its interesting nonetheless.
TTYL!
-Jon-
.--- stei0302@cs.fredonia.edu ----------------------------------------.
| Jon Steiger * AOPA, DoD, EAA, MP Race Team, NMA, SPA, USUA * RP-SEL |
| '96 Dodge Dakota v8 SLT CC (14.58@93.55), '96 Kolb FireFly 447 |
`--------------------------- http://www.cs.fredonia.edu/~stei0302/ ---'
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:11:21 EDT