2.5 turbo Avenger??

[delmar6189]

I just picked up a 1996 Dodge Avenger with high miles (180k) but the body and interior look really nice. Only one owner, never been hit, all original parts, never been taken apart, etc. All reasons why it would be a nice project car. Its my daily driver for now but when the tranny and motor eventually crap the bed, I was thinking of swapping a daytona 2.5 turbo motor instead of the mitsu 2.0. Does this seem like a good idea? Anyone know if its been done?

[1983Rampage]

I would suggest a different route. The 2.5l T1 is a nice engine, but I have an 89 Daytona with the 2.5l T1 (upgraded to T2 status) and I own a 98 Avenger ES with the V6 2.5l. If you are set on a turbo setup, then I would suggest looking at a 3000GT or Stealth setup with a twin turbo. But if you are just wanting more power, look into the 3.0l (more specific the 6G72 24v engine from 2000+ mitsu/chryco cars), or even look into a hefty 3.5l (6G74 IIRC, based out of the Mitsu Montero) and swap it in. I am debating on if I am going to keep my Avenger and if I do, I am atleast going to do the 6G72 upgrade, just for the extra kick in the throttle.

But the 2.5l T1 would be an awkward swap for the car, since it is based off of a Mitsu design. (Diamante and a Eclipse mixed)

[delmar6189]

thanks for the advice. i thought about the 2.5 turbo because ive always been a daytona fan and it seemed like it could give it a nice low end boost because of the weight of the car. the 3.0 sounds good..those came 5 speed right? i know the 2.5 v6 for the avenger only came auto which was a bad idea

[1983Rampage]

Yah, the 3.0 came with a 5 speed in the later years, but you will have to do some work with the computer if you go that route, that is one of the only reasons I would hesitate doing that. But dropping the 3.0 with auto (and larger injectors), will go right in a 2.5l V6 Avenger with no modification.

[88Aries5sp]

First of all the 2.0 in your Avenger is not a Mitsubishi motor, it is a Chrysler engine with the 420a (Reverse flow neon head for Avenger/Sebring/Eclipse/Talon applications). You are better off swapping a 2.4 block (from a 95-99 Stratus/Breeze/Cirrus 4 door) into your Avenger while using the 2.0 head and swapping in the 5 speed (NVT-350 transmission). This transmission is found in second gen non-turbo Eclipse/Talon. It is also found in the 95-99 Avenger/Sebring. You can use a 95-99 neon transmission for taller gearing (it will be slower n/a but this is for a turbo app anyways) but you will have to use the Avenger/Sebring/Eclipse/Talon bellhousing. You can use a Neon R/T final drive gear for a higher final drive. Swapping in a V6 from even another Avenger/Sebring is not a practical move since you are switching from a Chrysler platform into a Mitsubishi platform. Electronics and mounts are different. And there has never been a 5 speed V6 Avenger/Sebring (The later Stratus/Sebring coupe replacements will NOT work due to space constraints among other issues). The closest 5 speed that will physically bolt up and fit is the A-543 but you would need to trick the TCM with a custom crank angle wheel sensor into thinking the A604 automatic is still there. This is out of scope since it would have to be custom CNC'd by someone which has YET to be done by anyone. You will also never find pedals, cables, shifter to make the A-543 work in the Avenger/Sebring since all the V6 cars had the A604 unit. As far as the 3000gt swap... Just because Mitsubishi helped designed these cars doesn't mean they are related to the Stealth/3K. These cars have just about nothing to do with a 3000gt, the engine bay in a Stealth/3K is huge compared to one in a Avenger/Sebring not to mention the 2.5 V6 is tiny compared to the Stealth/3K TT engine. Try asking about this swap in 2GNT or ASEC and you will get a good lecture on why it will not work. That is nothing but a pipe dream that will never happen. IIRC the 2.2/2.5 Chrysler engines are way too tall to fit in the A/S platform besides you would be re-inventing the wheel by doing that since you already have a good base engine to start off with. So basically 2.4 block, 5 speed swap, turbo setup you will be happy and you will have torque from the 2.4 to boot while having the excellent flowing 420a head. Why not swap the whole SRT 4 or 2.4 motor you ask? The SRT 4 motor and the whole 2.4 Stratus motors are too tall plus, push towards the firewall too much (due to the exhaust/turbo manifold being on the opposite side), and lastly you would never be able to close the hood since they have monsterous intakes (hence why they made the 420a head in the first place). This site is great for older Turbo Dodge and SRT4s but if I were I would join www.2gnt.com. That site is centered towards 2nd gen non turbo DSMs and you will know what paths to take for your build in no time. You will find complete documentation about swapping in the 5 speed, doing the 2.4 Stratus block swap, and information about building an affordable custom turbo setup. Anyways good luck and enjoy your car.

[delmar6189]

thanks alot for the breakdown on my options..really appreciate the effort in the post. im looking into that 2.4 swap..

[phantomrt]

I've been dreaming up the twin-turbo 6G72 in an Avenger idea, so this is kinda a heart breaker. I didn't think that the 2.5L DOHC V-6 is all that much smaller than the 3.0L Twin Turbo. They look pretty similar. But it would have to be a manual transmission to hold up.

I'll just stick with my TT 6G72 AWD Daytona idea. If someone can build an AWD GLH, a person can do an AWD Daytona. It'll take a lot of fabbing up, but should work. I stared into the engine bay of my TT Stealth for hours to compare it to my Daytona, and dimensionally, they were not all that different. I am well aware that the TT engines are mounted 180 degrees differently, but I don't see that as too big of a hurdle unless those engines spin the opposite way, too. There'll be alternator issues, power steering issues, air conditioning issues, mounting issues, and the issue of getting the minivan AWD PTU to hook up to the 543's differential.

But then again, I have a crappy job and will never have the time / $$$ to do it.