Dodge 5.2L (318 cu in) firing order — diagram & guide

These days, Dodge is known for its rich offering of superb V8 engines, and it all started with the 5.2-liter V8 back in the 90s and early 2000s. The Magnum engine remained one of the main picks of Dodge fans today, but it may have entered the age where you’ll need the Dodge 5.2L (318 cu in) firing order to keep it running smoothly.

Our team will make sure that you know what you are diving into if you own a car with one of these, so buckle up for the ride. We’ll cover everything from the firing order and its relevance, to the cylinder positions so you can easily access all the components including spark plug wires, coils, and others.

Dodge 5.2L firing order

The Dodge 5.2L firing order is 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2 and it’s important to note that the cylinders fire clockwise. The order starts making sense when you consider how the distributor wires are plugged in, so it’s not the same as the clockwise direction of the cylinders in their arrangement.

Another important thing is to note that there were previous 318 cu in engines made by Dodge and Chrysler for its group back in the day. Still, the Magnum engine is the latest descendant of those iconic V8s and it’s built on the same crate engine design with the engine block being only slightly changed.

So, the firing order remained the same throughout the generations and it gained the final shape in the form of the 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2 sequence.

Dodge 5.2L cylinder diagram

Being a V8 engine, the 5.2-liter Magnum has two cylinder banks with four cylinders each. Naturally, you have to know how the cylinders are ordered to properly make use of the 5.2L Magnum firing order. So, let us give you a hand with that as well.

If you pop the hood open and stand in front of the engine looking from the headlights to the engine’s rear end, you’ll be able to raise the plastic cover. The cylinders are then arranged in the order of 1. 3, 5, and 7 on the right side from your perspective, but that’s the driver’s side to make it easier for you.

On the left side (passenger’s side from inside the car), you’ll see the cylinders 2, 4, 6, and 8. So, this engine belongs to the old-school group of crate V8 engines with the first cylinder being the furthest one on the driver’s side at the front end of the engine.

Dodge 5.2L vehicle applications

To help you make sense of the firing order and cylinder arrangement of the Dodge 318 engine, we wanted to also give you a few pointers on the vehicles that use this exact version of the engine. So, here’s a complete list:

• Dodge Charger
• Dodge Challenger
• Dodge Dart
• Dodge Dakota
• Dodge GTX

The engine was also used in a few other cars since it was developed by the Chrysler automotive group. So, other models that had this exact engine include the Chrysler Imperial, Chrysler LeBaron, and Plymouth Gran Fury.

Our take

Ultimately, the 5.2-liter 318 Dodge engine was used in a variety of vehicles and it proved to be one of the most reliable Dodge engines. However, there were some minor issues reported by drivers which shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the engine’s age.

With this in mind, our team hopes you’ll be able to use the information listed in this guide to sort these out and drive your 5.2-liter V8 beast for years to come.