Dodge 5.9L (360 cu in) firing order — diagram & guide

Based on the smaller Magnum 5.2-liter engine, the 360 Dodge V8 machine is one of the most popular engines that the brand has produced. It quickly found its way into the hearts of all Dodge enthusiasts in models like the R/T Dakota and Durango.

However, if you have these vehicles powered by this exact engine, you’ll need to know about the Dodge 5.9L (360 cu in) firing order. This is nothing out of the ordinary and will help you to properly maintain the engine. So, our team ventured into the unknown about this engine to deliver precise instructions to you in this guide.

Dodge 5.9L firing order

To get straight to the point, the Dodge 5.9L firing order is 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2 and it’s the same firing order used for other Magnum engines from the LA engine family. However, the 5.9-liter is a bit different from the previous 5.2-liter V8 since it has a slightly different cylinder head, flywheel, and drive plates.

Even so, the firing order is the same since the same block is used for both of these engines. Regardless of the model year of your car, the firing order for the Dodge 360 engine always remains the same.

Dodge 5.9L cylinder diagram

The next thing we’ll need to discuss is the cylinder arrangement within the engine since it can make a lot of difference. Not only is this directly related to the firing order, but you need to know the cylinder placement so you can apply the firing order and check each and every cylinder properly.

So, you can start from the first cylinder which is closest to the the frontmost cylinder on the driver’s side. The same cylinder bank on this side has cylinders 3, 5, and 7 along with the first cylinder, while the opposite one has cylinders 2, 4, 6, and 8.

The cylinders fire in a clockwise motion, but that’s not related to the position of the cylinders but rather to the distributor cables. However, you have to know the cylinder numbering so you can go from the first cylinder to the second one by following the firing order and checking all the other ones in between.

Dodge 5.9L vehicle applications

The 5.9-liter 360 engine by Dodge is actually developed together with Chrysler and that means that quite a few car models share this engine. If you wish to confirm that this is the right firing order for your car, here’s a list of all the models that have this powertrain under the hood:

• Dodge Durango
• Dodge Dakota
• Dodge Ram Van
• Dodge Ramcharger

Along with Dodge models, this same engine was featured in Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited as part of the Chrysler engine group.

Our take

Dodge only used this 360 engine throughout the production of its models, so it’s not that difficult to figure out if your car has the 5.9L Magnum. However, the firing order is what confuses most drivers, and our team hopes to have been able to clear that up.

Make sure to check the cylinders in the exact firing order by moving from one to another following the placement of each cylinder if you need to replace spark plugs, coils, or wires.