[zjrog]

I'd agree with finding Kcar parts if the van was 95 or older. A lot of things changed (moved away from Kcar) in 96 and later. Now, if you had the Mitsubishi made 3.0 liter, you could pull the 5 speed manual from a Shadow or Daytona. The 3.0 was used through about 2000, but emissions rules made it obsolete. It was offered with two automatics through about 98, a 3 speed with torque converter lock (felt a lot like a shift too), and a 4 speed auto with TC lock. That basic motor turned out to be a decent 2.5 V6 in the Avenger. A 2.4 was indeed offered starting in 96. And the same motor was the basis for the SRT4 Neons, so you could have a turbocharged van that COULD give reasonable mileage and power when needed. But near as I remember, the 2.4 was never offered with a manual trans in the minivans, but always with the 4 speed auto. There were a few 2.4s in the Stratus/Breeze/Cirrus cars that had a 5 speed, so parts are available. The 5 speed behind the turbo 2.4 is a heavy duty/heavy weight piece of machinery.

The 3.3 and the 3.8 V6s are very good motors for the most part. A billion of the 3.3s were unleashed upon the world and every single one of them in every platform had the automatic with overdrive (4 speed).

Now, once upon a time, I used to own a 87 Grand Caravan. I had the 3.0 (first year of the V6 and the stretch), and was limited to the 3 speed auto. I seem to remember my old minivan weighing in under 3500 pounds though. In 96 when the jelly bean shape came out, many minivan fans were surprised with the new portliness of the newly remodeled vans.

I have yet to see an aftermarket method of disabling cylinders that works. I do know that after 92 or 93, 3.0/3.3/3.8 electronic fuel injection systems switched from batch fire (one bank of three at a time) to sequential firing.