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DIesel conversion (anyone done it yet)

540ismiley

NAXJA Forum User
Location
denver
I have gone through the search and found a lot about diesel conversions. But, has anyone completed one? I'd love to hear more about it
thanks
josh
 
You know, AMC put a diesel in an XJ, right? Mid to late 80's......

CRASH
 
I am sure you've read my concerns about diesel power in a rock rig, as well as the packaging limitations in an XJ.

I have not seen or heard of one being converted, and I keep my ears and eyes open, because I am a firm believer in diesel power. It would be cool for a non-rock, let's-go-exploring rig.

CRASH
 
I've seen a couple in the U.S., one chugging and plugging it's way across the Rubicon. I'm not sure why 540 described it as a POS, as ithought they had a decent reputation for durability.

CRASH
 
CRASH said:
I've seen a couple in the U.S., one chugging and plugging it's way across the Rubicon. I'm not sure why 540 described it as a POS, as ithought they had a decent reputation for durability.

CRASH


I found a diesel 5 speed manual tranny 4x4 MJ short bed in the paper a while back but the motor was blown. It was over heated and cracked the head along with some other problems. The whole truck looked abused and money was short then so I let it go. I did do some research on them and they where about as good as the 4.0L in reliability. Just keep them cool and change the oil and they will last a long time. It would have been hard to get parts since they where so rare and theres practically no aftermarket support for the motor.

AARON
 
I read that these engines are underpowered and that Jeep charges a arm and a leg for parts. Maybe they last forever. But a siesel without Balls in not what I had in mind
 
Even a diesel WITH balls is not ideal in a rock rig. Slow throttle response, weight, and cooling issues are pretty severe limiting factors, especially the throttle reponse issue. I can't count the number of times a throttle blip has saved my rig from going tits up.

I say keep the diesel in your tow rig.

CRASH - Hypermaxed and massaged 6.9.
 
one road test showed the oil burn to be about even with the 2.8 for performance and with just some minor changes it could work well. A friend an i have been thinking through what setup would work well and he knows more about the motors than i do so i'll leave it up to doug.
 
go the eay way out... buy a used diesel transit bus. they can be had for around a grand. the ones out my way are mostly dd 6v92 or 8v92. you want lotsa torque there you go. 500+ hp 1200+ ft/lbs of torque. the 8v92tt pushes the HEMTT around as well.
But realistically find a chevy step van. you get a cummins 4bt and a th400 trans
 
CRASH said:
Even a diesel WITH balls is not ideal in a rock rig. Slow throttle response, weight, and cooling issues are pretty severe limiting factors, especially the throttle reponse issue. I can't count the number of times a throttle blip has saved my rig from going tits up.

I say keep the diesel in your tow rig.

Not sure if you have any practical experience with diesel trail vehicles, but you might search for info on the VW turbodiesel swap in the Suzuki Samurai. I have one & it is KILLER for the gnarly stuff. Super torque off-idle, and I can run all day on 2/3rds the fuel everybody else uses. Don't know what you're talking about overheating - diesels run cool. And of course that smell :rof:
I know the larger engines get heavy quick & may not fit the bill, but your blanket statement is incorrect - I wouldn't have anything BUT a diesel in my rock crawler.
 
I'd agree with that one. New diesels are pretty darn snappy. You mention the VW specifically. These are downright peppy and quick for a diesel. Not bad power either with a big bias for torque.

Jared:patriot:
 
OILBURNER said:
Not sure if you have any practical experience with diesel trail vehicles, but you might search for info on the VW turbodiesel swap in the Suzuki Samurai. I have one & it is KILLER for the gnarly stuff. Super torque off-idle, and I can run all day on 2/3rds the fuel everybody else uses. Don't know what you're talking about overheating - diesels run cool. And of course that smell :rof:
I know the larger engines get heavy quick & may not fit the bill, but your blanket statement is incorrect - I wouldn't have anything BUT a diesel in my rock crawler.

I wholeheartedly agree that the newer generation of diesels are snappier than the old junk I drive, but I have yet to see a nice one set up in a rock rig the size and weight of an XJ. The VW is too small, I think, for a 4,500 lb rig. I think you'd need at least 4.0 liters of diesel power. The 80 series Landcruiser diesel would be pretty nice, and it is very high tech. Good luck getting one into the country, and then getting it smogged.

It's pretty hard to beat a 4.0 or a 4.6 liter stroker, though, as you say diesels have very good fuel consumption, especially at idle. I doubt you'll find a diesel that will fit into an XJ engine bay that will be snappier than a nicely built 4.6 stroker.

As I said, I am a big fan of diesel power, but I have yet to see one work well in a rock rig. Especially the Cummins conversions I've seen.

CRASH
 
I would like to say that the renault diesel offered in early XJ's is a decent engine. It's not a powerhouse, but it works pretty descent. Fuel milage is great, that's what I love about it as well as diesel fuel being cheaper than unleaded. I have a friend also up here in canada who is running a diesel. He knows a lot about diesel engine and with some work he has it putting out more power.

stock about 90 hp he cranked 132.5Hp on the dyno
stock ftlbs 132 I crank out 185 ftlb

Still not a six, but it's a good little engine, can be expensive to fix though because of the rare parts.
 
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