Hey guys,

Important decision that I'm thinking of for my '92.

Should I swap out my v6 for a Diesel engine?

Diesel toyz will do it for 8500, but I want to see my pros and cons of it.

I think it'd be a good idea, just would take a little in gas savings to repay myself.

Only con is the cost to do it. If you have the dough, go for it. The 1KZ-TE engine is awesome and can be made to produce some killer numbers...also you can run biodiesel...so brew your own and save some serious coin.

Heh, if only brewing Tea could be used as a bio fuel...

Yeah, the price is definately high. I'm gonna try to knock em down a few grand though.

Lol, would be great sounding and running though, considering you can tune your torque output a great deal for whatever you need it for.

**off topic, though about diesel engines***


My fiance's parents traded a very sexy '00 Jeep Wrangler with some nice 33" mud terrains, etc. for a fking VW buggy that somehow they fit a turbodiesel engine into it.... My nightmares have come true...

No doubt that would be cool... Will a tuned 3.0L tear up the stock axles etc? Then how much does the $8500 become? Just a thought... If I were dropping $8500 a mid-80's LC would be a better starting point IMHO. Maybe studying up on some of the Icelandic 'Runners might shed more light and I might think differently with more education.


It occurs to me that several in Taco's go for the readily available VW diesel. It would be very cool too, have great performance, mpg etc and not be strong enough to tear the drivetrain all to heck.
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Just my 2cents AND I don't mean to discourage but it just seems less than ideal.

Does that engine kit include the actual engine, or just parts needed to put it in?

No idea, I just knew it was "out there". Based on your original post you sounded committed to pursuing options. It was something that sounded like it might be a good option to me... Maybe spend some time at the Taco Forum and read up

I like the idea because the VW is a US spec engine so parts are readily available.

Please let us know what you learn

Yeah, I'm definately commited to it. I want to replace out my 22R w/ a VW Turbo Diesel.

I just called DieselToyz and they want 8500 + about 4-5k for the half cut. I was like "thanks... (click.)"

I'll mail them my old 22R engine after I get my VW into it, with a nice calming note, just for good measures.

Heheh, I'ma try to give that acme adapters place a call up, and also hunt around. A guy off youtube converted his '90 w/ a turbodiesel so I'm gonna try to work w/ him and a friend of mine who's a certified master mech.

I'm gonna make this truck go vroom vroom all over those Jeeps.

Not a very good engine for the biodiesel option. It is not a B3.3 or a 4BT. Possible, but not the ideal engine for that setup. Computerized diesels such as the KZ-TE are much harder to manipulate.

The 1KZ-TE will produce more than enough torque in 4LO to grenade your stock front diff if you are locked or if you get bound up. If you go with this option, you much choose between an open IFS front diff or a solid front axle swap. There is too much torque at work there to LSD or fully lock the front. Don't worry about the rear, assuming your tire size is 35" or less.

$8500 is quite a lot of money for the swap... considering you can pick up an engine, tranny, and t-case out of a KZN-130 for about $2000-$2500 right now. Think about it... $8500 can get you an FZJ80 in good condition with factory lockers, the whole 9 yards... I just picked up one for $4700 myself, in great condition, of course it gets an average of 14mpg....

Now... on to fuel economy. In your light weight '92, you can expect at least 22 to 25 mpg. You may be able to get as good as 30, but you will have to adjust your driving style to your new drivetrain. The power curve on diesel engines starts and ends in a very different place than thier petrol counterparts. Mashing on the accelerator in a diesel powered truck may just be turning fuel into noise! Power curve is short, but if you learn to stay in the curve and keep your EGTs down, you can end up with some pretty good numbers at the end of the day, and have a happy engine.

If you are purely after a bit better fuel economy and more power, you may want to consider a 3.4L swap. Should net you around 20mpg.
There are also other common swaps, such as the 7MGE (?)... the Supra in line 6 cylinder. The 3.0 sucks... so any of the above swap will be a step in the right direction.

Looking for a turbo diesel that can land me more than my already 20 mpg, and can give me a lot better towing capability also. Also, can't forget that I would still love my 4x4 capability

Where did you find yours at? Or where could I pick one of the engines up at for a swap out?

Also, if I can find one that is a manual tranny.

I can't wait to see the end result. It seems to me you'll have a really cool rig and few Grover Cleveland's left over for lockers or whatever

Found mine at the JDM parts house in Denton, TX. I'm sure you can find somewhere closer to SA that can bring one in for you. Get one that is guaranteed under 100k KM... should not be hard to find. An entire half cut would make things a little easier, but not needed. MAKE SURE TO GET THE COMPLETE WIRING HARNESS. MAKE SURE TO GET THE COMPLETE WIRING HARNESS. MAKE SURE TO GET THE COMPLETE WIRING HARNESS.

Good luck. Your best bet would be to independently source an R151 and get a bell housing adapter.


P.S. MAKE SURE TO GET THE COMPLETE WIRING HARNESS!

Alright I'll definately do that. What about just using the Toy tranny I already have & build around it? Or just get the R151?

Heheh & to CJ, my money is a little shortstacked right now, so I'm gonna be building my truck up first. then worry bout the diesel later.

Everything I'ma do to the truck atm is get it repainted, put some new custom bumpers, better treads, stereo, etc.

I'm still riding in the TX heat atm cause my truck is still R12 which needs to be recharged. My next paycheck will get me my 50 bucks to convert it.

The 1KZ-TE is a great choice for bio...maybe not grease, but bio is fine. That engine doesn't have direct injection (or the injection pressures) like the D4D and quality bio is fine.

Prado / Hilux Engine - Bio Fuels Forums

Hell I don't even care if it's bio. I just want a manny tranny (hopefully turbo) diesel that has 4x4, can haul more ass, and tow what I need it to.