2.8L mini Duramax swap in 11 Trail?

[Longbowkid]

I would really like to put a little diesel motor in our 11 Trail.
my Googlefu is coming up with nothing, a buddy just bought a GMC Canyon with
the 2.8L diesel and the motor is amazing! No EPA (smog) regs in my county, so that's no issue. The runner is about 300 pounds more curb weight. ( not significant).
I cant find a motor to buy yet, but would I need to figure out gears since. the Trail is 3.73 and the Canyon is 3.42... however i will be going to a 33" tire so that might be OK..? or at least better I'm sure there are some huge pitfalls I'm not thinking of, like maybe A/C hookup, motor mounts, adapter to tranny, fuel system ughh. my mechanical knowledge and expertise is probably a 4.5 out of 10. so I may subcontract.
I haven't decided on a price that's too much yet....

 

[messeduprex]

coming from a person who used to do motor swaps in honda's, if you dont have the mechanical knowladge your looking at 15k or more easy.

you would need custom motor mounts, transmission adapter. engine management, complete wiring for the motor, custom mounts and or hoses if you want to keep a/c, custom fuel tank (diesel has a larger nozzel), fuel system, and exhaust. and after all that there is still the possibility it wont fit without cutting or reshaping, and a possibility that guages an other systems might not work. anything is possible with enough money and knowladge. but at the end of the day is it worth it? for 1/10 of the cost you could have a custom supercharger or turbo. or 1/5 of the cost with a built motor with the above.

 

[Longbowkid]

coming from a person who used to do motor swaps in honda's, if you dont have tbe mechanical knowladge your looking at 15k or mor easy.

not a deal breaker, but I guess I need to know how much a motor will be 1st.

 

[Sound_SS]

can i ask why? its going to be really expensive and what is the end result? if you have money to blow go for it i guess but damn thats a serious project that unless done absolutely right the first time, will be a nightmare.
i followed a guy that attempted to swap a t-56 into a trailblazer ss which shouldn't be THAT big of a deal considering he sourced it from a chevy ssr which ran the same ls2. ended up giving up because of electrical issues and getting everything to match up.

 

[Longbowkid]

can i ask why? its going to be really expensive and what is the end result? if you have money to blow go for it i guess but damn thats a serious project that unless done absolutely right the first time, will be a nightmare.
i followed a guy that attempted to swap a t-56 into a trailblazer ss which shouldn't be THAT big of a deal considering he sourced it from a chevy ssr which ran the same ls2. ended up giving up because of electrical issues and getting everything to match up.

why? Well I want to build an overlander type rig. I am also a SAR member and would like to use it for rescue missions. current motor is OK, just a little sewing machine esque. I own several other diesels and revel in their ability. maybe a Hilux motor would be easier?

 

[(none)]

why? Well I want to build an overlander type rig. I am also a SAR member and would like to use it for rescue missions. current motor is OK, just a little sewing machine esque. I own several other diesels and revel in their ability. maybe a Hilux motor would be easier?

LOL. Ok. so you want to take out a perfectly reliable and durable motor, spend as much money as you could by a whole other 4runner to build an overland rig (which you already have) and "rescue" missions, with a motor which runs of less available, more expensive fuel which requires more maintenance?

Have at it, please post pics and costs and let us know how it goes. I wish you all the best luck.

 

[messeduprex]

why? Well I want to build an overlander type rig. I am also a SAR member and would like to use it for rescue missions. current motor is OK, just a little sewing machine esque. I own several other diesels and revel in their ability. maybe a Hilux motor would be easier?

it would be easier and cheaper to source a hilux motor, but the same still applies everything would need to be custom made and most likely would never be 100% perfect. and then what happens when something breaks? it could take months to source the right part. it took me 2 months to find a alternator for a supra because the motor we swapped in was never available in the U.S.

 

[Antman]

Buy a Canyon diesel and make it look like a 4runner. Would be easier.

 

[Longbowkid]

LOL. Ok. so you want to take out a perfectly reliable and durable motor, spend as much money as you could by a whole other 4runner to build an overland rig (which you already have) and "rescue" missions, with a motor which runs of less available, more expensive fuel which requires more maintenance?

Have at it, please post pics and costs and let us know how it goes. I wish you all the best luck.

Hi NONE

your response seems a little jaded and sarcastic which is fine. diesel is cheaper than gas here and readily available. DEF is optional and an extra filter every 10k miles would be the extra maintenance you mention. current motor is at 120k so I'm looking at options. your thoughts are no longer needed on the subject. Thanks.

 

[Longbowkid]

it would be easier and cheaper to source a hilux motor, but the same still applies everything would need to be custom made and most likely would never be 100% perfect. and then what happens when something breaks? it could take months to source the right part. it took me 2 months to find a alternator for a supra because the motor we swapped in was never available in the U.S.

that's good info, thanks. I didn't consider parts availability on the Hilux.

 

[DeepSea]

Sell the 4R and import a Land Cruiser Prado with diesel

 

[Longbowkid]

That's Sweet looking!

 

[djtc]

Fuel cost shouldn't be a topic here since you ll never make up the difference with the cost of the swap.

The diesels of today are not the same as they use to be (mechanical injection and very simple). For what you are looking to do the v6 gasser is perfectly fine. It would be a huge hassle to swap in that diesel.

The swap is possible with the right amount of money however I see no value/benefit vs cost.

I've done my share of swaps including a Volkswagen tdi motor in a 1990 hilux.

 

[Longbowkid]

Thanks, I will probably wait to see someone else take this on, or look at it again when the current motor is on its last leg.

 

[zonzin]

There's this: http://dieseltoys.com/4runner-diesel

Or seeing as you are not in USA, buy diesel version locally if available or import one.

.

 

[Quentin]

Regear your current truck if you want more torque and then you don't have to give up the power.


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[JSparky]

I can't even begin to wrap my mind over how much this would cost if you want to maintain the electronic/convenience features. Hell, getting a 4.3 vortec mpfi to work stand alone was hard enough, then again we refused to buy an aftermarket system.

SO many other things come to mind first.. it'd probably be cheaper to sell the 4Runner, buy a Lexus GX460, and have thatcustom supercharged than to do a diesel swap on the 'runner.. at least then you'd have some real performance numbers under you too.

Better yet, get a 100 series cruiser, supercharge it, and either A: go custom long travel in front with a coilover conversion, or B: SAS it.

I have no numbers to back this up, but I just can't imagine how much money would be burnt doing an American diesel swap for this app.

Anyways, sorry it just sounds ludicrous to me but more power to you.

BTW, you'll be having the last laugh after you start towing your buddy home with broken tie rod ends trip after trip.

If you want an increase in seat-of-the-pants power have a look into SprintBooster's, many folks seem to be happy with that.

 

[messeduprex]

cheapest way would be to buy a 3rd gen and get a hilux surf motor and transmission with ecu. if you do it yourself it would probably cost around 6-7k, to have a shop do it, probably around 10k.

 

[AZrunner11]

it would be easier and cheaper to source a hilux motor, but the same still applies everything would need to be custom made and most likely would never be 100% perfect. and then what happens when something breaks? it could take months to source the right part. it took me 2 months to find a alternator for a supra because the motor we swapped in was never available in the U.S.

I wouldn't want a 1991 or 1992 Toyota Hilux deisel motor over the current one production engine.

 

[btcsxj]

Ridiculous.

Might as well LS swap it brah.