Who has done a diesel conversion?

[Scotty_T]

Ok, so i think I am going to start gathering parts for a 1KZ-TE turbo diesel conversion. Are there any members here that have done this swap? My main objective is for the better torque since I do tow with my rig a decent amount, also the slightly improved gas mileage. Anyone have any input on this swap?

 

[JohnsD90]

Ok, so i think I am going to start gathering parts for a 1KZ-TE turbo diesel conversion. Are there any members here that have done this swap? My main objective is for the better torque since I do tow with my rig a decent amount, also the slightly improved gas mileage. Anyone have any input on this swap?

I have looked into this swap, as i have the ability to get the motor for a reasonable price and have the resources to do the swap, and i deemed it not worth it.

Quick list:
-fuel economy is about 21-23mpg overall for US Gallon
-you would have to pay $4-$5k just to get the motor, and fuel savings would almost never pay that back
-all the wiring is a *****, plus the RHD setup of that motor will be a pain
-it will be hard to find someone knowledgable to service it, and parts will be a pain for it
-and the install will not be fun
-thats besides the fact that for $1-$2k you can get a 2nd gen Supercharger and 7th injector and get all the power you want out of the V6

 

[Scotty_T]

I have looked into this swap, as i have the ability to get the motor for a reasonable price and have the resources to do the swap, and i deemed it not worth it.

Quick list:
-fuel economy is about 21-23mpg overall for US Gallon
-you would have to pay $4-$5k just to get the motor, and fuel savings would almost never pay that back
-all the wiring is a *****, plus the RHD setup of that motor will be a pain
-it will be hard to find someone knowledgable to service it, and parts will be a pain for it
-and the install will not be fun
-thats besides the fact that for $1-$2k you can get a 2nd gen Supercharger and 7th injector and get all the power you want out of the V6

-As far as the fuel economy I would be looking at doing bio diesel, much cheaper...
-wiring isn't an issue, I'm good with wiring an extending the rhd harness isn't bad at all
-parts I can find, already researched that, servicing I am fully capable of doing myself
-I do oddball swaps of all kinds all the time so that doesn't scare me
-I want something different with more torque plus I am a turbo head, addicted to it since my first turbo build years ago

 

[McFly2003]

I have wanted a T/D 4runner since the day I new they existed and have been looking into this swap since the day I brought my truck home. If you end up doing this successfully, I'd be willing to pay for help swapping mine. I have plenty of mechanical knowledge, just not enough to do a swap of this caliber. And paying a reputable shop upwards of $15-17k just seems ridiculous.

 

[Singtoe]

-As far as the fuel economy I would be looking at doing bio diesel, much cheaper...
-wiring isn't an issue, I'm good with wiring an extending the rhd harness isn't bad at all
-parts I can find, already researched that, servicing I am fully capable of doing myself
-I do oddball swaps of all kinds all the time so that doesn't scare me
-I want something different with more torque plus I am a turbo head, addicted to it since my first turbo build years ago

If you want much cheaper, I would do a propane conversion.

Bio diesel is very corrosive. You steel tank and lines won't last long.

Bio diesel is not that cheap. Its like $3 a gallon while propane is $1.50.

Propane is very turbo and supercharger friendly as its octane rating is over 100.


Only place Diesel engines are great, are the third world countries where it is a lot cheaper then Benzene and getting clean premium gas is more difficult .

 

[Gerdo]

ToyotaDiesel.com - Powered by vBulletin

 

[Scotty_T]

ToyotaDiesel.com - Powered by vBulletin

I've been frequenting there a lot recently, great site!

 

[Gerdo]

I've been frequenting there a lot recently, great site!

I think you will get the best info in diesels there. Best opinions too.

We are just a bunch of dumb petrol heads here.

 

[BrazilianT4R]

My main objective is for the better torque since I do tow with my rig a decent amount, also the slightly improved gas mileage.

Hi Scotty.

Here in Brazil the diesel 4Runner was (and still is) the most sold, with the V6 gasoline being very rare. I actually had to search around for about 6 months before buying my V6.

Anyway, if you are looking for more torque, I am sorry to tell you that the diesel one has about the same as the V6, and that the top RPM power for the V6 is far better (original owner's manual data bellow):

5VZ-FE (V6 3.4L gas) - 186 hp - 30,00 kgf.m torque.
1K-ZT (L4 3.0L diesel) - 116 hp - 29,6 kgf.m torque.

As far as autonomy goes, it is better indeed. The diesel gets about 10 Km/l. For your comparison, the V6 gets about 8,7 Km/l around here.

Regards,
Gustavo.

 

[Kung]

Bio diesel is very corrosive. You steel tank and lines won't last long.

Can I ask where you're getting this information? If the environment itself is 'pure' (e.g., no impurities) then it's no more or less corrosive than regular gas. In other words, biodiesel itself is not the driving force in corrosion; it's usually the impurities.

Bio diesel is not that cheap. Its like $3 a gallon while propane is $1.50.

Not if you make it. If you have a good source for oil (which we did for years - just eventually got tired of it), it's either free or dirt cheap. The only expensive part is buying the lye (which is a gold-plated mother-fletcher of a pain in the butt, as you have to have a pretty large amount on hand if you make it yourself, and being as lye is a main component in the manufacturing of meth, the authorities get suspicious if you don't tell them when you try to buy a large amount - ask me how I know ) and the methanol.

When all was said and done, a year or two ago, my father and I were making it for about .93/gal.

 

[Singtoe]

Can I ask where you're getting this information? If the environment itself is 'pure' (e.g., no impurities) then it's no more or less corrosive than regular gas. In other words, biodiesel itself is not the driving force in corrosion; it's usually the impurities.



Not if you make it. If you have a good source for oil (which we did for years - just eventually got tired of it), it's either free or dirt cheap. The only expensive part is buying the lye (which is a gold-plated mother-fletcher of a pain in the butt, as you have to have a pretty large amount on hand if you make it yourself, and being as lye is a main component in the manufacturing of meth, the authorities get suspicious if you don't tell them when you try to buy a large amount - ask me how I know ) and the methanol.

When all was said and done, a year or two ago, my father and I were making it for about .93/gal.

Biodiesel is something that I never learned anything about, or care too. My neighbor (who is a big diesel freak) is doing the biodiesel route. I am just repeating what he has experienced. Steel lines and tanks is what he said.

Anywho, I googled Biodiesel corrosion and there is 660,000 pages of the issue.

97 cents verses 1.30 for propane. I don't know if the 33 cents is worth all the aggravation of cooking, stripping and cleaning bio diesel. Plus, getting rid of all the byproducts - waste.


There again, Just my opinion. I might be totally wrong about it and I don't want to spread around any false statements.

 

[JohnsD90]

Alright, i just dont feel that the 3.0TD is the proper motor for your swap, find a 4bt cummins, or a VW 1.9tdi, or an isuzu 4 banger diesel, the toyota diesel really isnt that great a motor.

And on the bio diesel which is normally refered to a veggie oil and the DIY on it from what i have gathered is annoying and the machine to convert it is like a $3k upfront cost.

And to slingtoe, just a little comparision, my buddies VR6 jetta with a 6 speed manual pulls about 24mpg average, my TDI jetta with the 5 speed manual and a little tweeaked does about 45mpg on an overall year round calculations, that is a vehicle with its gas and diesel counterpart so the motor and tranny are the only difference, with me paying $4.00 a gallon for regular 40 cetane diesel, and him at $3.50 for regular as those are the local average prices around me, it costs me $0.09 per mile to run while it costs him $0.15 per mile driven, and those are fairly average numbers for each motor, now we can break this down in pickup trucks where the cummins is used vs the 5.7l Hemi, or in SUV's like the Defender where the TD5 is used vs the 3.9l Rover V8, but the same conclusion still comes out, the diesel even with the the price gap between the cost per gallon is still a large bit cheaper to run than a gasoline powered equivalent. Getting into LPG conversions is another story.

 

[McFly2003]

Alright, i just dont feel that the 3.0TD is the proper motor for your swap, find a 4bt cummins, or a VW 1.9tdi, or an isuzu 4 banger diesel, the toyota diesel really isnt that great a motor.

And on the bio diesel which is normally refered to a veggie oil and the DIY on it from what i have gathered is annoying and the machine to convert it is like a $3k upfront cost.

And to slingtoe, just a little comparision, my buddies VR6 jetta with a 6 speed manual pulls about 24mpg average, my TDI jetta with the 5 speed manual and a little tweeaked does about 45mpg on an overall year round calculations, that is a vehicle with its gas and diesel counterpart so the motor and tranny are the only difference, with me paying $4.00 a gallon for regular 40 cetane diesel, and him at $3.50 for regular as those are the local average prices around me, it costs me $0.09 per mile to run while it costs him $0.15 per mile driven, and those are fairly average numbers for each motor, now we can break this down in pickup trucks where the cummins is used vs the 5.7l Hemi, or in SUV's like the Defender where the TD5 is used vs the 3.9l Rover V8, but the same conclusion still comes out, the diesel even with the the price gap between the cost per gallon is still a large bit cheaper to run than a gasoline powered equivalent. Getting into LPG conversions is another story.

Great break down!! Sidenote: from the sounds of it, if your friend has a 6 speed I am assuming his vr6 is the 24 valve? If so, might I recommend that you suggest to him running at least mid grade, if not premium. I had an '03 GLI with the 24v and ran in on 87 in the beginning. 2 months in, I had to take it in for 2 new o2 sensors and a 3 gummed up valves due to lower octane fuel use. Switched to 93 and never had another problem. Now this could have just been an isolated situation, but just my input.

OK, enough of that...back on topic!! I am very into this. I want a diesel!!!

 

[BrianSD_42]

Only place Diesel engines are great, are the third world countries where it is a lot cheaper then Benzene and getting clean premium gas is more difficult

This rings true with me.

 

[Antpwr]

ok time to throw my hat in on this one. I have been looking into the diesel conversion for my 4runner and this is what i found out, the 1kz-te is pointless, the trouble you will have to go through vs the gains of the motor itself are an uphill climb that is not worth it in terms of money and effort. As far as fuel economy i dont really think everyone is factoring in the real world variables like what kind of driving, city or highway, how much weight most of the time, are you pulling alot, what kind of transmissions are being used.
When its all said and done yes natural power diesel wins most of the time. But with about $3000 you get get a TRD supercharger and URD 7th injector and without a doubt get reliable power that is not only fuel efficient but safe. If you want to go diesel go a 4BT or a vw, much easier to find, implant, find parts for and maintain.

 

[JohnsD90]

Great break down!! Sidenote: from the sounds of it, if your friend has a 6 speed I am assuming his vr6 is the 24 valve? If so, might I recommend that you suggest to him running at least mid grade, if not premium. I had an '03 GLI with the 24v and ran in on 87 in the beginning. 2 months in, I had to take it in for 2 new o2 sensors and a 3 gummed up valves due to lower octane fuel use. Switched to 93 and never had another problem. Now this could have just been an isolated situation, but just my input.

OK, enough of that...back on topic!! I am very into this. I want a diesel!!!

Ya it's my buddies 24 valve 03 GLI, his summer numbers are higher and his winter numbers are lower, I can't be exact on an average, but I kept it conservative, hes got a tornado red with the R front clip.

 

[Scotty_T]

ok, so what are you opinions about going with a cummins 4bt engine?

 

[JohnsD90]

ok, so what are you opinions about going with a cummins 4bt engine?

Very good motor, proven tried and true, there is an entire forum dedicated to 4bt swaps, i wouldn't be surprised if there is an adapter plate that fits the R150f transmission.

 

[Scotty_T]

Very good motor, proven tried and true, there is an entire forum dedicated to 4bt swaps, i wouldn't be surprised if there is an adapter plate that fits the R150f transmission.

that is the 5 speed tranny correct? what is the auto tranny code, i would like to stay auto honestly

 

[Scotty_T]

i might just say **** the diesel idea and follow suite with clownmeat and slap a turbo on the v6 as it sits and call it a day