Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 20:24:44 +1200
Reply-To: Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject: Re: Unexplored engine swap possibility?
In-Reply-To: <1128006872.433c04d8d7222@webmail.telus.net>
Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=us-ascii
>As a fan of both Vanagons and Toyota Land Cruisers, I'm just curious if anyone
>has ever considered the Toyota 2L-T engine as a possible swap for the Vanagon.
>It's a 2.4L turbo diesel (indirect injection, i believe) that puts
>out about 97
>hp and 139 ft/lbs of torque. Even in a 4200 lb Land Cruiser, the
>thing can get
>up to 35 mpg. I don't think the engine was ever really sold in cars
>exported to
>NA, but was used in Japanese domestic market HiLux trucks as well as the Land
>Cruiser LJ-78, so they wouldn't be hard to get.
Cruisers came with the bigger 3B, 13B & 14B fours, not, to my
knowledge, the 2L or 2L-T (I may be wrong about those, but I've never
heard of a 2.4 Cruiser). The latter pair were available in the Corona
Mk II/Cresta/Chaser (Cressida), Hilux & Hiace. I have a 2L in mine,
and it's not a great performer... economy is not too good either.
35mpg? No way!! 24 would be the max, and in town try about 16-18.
That's Pommie gallons; in smaller US gallons it would be even less.
I've driven a 2L-T-powered 86 Hiace; it did not accelerate well and
maxed at 130kmh, though I could not hear the turbo and it may be that
the turbo wasn't turning. My van, which is an extralong-wheelbase
high-roof 83 in which the original 1L was retrofitted with a 2L (a
straight bolt-in), is absolutely slugggish when cold; it performs
much better when warm (takes a while to warm-up, too). I have towed
Corollas for up to 365km, up & down hills, with no problems, cruising
at 110kmh and could have gone faster.
The 1L & 3L were not available as turbos.
I must say that the 4WD 86 Hiace I had for a while got much better
economy out of town, so perhaps there's something wromng with the 83.
Like most Toyota diesels, the 2L is a very reliable engine (it's a
bored/stroked version of the 2.2-liter 1L; the 2.8 3L is also a
bored/stroked version of this engine). The turbo version of the 2L is
very-well-known for dropping valveseats... the dreaded turbo
heat-buildup strikes. I am told that fitting a FAT exhaust (like 3")
can alleviate the problem.
It's a big tall heavy lump too, and with its strong torque will trash
the VW trans in short order. Oh, and don't believe that power figure
either... the 1KZ-T 3.0 turbodiesel four puts out far less than that.
Diesels get what performance they have from their torque, not
horsepower/kilowatts. "Wheels" tested the 1KZ-T -powered Prado and
said that it's dangerously sluggish. I haven't driven a 3.0 Hiace,
but have been told by various folk that they fly... so who do you
believe? Maybe the Prado's is detuned.
By the way, the standard abbreviation for liter is l (small L), not L.
If you want to put a Toyota diesel in a VW van, best be ready to
spend money! The most suitable engine I can think of is the 3C-T,
which is the turbo version of the 2.2l 3C, which is a bored/stroked
version of the 1C/2C. It is a flat engine, lying on its right side,
so fit would be no problem. It propels an Estima (Previa) to 160kmh
in short order and accelerates strongly, even up hills (my wife's
doesn't, but I'm sure there's something wrong with it, probably duff
injectors). Easy to get exJapan. Extremely prone to cracking heads
(turbo heat yet again), but a freeflow 2.5" exhaust should fix that.
But you'd need a strong trans... say a Porsche G50. And custom-adapt
the engine to it. I seriously doubt that a diesel conversion would be
worth the expense. The Camry got the 2C, 2C-T & 3C-T also.
If you choose a Mitsubishi, Mazda or Nissan diesel, you'll find out
all about their reliability... the hard way. They are well-known
grenades; in fact the only diesel engine I know of which all of the
(numerous) importers of used engines now refuse to bring in is the
Nissan RD28 2.8 six. Every one they brought in was rooted big-time
(warped heard, worn-out crank, worn bores... just as mine was) even
at low milages.
Note that with a turbo you need no more muffling than a resonator, as
the turbo chops up the noise-producing pulses. My turbodiesel Skyline
(what a disaster) was quiet, and had only a resonator (eg Coby).
--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin
New Zealand
Fossil preparator
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut
HUMANITY: THE ULTIMATE VON NEUMANN MACHINE
DEMOCRACY: RULE BY THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR
| 
