Latourist wrote:
Hi all, I'm looking at swapping in a diesel engine and transmission into my '79 4x4. While the occasional c223t from an 86 trooper shows up on craigslist every once in a while, for just a bit more $ I could pick up a much less used, more efficient and more powerful 1KZ-T or 2L-T. The engines themselves are pretty small (and I have a ~2inch lift on the truck), it's the transmission fitting that I am worried about. The transfer cases for the front drive shaft for most models are on the right (and correct) side, but the shifters may not fit well in a cab with a bench seat.
Does anyone have experience with these? I'm not worried about the fabrication side of things, just the length and fitment issues I might be missing.
I don't know if I had either of those engines, but I'll comment on my experience with a Toyota diesel from 1986. We bought a brand new '86 turbodiesel Camry, the last year that Toyota sold them here in the US. The engine was a 2.0L, mated to a 4-speed automatic with a full lockup torque converter. Other than some awful turbo lag (normal for 1980s turbo technology), the performance was amazing. It had plenty of power, and got a consistent 35 mpg in town. But at around 115k miles, it started blowing coolant vapor out of the exhaust. The head gasket had been leaking, and all four cylinders were scored before the problem became visible. Repair cost exceeded the vehicle's value, so we scrapped it.
Our car (and I think some of Toyota's diesel truck engines) used an aluminum head on an iron block. Modern diesels do this, but at that time, they had apparently not quite worked out the issues. So if I were considering Toyota diesels, I'd probably avoid anything from the 1980s that has an aluminium head.
Latourist wrote:
P.S. I've also been looking at Isuzu 4JG2-T, and 4JB1-T engines, but those are nearly impossible to find, or are connected up to an automatic transmission.
These engines require about a 2 inch body lift to use them in a 2nd gen LUV, so I'd assume the same for your '79 (I didn't understand if your 2 inch lift is via the body, or the suspension). As you say, they're getting hard to find, especially low-mileage specimens. Low-mile 5-speeds from Japan were everywhere about 5-10 years ago, but now the only ones on the market are high-mile engines from Australia (I'll spare us the discussion about the JDM export market for now).
Jack
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'83 Isuzu P'up Diesel LS - Original Owner
JoeIsuzu@IsuzuPup.comIsuzuPup.com