Found this online (where else) and thought it was a low buck alternative to the whole Jeep thing.
Jeeps get crap mileage. They are good at crawlin' around off the beaten path, good at being tough, good in regards to aftermarket support and cheap parts. They are no good at MPG.
They could easily be daily driver material (for me?) but i cant double my gas budget.
So this company has an interesting idea...
Swaps the Mercedes Benz diesel motor from the passenger car into the Jeep. With a 4inch lift, 33' tires it gets 24MPG. (almost 10mpg increase over swap) The swap i imagine gets you more torque in the low RPM range which is good for off road. Plus you can also do a WVO conversion.
Thought it was a cool idea. Could be a cheap way to upgrade a Jeep.
Im interested but need more info on it, which i have been looking for.
What do you all think?
... You had me at "diesel"
Pretty cool conversion. So what does this engine come out of?
DrBoost
SuperDork
10/10/11 12:35 a.m.
I'm planning on one. When I picked up my 300D I was on the way home thinking, "Man, this motor needs to be in a YJ. I'm still going to run veggie oil too.
That are plenty of folks that have done it.
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote:
Pretty cool conversion. So what does this engine come out of?
300D, 300SD, 300TD of the W115, W123, w116, and w126 models from 1976-1985. Only the later ones are turbo though (78 w116s were the first to get the turbo one i think?)
Travis_K wrote:
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote:
Pretty cool conversion. So what does this engine come out of?
300D, 300SD, 300TD of the W115, W123, w116, and w126 models from 1976-1985. Only the later ones are turbo though (78 w116s were the first to get the turbo one i think?)
I'd have to get a turbo diesel. Not that non turbo is bad, but I would rather a boosted diesel.
JoeyM
SuperDork
10/10/11 4:24 a.m.
If you wanted to build it into the ultimate ZAV, I would think the the formula would be:
jeep + diesel + mechanical fuel pump + snorkles for exhaust & intake
What diesels are available in European Jeeps, or Chrysler minivans sold there?
Vigo
Dork
10/10/11 9:00 a.m.
Funny you should bring this up, i spent all day last thursday scheming this out.
OM617, jeep ax-15, those adapters, factory crossmember, driveshaft, clutch setup, and pedals in my 87 dakota.
I have a cherokee but dont ever plan to drive it much. I have an 87 dakota that id love to drive if i could afford to (mpg). Im getting a free jeep ax15 soon, and suddenly remembered that the ax-15 was the factory trans for v6-5spd dakotas.
So i would have to make motor mounts and locate the factory 5spd bits, but it should be nearly a drop-in, and with similar weight to the MBs and lifted 4wd cherokees i should be able to match (but preferably beat) their numbers. It seems a lot of people are posting their max's in the 30-32mpg range. I'd shoot for that.
oh and FYI, just so you dont get your hopes up, the OM617 will have NOTHING EVEN CLOSE to the low end torque of the 4.0 jeep motor. It makes a whopping 180 lb ft stock, but that's AFTER the turbo spools, and those things have some serious lag (the turbo is way oversize imo). So think of it more like having HALF the torquey response of the 4.0 :
In reply to DeadSkunk:
The 80's XJ Cherokees got Renault turbo diesels. I'm not sure if they got any thing different later on.
RossD
SuperDork
10/10/11 10:07 a.m.
Acme Adaptors has parts to put VW Diesels in Samurais and Toyotas:
http://www.acmeadapters.com/store_engine.php#indparts
In reply to SyntheticBlinkerFluid:
Those seem like they would be cool, they usually go for around $7500 though.
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote:
In reply to DeadSkunk:
The 80's XJ Cherokees got Renault turbo diesels. I'm not sure if they got any thing different later on.
The comanchees had the same engine option. I found a great ZAV example on the local craigslist once. It included the 'heavy half ton' suspension option, and a bed topper covering a 75 gallon aux diesel tank.
sounds more like a drugsmuggler's rig.
Did a lot of research on these when I got my most recent TJ and thought about doing the MB swap. Definitely something I'll consider when the 2.5 finally goes south.
On a related note, here's one on the local CL: http://fredericksburg.craigslist.org/cto/2617741124.html
if you're gonna do it, do it right..
Duramax with a tuner or nothing.
How would that work for those of us who have emissions? Do you think a diesel would pass emissions for a pre-obd2 car? I know they emit less greenhouse gas, but I don't know about NOx.
Or, would I just have to look for something emissions exempt?
EvanR
Reader
10/11/11 12:06 p.m.
Brotus7 wrote:
How would that work for those of us who have emissions? Do you think a diesel would pass emissions for a pre-obd2 car? I know they emit less greenhouse gas, but I don't know about NOx.
Or, would I just have to look for something emissions exempt?
Depends on your state. Most states with emissions testing require jumping through a lot of hoops to re-register a gasser as a Diesel, or vice-versa.
How about a M-B diesel in a Land Rover Discovery?
M-B powered Disco on BAT
M-B powered Disco on ebay
