4 cyl tractor diesel engine with 5 spd = 40 mpg (vehicle, SUV, fuel)

[Versatile]

Shade Tree Conversions at Shade Tree Conversions.

What do you think? Total cost about 5k.

[POS VETT]

Sure, 40 mpg sounds like all those that are holy. In reality, how exciting such a vehicle could be ?

You treehuggers go save the world, give me my 7-liter, 505-hp, gasoline V8 and let me waste what you save.

[snofarmer]

Nice idea

1. It goes to slow. America is a big place
3. The epa will put emissions on it dropping the millage.

My modern I6, 6.7 diesel is capable of 24-30 mpg if it didn't have emissions ad it will do over 100mph
A modern 2cyl diesel is a good idea for commuter or general transportation but the EPA is stopping them from being imported or made, again emissions.

Jeep has a nice diesel jeep but you can't get it in the states.

[Lincolnian]

I wouldn't care about excitment. If a fullsized pickup capable of doing the things a fullsized pickup needs to do got 40mpg I'm sure that there would be a waiting list of willing buyers even if the acceleration was more akin to a 4 cyl Ranger as opposed to a Hemi that gets 12 mpg.

[jazzlover]

America had an SUV like this for two model years--2005 and 2006: The Jeep Liberty CRD. It had a 2.8L inline 4 common-rail diesel engine. The engine was built by VM Motori, an Italian subsidiary of Detroit Diesel. The engine was originally designed as a tractor engine.

How well did it work? Well, I have personal experience with one. 4,300 lb. vehicle (empty weight), 20-30 mpg consistently, ran as well at 10,000 ft. elevation as at sea level, and would leave V8-powered vehicles of similar weight in the dust. The vehicle had "teething" problems with its engine computer and torque converter. The latter was pretty much cured with a warranty fix; the former with an aftermarket reflash of the computer that actually improved fuel economy. But, Jeep did not sell enough of them to warrant getting the engine certified for the 2007 US diesel emission standards. The engine is still sold overseas in Jeep vehicles.

Numerous other vehicles are sold overseas with powerful, efficient turbodiesel engines--we just can't get them in the United States, thanks to the fact that the US did not adopt the European quite strict -enough diesel emission standards, but had to go "do their own thing."

Also, GM developed the 4.5 diesel V8 for full-size pickups that will reportedly get up to 30 mpg in a 3/4 ton 4WD pickup, but they won't build it.

[Wilson513]

40 is no big deal. My 22RE Toyota gets 30+ and I drive like a maniac and it hasn't been tuned up in 5 years. Its all the crap they load these vehicles down with.

And, the Cummins 4BT is the diesel to swap in anyway.

[Lux Hauler]

Originally Posted by Wilson513

And, the Cummins 4BT is the diesel to swap in anyway.

Yes.

[sean sean sean sean]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

America had an SUV like this for two model years--2005 and 2006: The Jeep Liberty CRD. It had a 2.8L inline 4 common-rail diesel engine. The engine was built by VM Motori, an Italian subsidiary of Detroit Diesel. The engine was originally designed as a tractor engine.

How well did it work? Well, I have personal experience with one. 4,300 lb. vehicle (empty weight), 20-30 mpg consistently, ran as well at 10,000 ft. elevation as at sea level, and would leave V8-powered vehicles of similar weight in the dust. The vehicle had "teething" problems with its engine computer and torque converter. The latter was pretty much cured with a warranty fix; the former with an aftermarket reflash of the computer that actually improved fuel economy. But, Jeep did not sell enough of them to warrant getting the engine certified for the 2007 US diesel emission standards. The engine is still sold overseas in Jeep vehicles.

Numerous other vehicles are sold overseas with powerful, efficient turbodiesel engines--we just can't get them in the United States, thanks to the fact that the US did not adopt the European quite strict -enough diesel emission standards, but had to go "do their own thing."

Also, GM developed the 4.5 diesel V8 for full-size pickups that will reportedly get up to 30 mpg in a 3/4 ton 4WD pickup, but they won't build it.

An earlier version of that VM Motori diesel was available in European XJ Cherokees as well. A real shame we never got it here, and also that they pulled it from the Liberty.

I like the tractor engine conversions, although there are obvious, glaring limitations/shortcomings. I remember seeing one where a Kubota 3-cyl was installed in a Geo Metro and got something like 80MPG.

[piyf]

EPA won't allow it unless it has gobs of emissions ruining the decent fuel mileage.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Wilson513

40 is no big deal....

And, the Cummins 4BT is the diesel to swap in anyway.

yep, for a full sized truck, BE SURE to use a turbo, especially if living and driving over 5,000 ft.

Once we get the clean diesel fuel from Libya (that Europe USED to get... Then WE (USA) can get the 'clean diesel' engines that europe has. Then maybe we can start getting Euro Bio-Diesel too (Brassiere based rather than soy) so we can get 100% BD warranty instead of 5% (as current).

50 mpg since 1976, where have you been? No Opec No Dinosaurs, No toxic batteries