94 FZJ80 6.2 conversion begins!

[kcustom73]

Rusty,
You might want to look at getting a new crank pulley and harmonic balancer from GM (everybody hates dealers but sometime you got to do it). From what I've read these 2 parts going bad are one of the main reason these blocks go bad. After all the work you've done you don't want to be destroying that block and starting all over. No expert here, just my opinion.

[rtarh2o]

I checked the harmonic balancer and it looks good, there are pictures of what to look for in a failing balancer and mine still appears to be in good shape. I am trying to decide now between the newer pulleys with the rubber in them or an older steel pulley. The good thing about the newer pulley is that it is easier on the belts but the pulley wears out. The steel pulley will never wear out but is hard on the belts. Several people I have spoken to are going back to the steel pulleys even though they have to replace belts every 12-18 months. Either way I am just happy to have it in my driveway with me working on it, at least I know why things aren't getting done now!
Rusty

[CruisinFJ60]

damn just read every post from all 8 pages this was a good read.

as far as your belt issues of a metal pulley once you have a replacement that is not bent up changing the belts once a year isnt that big of a deal (for me anyway) i mean it only takes a few minutes and most gates or gatorback belts come with a 2-3 year warranty anyway so if it wears just take em back.

thanks for the heads up on this thread from dieselplace i never even saw this one

[iaintscared1969]

It's cause ur a lil slo. I got a 6.2 powered diesel 80 today! I will get a thread up on the turbo install.

And this was a great thread I read it about a week ago and still like looking at the pic's!

[rtarh2o]

Hey CruisinFJ60, glad you and iaintscared69 found it here.
Things are looking up finally! I went to the U-Pull it knowing they had a pretty well stripped 6.2 but wasn't sure it still had the pulley. I thought the way my luck had been running so far on this project it would be gone. Well, I walked up to the old Suburban, the engine is most of the way out, heads off, manifolds off (I took one of them) but the pulley was still there and even better the one I need! I had 2 wrenches with me knowing what size I needed and 5 minutes later I was out of there with a new pulley in hand! It is a steel pulley, I think that is what I wanted, I took it home set it in the blast cabinet to clean it up. Put a fresh coat of paint on it and got to work. It took me most of the day mainly because I modified my fan shroud and installed it as well as re-doing the dual battery set-up. I finally got everything hooked up and fired it up, wow! I can't believe it is actually pretty quiet! You can carry on a conversation without raising your voice standing right next to it, I knew the belts were noisy but I had no idea that much. I took it for a spin and noticed the fuel light was on so I headed to the station for my first fill-up, wow again, $83! This time it didn't bother me since I was so excited about filling it with diesel but I hope the mileage is enough improved to make it worth it. At this rate my WVO plans are now on the front burner!
As far as my transmission, it seems to get a bit better as it warms up, not sure why but again I don't understand automatics at all. I am optimistic about it though, I did a little research last night (as well as a post on DieselPlace) and learned that the governor has springs a weights that can be changed out to adjust the shifting (without too much work), there are many different combinations but I found some pretty good instructions on how to do it so I am feeling a little better about it now. It is a bit trial and error but least I know it can be done and possible without putting it in the shop for another month!
iaintscared69, is the 6.2 80 yours or are you working on it? If not yours who's is it? You mentioned on DieselPlace it was going to Austin? I would love to see it and maybe even drive it to see if the turbo is something I might be interested in. The little I have driven mine I don't think I will be wanting one anytime soon, it seems to have plenty of power for around here (sea level with no hills)
Can't wait to put some miles on it and check the mileage, I am going to get it liscensed Monday so I will be able to drive it all the time then. I still have a trip to the A/C shop to go, I am hoping I can just take it and let them measure the hoses they need to make then take it in to hook it all up. I hate to part with it but it won't be long before it is really needed here!
Will post more later, thanks to everyone for all the encouragement!
Rusty

[CruisinFJ60]

the one he is working on the owner lives in austin.

glad you found what you needed! how does it feel to finally drive the truck again? also i you drive a turbo u will "Need" the turbo just so happens i have the complete set up from a 6.2 manifolds, down pipe turbo ect all just taking up space in my garage... guess if i get me a 6.2 ill have to put it to use

[lorax]

The FJ80 w/6.2L diesel is mine. i got it about 1 month ago from someone in South Texas. The 80 is in great shape, but the belt system sucks. So I talked to "The Diesel Depot" and Randy and got all the parts for a Serpentine conversion and the turbo install.

Randy is working on getting it put together.

My intension is to be able to tow with the 80 (Tow an FJ40 on a trailer), so I need the turbo.

Without the turbo, I was getting 14-15mpg. Not as good as I hoped.

You are welcome to test drive, either in Dallas or Austin. How far are you from Austin?

Cheers.

[rtarh2o]

I am about 6 hours from Austin, get down there occasionally. I plan to use mine for towing but not much, probably only 3-4 times per year and only a couple hundred miles each time. I hope to get it on the highway next weekend and see how it does.
I am wishing now I had gone with the serpentine belt set-up, it seems much better now that I know a bit about it. I think I might consider changing over to it in a year or so when I have to change belts again. I am guessing I will have to replace all or most of the accessories though?
As far as mileage, I can't imagine an engine this size in a vehicle as heavy as the Land Cruiser to get good mileage but people on the DieselPage claim to be getting low 20's with suburbans so I hope it is possible. I know the earlier 6.2's were less powerful but got better mileage, mine is a military version which I think is about the most powerful so I am not expecting much. The main reason I did this is the ability to run WVO so good mileage is not as big of a deal.
Will post more tomorrow
Rusty

[arcteryx]

Originally Posted by lorax

The FJ80 w/6.2L diesel is mine. i got it about 1 month ago from someone in South Texas. The 80 is in great shape, but the belt system sucks. So I talked to "The Diesel Depot" and Randy and got all the parts for a Serpentine conversion and the turbo install.

Randy is working on getting it put together.

My intension is to be able to tow with the 80 (Tow an FJ40 on a trailer), so I need the turbo.

Without the turbo, I was getting 14-15mpg. Not as good as I hoped.

You are welcome to test drive, either in Dallas or Austin. How far are you from Austin?

Cheers.

He posts finally!

I have driven Brian's and it is a nice rig. Cant wait to test it when it comes back after Randy does his magic!

[lorax]

I purchased replacement accessories with brackets since I wanted it to work right the 1st time. The crank pulley and water pump have to be replaced. The rest, if you find replacement pulleys, you might be able to keep, but you will need the tensioner, so somewhere you will need a new bracket. I did not want to go through all that.

I also upgraded the water pump to the 130 GPH version to ensure better cooling. This needs a new dual thermostat housing replacement.

[JimCrow]

"Lorax" I saw your post about pieces needed, you will also need the plate between the water pump and the timing cover, the sep/belt w/p has a different bolt pattern where it bolts to this plate.
Jimmy

[rtarh2o]

Lorax, tell me a bit more about your 80, does the cruise control work? What about the A/C, is it working ok with a GM compressor? I need to get down that way and see it, how about some pics?
As for mine, I am thinking I might be going the serpentine belt route pretty quickly. I got all new belts and a good pulley installed Saturday (as mentioned above) Today I took it around and registered and liscensed it so now I am legally driving it. From there I drove it to work. I have probably gone about 30 miles today and on the way home tonight the belts started squeaking again! Not as bad as the last time but still annoying. I opened the hood when I got home and checked the belts, they seemed tight enough, not sure how tight they need to be, they are pretty long so maybe they need to be a bit tighter? I squirted some Belt Ease on them and let it idle for a minute or two. About that time I stopped for dinner, I didn't rev it any to see if they are still squeaking, I really don't want to know if they are, so I am putting it off until morning to find out. I also am developing a clatter/rattle in the engine, I am hoping there is a bolt I missed tightening the other day, it sounds like a loose bracket or something (or a rod knocking) I will look into that a bit more in the morning too.
All in all a pretty good day, the gas (fuel, sorry) gauge hasn't budged with a little over 30 miles since fill up, either I am getting pretty good mileage or it is stuck!
I am going to check with the A/C shop tomorrow and try to make a little road trip this weekend to see how it does.
I will work on more pictures of the finished product, and maybe even a video so those of you wondering about the noise level can get an idea of what it is like.
Rusty

[lorax]

I started a thread on my truck. Here is the link:

http://forum.ih8mud.com/diesel-tech-...ing-turbo.html

The cruise was working (once for me), so I hope it can be fixed. The AC was not working, but is all hooked up. I think it leaked out and since it was winter, the previous owner did not do anything about it. I am switching compressors due to the serpentine, so I we will see...

Glad to see you are running. Let me know if you are in Austin (or if you want to get to Dallas sometime in the next week, before I take it back to Austin).

Cheers.

[rtarh2o]

I am planning on being in Dallas the first week in May, it will probably be back in Austin by then but if not I would love to see it. Otherwise I do get to Austin every once in awhile, I will let you know when I do. Good luck with it all, let me know how it turns out.
Rusty

[knorrena]

Damn, I was supposed to be in Dallas this week, and the first week in May. I coulda taken you out for lunch and had a look at your cruiser. Plans changed though, and now I have no idea when I would be down again.

Karl

[rtarh2o]

Been driving alot of short trips this week and doing great, the shifting is still hard and revs too much but I ordered a governor kit to adjust it, sounds simple enough to do myself. I went to the A/C shop yesterday to show them what I have, they called back this morning and said to bring it today after lunch and they would get on it and hope to get it finished by tomorrow! Wow, wouldn't that be nice, I am not holding my breath but I on my way there now.
Rusty

[rtarh2o]

Believe it or not the A/C is finished! They called around lunch today and said it was done and working great! Unbelievable, I really didn't expect to get it back so fast but I guess I am due a bit of good luck. It is not that hot here yet, only about mid 70's now but they said it was blowing out at 40º, I used it for a few minutes going home and it got too cold so I turned it off. It is suppossed to get to the 80's this weekend so I may get to test it out. I plan to take it on a little road trip this weekend to see how it does. All I have left is to figure out the cruise control, get a tach hooked up and some tires. It is now my daily driver. My driving impressions are very good, the power as I said is more than the 1FZE by quite a bit just waiting to find out about the mileage. Right now I am at 90 miles and it right on 3/4 tank but as I recall with my old 94 the first half of the tank go by a lot slower than the 2nd half. I will be able to tell this weekend after about 300 miles, I am hoping for around 20 mpg, hope I am not too dissapointed.
Rusty

[made4surf]

Rusty,
Can you please post a pic of the finished AC in the engine conpartment? I've been to lazy to do mine but summers coming pretty soon and maybe yours will inspire me to do mine.

[CruisinFJ60]

Originally Posted by lorax

The FJ80 w/6.2L diesel is mine. i got it about 1 month ago from someone in South Texas. The 80 is in great shape, but the belt system sucks. So I talked to "The Diesel Depot" and Randy and got all the parts for a Serpentine conversion and the turbo install.

Randy is working on getting it put together.

My intension is to be able to tow with the 80 (Tow an FJ40 on a trailer), so I need the turbo.

Without the turbo, I was getting 14-15mpg. Not as good as I hoped.

You are welcome to test drive, either in Dallas or Austin. How far are you from Austin?

Cheers.

thats pretty sheisty on fuel i would think it would be much more than that. i dunno how much a turbo is gonna help your fuel miledge but it will be way mo better on power.

[rtarh2o]

I will get some pictures of the A/C set-up tomorrow when I get back home. The compressor is the old style (can't remember what model) great big. They say it takes quite a bit of horsepower to run it but it really wasn't noticeable when I turned it on. As far as performance it blows so cold I had to turn it off but it isn't hot around here yet, 80's today I will know for sure in another month. I put about 170 highway miles on it today and it just hit 1/4 tank. I know the first half seems to go alot slower than the second half of the tank as I remember but 170 is alot for the first quarter considering I rarely went 300 miles to a tank before, so needless to say I am optimistic about the mileage. More about the trip, I am debating about tire sizes, I like the way it accelerates with the stock tires and it was really nice on the highway at about 65 mph. I don't have a working tach yet so I am not sure of the rpm's but it seemed a little high. From the research I have done it should have been turning about 2180 rpm with the 265's at 70 mph. I was driving at 65 today thinking it would be about the same as 70 with the 285's. I have an old set of 285's in my shop I am going to mount this week to see how it drives with them, I think it will be better on the highway and doubt I will loose much acceleration either. It should turn about 2050 rpm with the 285's at 70 mph which might help the mileage a bit.
On the highway it felt alot like the 1FZE, noise level wasn't bad but not the 1FZE either. Acceleration was a bit slow at highway speed, 2 lane passing would require some room but divided highway it is fine. Around town it accelerates well, it feels faster than stock and now that I have the trans shifting a bit better it is nice.
That's it for now, I will post more tomorrow after I get home and fill up and have an accurate mileage report.
Rusty

[rtarh2o]

The results are in! 340 miles, 17 gallons of diesel, right on 20 mpg. I am somewhat excited. Probably not enough savings to ever pay for itself, maybe $500 per year or so, but it is nice to be able to go 400-500 miles on a tank. I still have the stock tires so I was driving around 65 to keep the rpm in the range where the 285's should be so I don't expect any better mileage with the larger tires. I was driving most of the time with the A/C on and probably put about 50-60 in town miles on it while I was there so true highway mileage might be a bit better. The more I drive it the more I like it, I am sure I am a bit biased but so far I would highly recommend this engine swap to anyone. If you are happy with the 1FZE performance you will be fine with a non-turbo 6.2. The good news is you can easily add the turbo and make it even better but so far I can't see myself doing that. I would like to drive a Cummins, Isuzu or Toyota diesel to see how they compare but I can't see any of them perform enough better to make them cost 3-4 times as much and I really can't see anything getting much better than 20 mpg in an 80. My plan now is to get my WVO processor going and start blending to really save some money!
Rusty

[Dazza]

Sounds like I'll never get to see my project to finished. I am leaving the country and selling all of my possessions, including my project fj60

here's a link:

http://forum.ih8mud.com/vehicles-tra...eattle-wa.html

sorry for the hijack... good luck with your project!

[Chas Stricker]

Rusty I think you've got to be happy with the mileage and power. Great job on the installation. Just keep on driving.
Chas

[rtarh2o]

Has been running great but tonight on the way home from work the transmission shifted so hard and stuttered I thought everything was going to fall out on the ground! Much to my surprise it kept going after I gave it a little fuel then going up a steep hill towards my house it slipped on the downshift, almost came to a stop but again after a little fuel it chugged up the hill in probably 3rd or 4th gear. I babied it home and parked it. It is only about 4 miles from work to my house so hopefully I didn't drive it too far to cause any more damage. I am going to check the fluid level tomorrow and then probably tow it back to the trans shop. Well it was fun while it lasted! Hopefully it is just low on fluid, but I think that usually just makes it slip so probably back in the shop for who knows how long!
Wish me luck, I guess this will give me a chance to get my WVO processor going. I might also start thinking about a 5 speed so I don't have to worry about breaking and shift points!
Rusty

[addicted56]

Geez,

You can not get a break.

I have the same set up as you in my garage. Was going to use the transmission just becuase I had it but after hearing your horror stories and becuase I wanted a manual anyway I went a different route. NV4500 on a 4bt swap. So if it makes you feel better all of your pain has hopefully saved me some .

Good luck and I'm going to continue watching.

[Chas Stricker]

Rusty I used mine pretty hard and once built the right way it never gave me any problems. I still don't think they have the right gov pack nor the right shift kit. Mine was turbo'd and I used it (eating Fords and Dodges) with 35" with no issues. That gov pack is a big deal as is the TV cable. I'd say try to stick with it.
Chas