'94 FZJ80 Conversion to Biodiesel / Vege-oil burner.... (5 Viewers)

[motoloco]

Idahodoug hit the nail on the head, to have somthing unique is the only reason to justify the cost. The toyota diesels are very stout but kinda hard to find and hard to get parts for in the US.

 

[rtarh2o]

I have posted this before, but it is possible to do a swap and make it pay off (at least I hope so) I found a 94 FZJ80 with a bad engine (everything else in great shape) for $3,500. I am about to complete a 6.2 conversion and have an additional $7,000 in the vehicle so far. By doing all the work myself my total cost should be around $11,000 complete including the 80. I usually get a new (used) car every couple of years and spend around $10-12,000 on them. This is going to be my new (used) car. I have set it up to run on a WVO blend, I will be blending about 75% WVO/25% kerosene/gas. With this my fuel cost will be under $1 per gallon. I am hoping to get around 20 on the highway and I usually average about 20,000 miles per year, that equals 1,000 gallons of fuel, or 250 gallons I have to pay for, under $1,000 per year.
This is my second 80, I sold my last one about a year and a half ago because of the mileage but really miss it so I started trying to find a way to make one economical. A diesel running WVO made sense, I knew the diesel conversion would take forever to pay for itself unless I went the WVO route. By going WVO I will save about $3,000 per year in fuel (about $250 per month!) at this rate my entire car will be paid for in under 4 years. This may be the one car I actually keep that long knowing how much I have missed having one.
So for those that say it shouldn't be done for economical reasons, I say otherwise. (I hope)
Rusty

 

[arcteryx]

Sorry guys just catching up on this thread as well. I agree it is not for the faint of heart or wallet unfortunately. The only difference between it and say a Vortec conversion though is the cost of hte engine and that you need a diesel-specific trans if you are using an automatic, so most of the time you buy this new or rebuilt (which also adds up the $$). If oyu can find a used 4BT in verifiably good shape for say $2500, it is only $1G more than than Vortec conversion. The engine is loud and industrial and heavy duty. With my FJ55 spurng over also on 35's with 4.10 gears, I was 20 mpg for the low and about 25 to even 27 mpg high, but I averaged about 22mpg. This is not a "given" for the engine, I think the biggest difference is the transmission. Proffitts is using a 700R4 which is an old school style transmission that sucks a lot of power and efficiency out of the engine. I really do think a standard would make a lot of difference with the conversion. You do need that 4" of lift, and to get good hgiway gearing with the low 4.10 axles you want big tires like a 35". So you have to be prepared to have a massive loud diesel Land Cruiser that stands out, is super off-roadish, and people can hear from a mile away. It is a mixed blessing.

The Cummins itself is super relatible. I did a compression test on mine with 186k and it is literally in perfect condition. The engine is also brilliantly simple in pretty much every way. A head gasket job takes a couple hours only for example. So I am not advocating it, I think you need to be prepared for it and understand what to expect. Sort of like a beautiful redhead with beautiful large breasts, looks great but you get the whole package if you marry her... Sometimes its what you want and expect, sometimes its not... So just an FYI, think with your head on it not your johnson. Especially considering the costs if you are not a millionaire and don't have the time or ability to do it yourself. The cost is a **a lot** of money...

So just my $.02 on it...

But gaskets / maintenance intervals / alternators, all of this is actually fairly cheap. Fuel filters / oil filters less than $6/8 direct from Cummins and very high quality (Fleetguard). When you first swap it you'll waste a couple filters prematurely possibly like any swap but you should be fine... Good diesel motor oil is annoyingly expensive and you need 8 quarts, but you get used to it. The alternator is GM and is basic as they come. I have never paid more than $100 for even a 160 amp alternator (it is the same alternator as a Chevy Caprice). The Cummins usually come with a common 55 amp alternator but these are literally a dime a dozen and high and low amp alternators interchange. The injection pump is about $650 for a brand new or rebuild. It takes the place of all ignition parts and fuel components all in one small package which is surprizingly reliable. So really not a whole lot to go wrong on. You can find all parts any parts store under the part number for a Gen 1 Dodge Cummins, almost all parts interchangable. NAPA, CarQuest, Parts Plus also carry all parts specifically for the 4BT. But either being mechanically inclined or "resourceful" does help. You will have something unique, so you have to take that into account.

Andre, very well said. You certainly were an influence in me purchasing mine.

Interesting about the oil quantity though- you say 8 quarts, DaveGonz has said 10, and Grease Cruiser has said 12. When I changed my first one, I put in 3 Rotella blues, which come out to around 11.25. 8 sounds a little low though, IMO. So, what is it?

 

[arcteryx]

I have posted this before, but it is possible to do a swap and make it pay off (at least I hope so) I found a 94 FZJ80 with a bad engine (everything else in great shape) for $3,500. I am about to complete a 6.2 conversion and have an additional $7,000 in the vehicle so far. By doing all the work myself my total cost should be around $11,000 complete including the 80. I usually get a new (used) car every couple of years and spend around $10-12,000 on them. This is going to be my new (used) car. I have set it up to run on a WVO blend, I will be blending about 75% WVO/25% kerosene/gas. With this my fuel cost will be under $1 per gallon. I am hoping to get around 20 on the highway and I usually average about 20,000 miles per year, that equals 1,000 gallons of fuel, or 250 gallons I have to pay for, under $1,000 per year.
This is my second 80, I sold my last one about a year and a half ago because of the mileage but really miss it so I started trying to find a way to make one economical. A diesel running WVO made sense, I knew the diesel conversion would take forever to pay for itself unless I went the WVO route. By going WVO I will save about $3,000 per year in fuel (about $250 per month!) at this rate my entire car will be paid for in under 4 years. This may be the one car I actually keep that long knowing how much I have missed having one.
So for those that say it shouldn't be done for economical reasons, I say otherwise. (I hope)
Rusty

Rusty, good points with some figures that make real world sense.

Dave, John and Andre already know this, but, I am selling my beloved 80. Not that I or my wife dont love it or there is anything wrong with it, just for some family goals (ok, for a house/land). I have not advertised it though. I truly believe that I will be able to get what I put into it.

As the price of petrol increases, these will become more and more viable. I have said this before, but I truly love spending $60 on B100 and know that it goes no further than the state of Texas. Yeah, I could spend $58 and send almost all of it to Chavez, Nigeria, Middle East, but $2 is not going to break me and it's doing the right thing.

 

[rtarh2o]

I would love to get together with you guys with your 4BT's when I get my 6.2 80 going, would be great to do a comparison on each others and post about what we think about them for those considering them. We should also find an Isuzu swap to hook up with if there is one completed anywhere.
I am in Texarkana so not too far away. Would be fun to see them. I am sure the 4BT has tons more power from what I have heard but it would be interesting to see first hand and compare the pros/cons of each one.
Rusty

 

[IdahoDoug]

Rusty,

As you know I'm skeptical about the economics, so take it considering the source. I will be interested in how you secure 750 gallons of waste vegetable oil in the coming year at zero cost. Filtered. Kept from congealing/freezing in a NE Texas winter when your truck is parked outside work. Stored. Delivered. Etc. Remember, you're getting waste oil chock full of impurities from animal fat to the cook's missing bandaid, not driving off with diesel fuel. Have you actually called around your community yet to see what the arrangements are with area restaurants, etc?

And I'll also be interested to see if the engine handles what is arguably an inferior fuel (vs professionally made diesel fuel) over a 20,000 mile period. It's not very clean so filter/pump/injector issues, bacterial growth in the tank, no anti-corrosion additives, etc etc. It's also not going to give you optimal fuel economy when compared to professionally made diesel fuel.

I'm not going to forecast what happens with your rig, but will be very interested how things actually pan out. Color me skeptical about the economics.

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

Simple solution, Moab

I would love to get together with you guys with your 4BT's when I get my 6.2 80 going, would be great to do a comparison on each others and post about what we think about them for those considering them. We should also find an Isuzu swap to hook up with if there is one completed anywhere.
I am in Texarkana so not too far away. Would be fun to see them. I am sure the 4BT has tons more power from what I have heard but it would be interesting to see first hand and compare the pros/cons of each one.
Rusty

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

There is no doubt that both biodiesel and WVO are labor intensive... WVO is less so but it seems to run fine in these engines, a lot of people with Dodges are just fine with thousands and thousands of miles. I have a good friend with a '96 Dodge that runs it almost exclusively... But he does heat and pre-filter and runs homebrew biodiesel in the winter mostly for easy of pourability (WVO turns to butter in the winter). I do not particularly think of the fuels as "inferior" - their emissions are so drasticaly that a lot of people pay more than diesel fuel for them. But I do agree that the engines are designed for diesel fuel refinement. But even at crapping out an injection pump after say 80K miles (which would be agreesive deterioration), for the Cummins it is still only a $650 part... Most studies show that wear parts like injectors and pumps last longer with bio-diesel fuels because of their increase lubricity.

But again it is labor intensive... If I weren't into Land Cruisers already I would probably be fanacial about biofuels but already have something to put my time into...

Rusty,

As you know I'm skeptical about the economics, so take it considering the source. I will be interested in how you secure 750 gallons of waste vegetable oil in the coming year at zero cost. Filtered. Kept from congealing/freezing in a NE Texas winter when your truck is parked outside work. Stored. Delivered. Etc. Remember, you're getting waste oil chock full of impurities from animal fat to the cook's missing bandaid, not driving off with diesel fuel. Have you actually called around your community yet to see what the arrangements are with area restaurants, etc?

And I'll also be interested to see if the engine handles what is arguably an inferior fuel (vs professionally made diesel fuel) over a 20,000 mile period. It's not very clean so filter/pump/injector issues, bacterial growth in the tank, no anti-corrosion additives, etc etc. It's also not going to give you optimal fuel economy when compared to professionally made diesel fuel.

I'm not going to forecast what happens with your rig, but will be very interested how things actually pan out. Color me skeptical about the economics.