Builds Mitsubishi 4D34-3AT3B diesel swap into 94 FZJ80 (2 Viewers)

[Fromage]

JL,

Could i bother you for a measurement?
Next time you're out working on your project, I need a measurement of bell housing depth. Engine mounting face to transmission mounting face. It can be an approx measurement. It doesn't need to be exact.

I've been looking for a manual bell housing for a long time, but it seems the possibility exists to use an auto bell housing (along with an adapter) with an internal slave NV4500.


4D34 fact finding thread I have going at 4BTSWAPS:

Mitsubishi 4D34-1AT3 vs Isuzu 4BD2T

Great thread. I personally think the 4D34T is basically a big 3B. Everything is located in exactly the same location.

I have a spare bellhousing on a spare trans so it was a snap to measure. About 8 inches length, but with the spacer plate on the back of the engine, it would be a snap to remove it, and use it to machine an adapter plate to get the bellhousing down to a Chevy (or otherwise similar) pattern. That way you could use just about any trans you wanted. I think it would be a great engine for a 60 with an NV4500.

 

[SuperHatch]

Looks like I'll be picking up a 99 FE-SP tomorrow... time to start my conversion.

Since my rig is a 96, I have a A343F. I'll be picking up an A442F from a local wrecker to pull the parts I need from it. What else is different on my 96 rig when swapping in this transmission? Will my existing trans mount work? I know the Tcase is the same, so the driveshafts should work without issue. What about the shifter cable?

The AW450/A442F hybrid will be controlled by the AW450 TCU and I can use all the connectors from the donor trucks harness to get that to work, so I'm not really worried about the electronics... I just hate surprises. (Big expensive ones anyway)

 

[SuperHatch]

Bought the truck... $1800. Looks to be in good shape, couldn't start it though as the battery was dead, and the fuel in the tank was 8 months old. When I get it home I'll try to diagnose and fire it up. Not going to threadjack, but expect another one of these threads starting soon.

 

[Fromage]

Update, rad is in, last of the intercooler plumbing is ordered, everything is hooked up, trying to find a lower rad hose that will work, parts store has ordered in a bunch of different ones that look like they might, will see tomorrow if I have a winner. I hope to try and start it by the weekend...

 

[Fromage]

So, I am happy to report that IT RUNS!

I'm still waiting on some parts for it to be ready for a road test (intercooler silicone boots and some air intake plumbing stuff) but I now have it running and moving around the yard. The computer is flashing a few fault codes, most of which I believe are just due to the intake air temp sensor being missing and the boost reference signal being zero (no intercooler plumbing), but otherwise it idles well and seems to be working fine.

The lower radiator hose ended up being one from a 2006 Ford F350 with a Powerstroke diesel and no A/C. It was about 30 bucks. I ended up moving the outlets on my Ford universal radiator to make it a Chevy arrangement, with a 2 inch lower outlet on the passenger side and a 1.75 upper on the driver's side. In the process, I nicked a few tubes (dropped it as I was welding it - ugh) so I went ahead and ordered another rad, this time, a Speedway Motors 31" wide Chevy version. I will have to do some welding to it, but not as much as the one I had before. The lower hose crosses over from the water pump outlet on the driver's side to the passenger side, but it fits well.

I had a bit of a scare as I noted a lot of blow by on startup, but I had forgotten to hook up the vacuum pump, which was pumping air into the crankcase. Once I capped the vacuum line, no problem. I need to buy a bunch of 5/16 vacuum hose for the booster and other vacuum accessories (exhaust brake switch).

The coolant, A/C coolant switch and oil pressure senders from the FZJ80 work perfectly with the Fuso. I had to use a 90 degree NPT fitting for the oil pressure sender for clearance, but it's almost in the same location on the engine as the FZJ so it works out well. The coolant temp gauge wiring from the FZJ just reaches the new location for the sensors (in the thermostat housing).

I was hoping to retain the factory battery box, but I had to amputate it severely so I will be remaking one out of aluminum that fits around the intercooler plumbing. It looks like the stock A/C compressor will fit fine on the passenger side of the engine, but I will have to reposition my power steering reservoir (no issues).

The power steering has a lighter feel at idle. I think the pump pusts out more pressure or GPM. I like it as the P/S on this truck has always been a little weak.

The trans took about 11 litres of fluid and shifts from forward to reverse fine. As the power brakes are not hooked up (vacuum) it seems to have a lot of power at idle and is a bit hard to stop in low range. I think it will be fine with the brakes hooked up, and the rotors free of surface rust that has developed in the last month or so of sitting.

I'm uploading a video to show how much noise it puts out, keeping in mind that the intake is open to air right now, and the turbo is missing its compressor housing, so there is more intake air noise than there will be later on. The video is crap as it was already kind of dark when I took it. I'll get some better footage later on, I will probably get Mr. Video LShobie to come document this as he's a camera pro...

So far I am very pleased and I am hoping to button up all the little loose ends this week and have it driving next weekend... I will get some better pics later one night this week when the sun is shining...

Video should be up soon...

 

[SuperHatch]

Awesome news! Congratulations! Can't wait to see the video...

 

[Fromage]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZJt8fU9GEQ

Unfortunately way dark! I will take some more tomorrow...

 

[astr]

Congratulations! I'll be very interested to hear how the transmission works out for you.

 

[Fromage]

Test drive completed!

A Mitsubishi Fuso and a Land-Cruiser procreated and gave us the Fitsucruiser.

I managed to get the new rad in over the weekend, as well as the intercooler plumbing, mounts, the wiring all buttoned up, the ECUs mounted where the glove box was, and wiring harnesses taped up with loom protection, and everything secured.

2.5" aluminum intake plumbing

Getting better at TIG...

Intake setup - stock airbox with weird air injection box thing removed and aluminum adapter made

Adapter

Intercooler and rad - I still need to fabricate an upper mount/shroud/duct to the rad support and grille.

The radiator is a 31" Chevy style universal rad from Speedway motors. The rad cap fitting was removed and welded over, and I flipped the radiator 180 degrees so the bottom outlet is now on top, and I welded on a 2" bottom outlet. The rad cap is in the T stat housing on this engine.

T-stat housing and front of engine. I have not installed a fan yet and it runs cool.

Driver's side of engine showing mods - fuel filter relocated forward about 3 inches to clear booster, massive harness of wires.

Location of TCM, ECU, prestroke relay, exhaust brake relays, and the diag connectors. It's a tight fit.

Engine bay shot. The road draft tube still needs to be connected to the airbox as I can't stand the smell, and the battery is one I pulled out of my tractor, so it doesn't fit the battery plate. I will probably replace it with an Exide spiral cell as they are small. If starting is an issue I will put one in on the pass side too.

I then put the interior back in, and I took it for a spin.

First impressions, it is super quiet. There is more noise from the resonance of some interior trim pieces (loose) than from the engine. The turbo is a faint whistle, I can hear the thule bars more than the engine. At idle it is as loud as my 2003 VW TDI, maybe quieter (but my TDI has 500K on it, and it sounds pretty rough!)

It vibrates more than the 1FZ, but that's to be expected. Very similar to my BJ60. I think the exhaust is hitting on the frame and one running board is vibrating. I need to remove them anyways.

IT GOES. Seat of the pants, it is not much slower than the 1FZ if you put your foot into it. It moves the big pig quite nicely. I had it up to 80 mph briefly and it had tons of reserve. I didn't put too many miles on it and it was dark (difficult to judge speed in the dark I find) but I am pretty happy with it. I also think I have a boost leak (no boost gauge yet but I have a whistle that sounds like a leak).

The trans shift points seem to be a bit too quick - kind of "lazy". If you think about it, the original truck had really low gears, so it needed to row through the gears quickly. I have not tried the "power" button yet, I suspect it will be a lot quicker that way. Manually shifting the gears works wonders. It will pull the 0.703 overdrive without issue, uphill, no problem.

Everything works as expected except I have one recurring fault code for the pre-stroke actuator being lazy. I think it is just the pump being gummed up from sitting as it seems to be getting better and better. It only trips if you go from WOT to idle quickly, and it causes the engine to be limited to 1800 RPMs, until restart. Annoying. Yesterday I could not drive it to the corner of our road without it happening, tonight I drove it around for 10 minutes and it never happened. We will see how it goes. The service manual has a trouble shooting procedure for the actuator, I will follow it if I have trouble.

Last thing is I am having some issues with ATF coming out of the dipstick tube. I think it's air still working itself out and i may have had it overfilled. I fear the vent line on top of the case may be pinched or blocked. I will see if it gets better.

Pretty happy, it's really coming along...

 

[Falco80]

Great job there mate. The sound of it just sitting at idle is enough to put a smile on the dial!
A few years back when i had my my 92 FZJ80 i contemplated fitting a 4BT, due to the thirstiness of the 1FZ, but then i eventually saw the light and bought a HDJ80. I now like a lot more the idea of a small truck Isuzu or Mitsu diesel. It seems a lot more people are playing with these engines now.
Rock on diesel power!

 

[SuperHatch]

Looks great JL! And I'm glad to hear that it is surprisingly quiet! Can't wait to see more pictures and video

 

[Dougal]

Excellent news. I've become quite the supporter of EFI diesels lately, the ability to tune and control everything on them is quite amazing. Let me know if you want to increase the power of it later on, I've just succeeded in remapping my EFI diesel work car at home, it's involved, but much easier than what you have already done.

 

[Fromage]

I want to thoroughly test it as-stock, and then see about getting more power. The ECU has an external resistor that is tied to the fueling rate. I suspect it gives the ability to fine tune the fueling rate for opacity tests. Mine is right in the middle of the values, so once I have a pyro and a boost gauge installed, I will start there. Remapping may come later, but I think the limiting factor may be the turbo, it seems really small. Luckily there is a lot of capacity in the plumbing and intercooler (as well as a massive rad) so upgrades can be done without having to make major changes.

I am just hoping I have a clogged vent tube as I have little desire to pull this trans apart and figure out why it is belching fluid. I also need to finish the exhaust out the back in 3 inch. Right now it is way too quiet!

 

[Henry James the 47th]

I am just hoping I have a clogged vent tube as I have little desire to pull this trans apart and figure out why it is belching fluid.

Cue ominous music...

Fingers crossed for you!

 

[Dougal]

The turbo seems very similar to the one on the Isuzu 4BD2 and of course the sizing is almost identical for the two. So all the hard work that's been done testing Isuzu turbos is a gold-mine for you.

The stock cold side is good to around 170hp, but I don't know how well the turbine is sized for more power.

 

[orangefj45]

just checked out this thread for the first time.


nice work JL, tons of great info as well. props!

georg

 

[Fromage]

I am just hoping I have a clogged vent tube as I have little desire to pull this trans apart and figure out why it is belching fluid.

Cue ominous music...

Fingers crossed for you!

For the record, a blocked vent line on an A442F will make an unbelievable mess and will result in litres of ATF being shot out of the dipstick tube at high velocity in a scene that rivals “The Exorcist”, thoroughly coating everything under the hood in red gooey fluid. I never thought a blocked vent line could result in so much pressure buildup in the transmission.

I had to remove the four bolts holding the trans crossmember on, and lower the trans about 3 inches, in order to gain access to the vent tube. It was folded over right where it exits the transmission and caught under one of the cooler lines. Once it was fixed, I power washed everything and it has not yet leaked a drop, even after a few road tests and some very steep climbs. I was really beating on it, and the trans cooler got very hot to the touch (especially since I have no fan on the engine), and no leaks or issues were noted.

I also pressure tested the intake system and found multiple boost leaks from clamps, which I tightened up, and now the engine feels a bit more powerful. I also figured out that the wastegate actuator is shot, it leaks boost and does not actuate, so I will have to replace it. Right now it seems to take a while to build boost as the wastegate is likely a substantial leak, and then it goes into limp mode due to overboost. I will probably get a universal actuator and modify it to fit. I have to fit a boost gauge over the weekend so I can monitor the cut-out pressure from the computer.

I still have a few issues to deal with before it’s once again in daily driver duty:

- Routing the crankcase breather into the airbox (as the open road draft tube smells awful and smokes),
- better battery with proper tie down
- Leaking V-band clamp at turbo allowing exhaust to escape, which melted some wiring loom
- Probably putting header tape on the downpipe to try and minimize the heat to the floorboards and underhood temps

So far so good. The only thing I am noting that I do not like is the engine mounts I used (FZJ80). They are too stiff and the truck vibrates more than I would like. I will see about swapping them out for softer ones. It’s not too bad, but it can be a bit annoying. As far as power, torque, etc, it really seems to work well, but I want to get the wastegate sorted before I start testing for real (0-60 times, towing, etc).

 

[imabigbangkindaguy]

Man this is a great build!! Really impressive!!


I have a question in regards to transmission,
would it have been possible to go with a H55?

From what I have read, you can take the bellhousing from the A440, and bolt on a H42 or H55.
Giving you the option to run it on your 3FE.

Is it too far of a stretch to think, that with some work, you could also do this with this Mitsubishi motor
or the Isuzu diesels that came with the A442 for that matter?

Before everyone jumps on me, I literally know, little to nothing about transmissions, and their interchangeability, or how they even work for that matter.
I just assume there is a wizard living in the box and he magically makes my cruiser move.

This was just an idea, that I am sure others have thought of, but I have not seen it asked.

 

[Fromage]

The bellhousings on the A442, A440 and 450-43LE have two faces - One bolts to the transmission case, one to the engine. In the case of the H55F and A440F, it's the engine side that is the same, so you can bolt up either bellhousing to the same engine (putting an H55F where an A440F was, in the case of a 3FE). On the 450-43LE , A440 and the A442F, it's the transmission side, so you can bolt an A442F transmission case to a 450-43LE bellhousing. Unfortunately, the transmission side of the bellhousing is totally different between an H55F and a A440/A442/450-43LE swap.

To me, these Mitsubishi engines are the easiest to use with an auto. If you have a truck with an A442F or even an A440 and you want to retain an auto, I think the Mitsu is the best engine out there, except for OEM Toyota. If you want a stick, the Isuzu is probably best as you can get the adapter to bolt the engine up to an H55F. It would be possible to make the same type of adapter for the Mitsubishi in theory but it's not been done and I have no real data.

Update, I have been driving mine steady and the fuel mileage is unreal. I will not give figures until I have a few tanks through it, but it is approximately double what the 1FZ was giving me, maybe better.

I had an issue with a recurring fault code relating to the timing advance mechanism. Turns out I had reversed the trigger and switched leads to the prestroke cut relay, which was still clicking on and off somehow (?). As soon as I figured it out, the engine started behaving totally differently, it is smoother and has way more top end (as the pump advances the timing and was not doing so before). It is also even quieter. From 10 feet away you can barely even hear the darn thing running, I think it's as quiet or quieter than a 1HZ.

The transmission shifts fantastic, with the newfound power (with the working timing actuator!) it's a pleasure to drive.

I still need to reinstall the heater box, and build a shroud for the rad, but I've put a few hundred miles on it and it's GREAT!

 

[SuperHatch]

Update, I have been driving mine steady and the fuel mileage is unreal. I will not give figures until I have a few tanks through it, but it is approximately double what the 1FZ was giving me, maybe better.

...From 10 feet away you can barely even hear the darn thing running, I think it's as quiet or quieter than a 1HZ.

The transmission shifts fantastic, with the newfound power (with the working timing actuator!) it's a pleasure to drive.

I still need to reinstall the heater box, and build a shroud for the rad, but I've put a few hundred miles on it and it's GREAT!

You have no idea how giddy this makes me... I actually have time this coming week to get the engine/trans out of my Fuso, I can't wait to get this thing rolling!!!