Toyota 4 Cylinder TURBO diesel Advice

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Jan 29, 2007
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Location
Fort Lupton, CO
Trying to pick someone's brain, does anybody in this section know of a 4 cylinder TURBO diesel Toyota engine that would have these specs?:

1- MUST BE TURBO
2- NON Efi(mechanical injection)
3- That would bolt to a US spec 5 speed trans eg. W56, R150F, R151F, either directly, or with the right combo of US trans/JDM Bellhousing.
4- 12V Charging system

Looking to do a buggy, and want a Turbo Diesel Toy 4cy engine, I already have the W56 all the way back to dual cases, I would like to find an engine that I can mate to it, or worst case scenario, I could convert to a R150/151F, mechanical injection is a must, dont want to deal with ecu wiring, manual trans is a must too, as dont want to deal with auto trans ecu's either..


Any info is GREATLY appreciated!


I have talked to a couple importers of JDM engines, and they tell me that the "3L" can mate to a US trans with the correct bellhousing, but it is naturally aspirated, I would like a turbo..
 
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agreed but a turbo toyota diesel is more money than NA and junk yard turbos are cheap.
just making a suggestion is all...
...now back to your regular programing...
 
Hunt around for the turbo system off a 2LTE that blew a head or something. Probably get the whole she-bang (turbo, manifolds, piping, etc.) from a scrapyard in Australia for like $500 US + ~$250 to ship and you got a bolt on kit for a 3L engine. Maybe add a bit more to redo the turbo if it's hooped.

here ya go: Installing A Turbo On A 1989 2.8 Liter 3L Hilux Diesel Engine - 4wheeling Canada

Or if you gots another $3,000 to throw around : Ray Hall Turbocharging - Toyota Hilux 3L turbocharger kit
 
woth the way the 2LTE are dieing in Canada you can find one easy enough up here.
actually Dan at 4wheel auto has a 2LTE that he is parting out, you can score the complete setup cheap.
 
x3 what they said.

Buy a 3L. Then wait for a 2LT-E to die, and buy the turbo and manifold off of it.

Otherwise you'd be looking for a 2LT, or a 2LII-T. If you were doing that, why not just get a 3L and make it a 3L-T by snagging the bits off of a 2LT-E?

Dan
 
x3 what they said.

Buy a 3L. Then wait for a 2LT-E to die, and buy the turbo and manifold off of it.

Otherwise you'd be looking for a 2LT, or a 2LII-T. If you were doing that, why not just get a 3L and make it a 3L-T by snagging the bits off of a 2LT-E?

Dan

I assume you are Dan?, I was just reading a writeup you did on your conversion, nice job on your 2LT-E conversion, I wish I had the expertise you do, but wires scare me!, the only thing I didnt see with your conversion was what bellhousing you ended up using?, was it a JDM V6 bellhousing?, your thread says you used a R150F(I am assuming that is a 3vze trans?), those are good transmissions, but I am not fond of the chain driven cases, I would want dual
gear driven cases...

I think that the engine I am looking for is a 2LT,

I just found a guy that converted his 89 22re to a 2LT, he used the JDM bellhousing, and he says it bolted to his G58 trans, I dont know much about those, as I am more accustom to the W56 transmissions... I wonder if I locate a 2LT, if I could get a JDM bellhousing, and a g58 trans, then bolt my 2 gear driven cases to that?, or are the g58, and W56 transmissions the same bolt pattern?

Is there a site that has any good info on what bolts together with what? US vs JDM?
 
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agreed but a turbo toyota diesel is more money than NA and junk yard turbos are cheap.
just making a suggestion is all...
...now back to your regular programing...

Some info I found from Toyota Truck Diesel Conversion FAQ and Guide


Can I put a turbo on an L or 2L engine that didn't have one originally?

This question comes up a lot. The answer is: not easily. Simply adding a turbo won't gain you much unless the injection pump has a way to progressively deliver more fuel as the boost increases. Factory turbo engines have a boost compensator mechanism on the injection pump that does just that.

Some people have added a turbo anyway and attempted to compensate by adjusting the fuel screw on the injection pump. However, this increases fuel delivery by a fixed amount across the entire throttle and boost ranges, so you'll always end up with a fuel mixture that's either too lean at full boost, or too rich at idle (or both).



I think that is why I am leary of buying a naturally aspirated engine, and then trying to convert to turbo, so I think the 2LT sounds like the choice for me...just have to find one of those JDM importers...
 
2LT sounds good .. down here you can found 'em cheap .. the only issue it's are head weak engines .. so another thing to keep in mind ..

3L are really nice engines .. very capable and I thought not big deal with the fuel .. much more if it gonna be a weekend toy trail warrior ..

You can control the max fue and max boost .. and only need tu survive with rich ( if it can be ) at low rpm ( that actually you can regulate with your right foot )
 
Anything starting in "2LT", run away. Hell, try a M/B 5cyl turbo...

So you think the 3L is a wiser choice? If I buy one from a JDM importer, I wonder what "small" things I will need to source out too? bellhousing? Starter? Flywheel?
 
So you think the 3L is a wiser choice?

No,I think a 1KZ T would be your best option. They came with a R151f.
It meets all the requirements
 
Hmmm now I am really confused :)

Im not sure what the HP output of each engine,but Ill bet the 1KZ T will perform longer under load than the 3L with an aftermarket turbo.


The last time I read a thread on the 3L with aftermarket turbo,the reponses were fairly mixed from owners who had done it.
Of course ,how its set up and how its driven is a big factor.

There are also 5LE diesels floating around out there. I think they are available without the E in a non electronic form in.
 
I assume you are Dan?, I was just reading a writeup you did on your conversion, nice job on your 2LT-E conversion, I wish I had the expertise you do, but wires scare me!, the only thing I didnt see with your conversion was what bellhousing you ended up using?, was it a JDM V6 bellhousing?, your thread says you used a R150F(I am assuming that is a 3vze trans?), those are good transmissions, but I am not fond of the gear driven cases, I would want dual
gear driven cases...

Is there a site that has any good info on what bolts together with what? US vs JDM?

That is me. Thanks for the compliments.

Frankly, if you're mostly planning on wheeling,the turbo is just along for the ride. The diesels aren't at all like the 22RTE engines (which have lower compression to work with the turbo, which means you need to spool the turbo to make power/torque, which means you need super low gears....). When wheeling, my turbo really doesn't do anything useful. It's just spinning in the wind, as it were.

A 3L would be absolutely ideal for this. The place where the turbo is awesome is on the highway. Wheeling and crawling the truck simply idles all the time, but when I want some prolonged acceleration (or real acceleration) then the turbo gets to kick in. I only really feel my turbo at 2200rpm or so. It's kind of like having an engine optimized for BOTH situations. When crawling it is a steady amount of torque, and even if I go from idle to stomping on the pedal, when crawling it'll take quite some time for it to build power and get going. This is a great thing, as it really makes it easy to keep the wheels from breaking lose. At the same time, when I want to make a lot of power, spooling the turbo up really makes a lot of power.

To quickly answer: yes, I used the R150f (which is the same as used behind the 3.0). The bellhousing will bolt between an L series (2LT-E, 3L, etc...) and an R series transmission (meaning I could also bolt an R151f to it). There is also a bellhousing that goes between an L series motor and the G and W series transmissions. If you had that, you COULD use the G58 or 52, or the W56 (silly to use the G if you ask me). Pretty simple really.

IF (and it's a big if) you could find a 1KZ-T, then I'd jump on that. They seem much more robust than any of the L series engines to me. The 3L is a workhorse (but naturally aspirated). The 2LT-E will crack the head (and is EFI). The 2LII-T might crack the head, as might the 2LT.

At your altitude by the way, most of what a turbo would do would be to normalize the engine, and it is already set to deliver fuel for that. That's the VAST amount of what my turbo does for me. When I've had it at sea level, I'm not as impressed with it. It gives you boost, but it's not the same as simply normalizing the engine when you are cruising.

For a crawling buggy.... my choices would be:
1) 1KZ-T/R151f
2) 3L, with turbo from 2LT-E/W-56 (just because you've got the W-56 already you say)
3) 3L/W56
4) All others (L, 2L, 2LT, 2LII-T...)

If I were driving through your neck of the woods anytime soon (I might be, I'm never sure of my schedule) I'd let you try a 2LT-E. The diesels are a whole different ballgame in terms of crawling and gearing. My stock 2LT-E/R150f combo on 31" tires will crawl slower than a friend's 80 on 35's and 4.88 gears. A lot of that has to do with the low idle and ability for the diesel to simply idle it's way along the trail--as opposed to having to add gas to keep the engine from stalling. You'd also see how little use a turbo gets for real crawling. For climbing hills and stuff-oh yeah, but for basic rock crawling, it's a cool sound and not much more. (but the cool sound should not be discounted).

As to the little bits you'd need to get as well: bellhousing, starter (the 2LII-T, 2LT-E and 3L 2.0Kw starter is available reman from Toyota at least, but pricey), flywheel (clutch is common to the 22R-E--at least mostly), alternator (the diesel alternators have a vacuum pump built in--or you could have an electric pump for the brakes), fuel filter/primer (you could buy a Racor instead), and the basic intake plumbing.

Dan
 
VW Diesel

I think you would be better served by going with a VW engine, either the 1.6TD or 1.9TD, both mech. injected with minimal wiring and both very reliable. Relatively easy to find on craigslist and I would think enough power for a buggy/crawler. I am all for Toy. diesels, but the VW has much wider parts availability and you can find them used locally.

See Acme adapters for adapters to your tranny:

ACME ADAPTERS Suzuki Samurai Turbo Diesel

Here is a related discussion about the merits of using the newer 2.0L variant in a cruiser:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/diesel-tech-24-volts-systems/275017-does-size-matter.html
 
KZTE's can be run with an injector pump off a 2LT (or you might get lucky and find a 1KZ IP) and ditch the electronic jibber-jabber, some report a decrease in performance. The 1KZ (non electronic) are pretty rare, and one with a manual bellhousing is rarer still. The KZ to R transmission bellhousing is a bit on the "hard to source" side. The bulk of KZs were mated to auto's. I'm assuming you know abot the clutch fork reversal between the gas and diesel bellhousings. You can score a 1KZTE mated to an auto transmission for less than $2500. here ya go, $1800: eBay Motors: JDM TOYOTA 1KZTE Turbo Diesel // 4Runne Tacoma 1KZ 2LT (item 310137996152 end time May-24-09 10:35:26 PDT)

If you're not in a hurry, you'll be able to find a bellhousing in asia somewhere. and the wiring is not impossible, but if you don't have the harness it will be a project. KZs have also been known to have head issues.

1L, 2L are pretty anemic and not even worth bothering with a turbo.



2LT, head cracking only slightly less than the 2LTE. 2LTEs are pretty easy to find and about the same price as 1KZTEs. Easier to find bellhousings for. The majority of 2LTEs have a dual-mass flywheel. These have a pretty high failure rate and are a throw-away part. Springs wear out, which can be replaced, but once the friction material is gone, they are toast, no rebuild kit. ie, dual-mass flywheel=huge PIA. A 3L flywheel bolts right on to the 2LTE and is solid. Same as 22R clutch.

The 3L seems to have the best reputation for reliability, and bolts up everything that the 2LT(E) bolts to. Same bellhousing pattern, same engine mounts. It's probably the right engine for what you are doing, low and slow off road. Lots of 3Ls running around in Aus. with a turbo, just like lots of 3Bs with turbo. It seems in moderation, the turbo doesn't seem to affect longevity all that dramatically. 5Ls seem to have a pretty good reputation as well, but seem rare maybe because they weren't put into the hilux. You will also want a high altitiude compensator (HAC) some 3L/5L have them, some don't. Basically regulates the fuel delivery by way of ambient air pressure. without it in CO, is suspect the engine would run pretty crappy without fiddling with the fuel volume.

Couple other things to note, there at least two configurations for oil pans on both the KZs, an 3Ls. On the KZ, the sump (lowest point on the oilpan) is either toward the front, or toward the back (what difference this actually makes in fitting, i don't know). On the L series engines there are 2WD oilpans and 4WD oil pans. They are 100% interchangeable on all L series blocks. the 2WD pan won't work in a 4WD truck, and vice versa. Important detail to note when ordering an engine (if you're really stuck I gots a 4WD pan floating around here somewhere).

Other than moving up to Landcruiser engines, that's probably about it.

Hino/Toyota aren't the be-all and end-all. If youre willing to move engine mounts for a KZ, why not look into other options. Isuzu, Benz, or like above VWs are great little engines.
 
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