2L-TE advice and info

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red dirt squirt

red dirt squirt

Joined
Jul 13, 2004
Threads
20
Messages
178
Location
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
I just purchase a 2L-TE motor to replace my tired 22RE. I know nothing about this motor other than what i read in an article about diesel swaps. Hopefully i didn't goof....this was kind of a splurdge purchase. I was hoping someone could tell me what i have just gotten myslef into....I plan to put it in my 1988 p/u but I have no wiring harness or ECU for the 2L-TE...I placed a wtb post in the classifieds for the harness and ECU....have no clue where to find one. Any info about the motor or swap or links to relative threads is appreciated.
yo1.webp
 
You really DO NOT want a 2LTE. Use the search function...

If you are stuck with it, take off the electronic pump and beat it to death with a sledge hammer and then melt down the scraps and then beat those into a pulp again. Repeat this process numerous times until you are satisfied it will never work again or come back to life in any way, shape or form.

Now that you've done your search on these forums, sit back and drink a bottle of Jack and repost that engine for sale and pray that someone else buys it from you.

If you're really truly stuck with it, install a non-electronic pump with a boost compensator (2LT pump will probably work). Calibrate it on the conservative side of things, crank the boost, install an intercooler, pyrometer and boost gauge. Run a HUGE cooling system, and save up to buy a new head if the engine was from a JDM.

~John
PS: sorry, but I'm a life member of the "rid the planet of 2LTE engines" club
 
Hey RDSquirt
I had a 1990 Prado LJ-78 with the 2L-TE engine that I purchased in Japan, imported to Canada. I had no problem with it. 147,000 Kilometers on it when purchased, 215,000 kilos when sold. Drove it for five years, did not do anything to it except change the oil and the timing belt. However, as John said, many of the JDM engines overheated and cracked the cylinder head. Mine is a rare example that is still going strong to this day.
John at Radd Cruisers is not the only person who works on Landcruisers for a living to dislike this engine, as many more imported to Canada died an early death than those that survived like mine.
I think some people might agree, on your application, you may want to consider a 2L T that was available in the mid 1980's toyota trucks in North America, if you can swap or sell the engine you bought. FWIW

Cheers,
Gord
 
Go with what John says. Option 1 is highly recommended or just flog it to some one else who also has enough money to buy engines without researching them. If you keep it, I have two other recommendations in addition to John's. First, you get a doctor to prescribe you a sufficient supply of Valium (or any other anxiety drug) to cover the time you will have this engine. Second, that you only use Evan's Waterless Coolant: Home » Engine Cooling Systems

Okay, as Gord implies, not everyone has a nightmare with this engine. I have known quite a few people who have had it on their Surfs, Prados, etc. I have only know one person who never had significant problems and expenses with it. And, he only had it for about a year before it was stolen and written off. IMO, truly a blessing in disguise (but he may post a different view). :rolleyes:

BTW, there is a certain irony that you are replacing one of Toyota's most dependable engines with one of their worst ones.
 
You know, when the do run well they are really pretty good, but on the repair shop side of things I deal with sick engines and not the ones that are working flawlessly.

We did a 3L swap into a Prado with the 2LTE turbo installed on it and that thing rocks - but doesn't get very good fuel economy and the guy who owns it drives it fairly hard.

I have a pretty strong suspicion that the electronic pump is a big part of what causes these engines to run hot. Even at idle these little monsters put out a lot of heat. And, as we know, heat is a big killer of diesels.


~John
 
oops

well sh*t...that's not what i wanted to hear. clearly i should have looked before i leaped...I just really want to go the diesel route...but looks like this isnt the way to do it....oh well i will figure something out. thanks for the help...
any chance you all could get me pointed in the right direction....what is a better option and where would i find an engine
matt
 
Last edited:
red dirt squirt said:
well sh*t...that's not what i wanted to hear. clearly i should have looked before i leaped...I just really want to go the diesel route...but looks like this isnt the way to do it....oh well i will figure something out. thanks for the help...
any chance you all could get me pointed in the right direction....what is a better option and where would i find an engine
matt
Click to expand...

I have a 2LT-E, and I love my faux-lux. That said, I wish it wasn't a 2LT-E, for the head cracking issue. My head hasn't cracked yet (knock on wood), but when it's running well it really is a fine machine.

If I were you, I would either find a 3L, put the turbo and manifold from the 2LT-E on it and run that, or I would get comfortable with the idea that you have an engine at is not half bad when driving and wheeling, but is a ticking time bomb waiting to make you buy a new head. I have accepted the fact that I will have to replace the head, and driving around worrying about the head is kind of a bummer, but otherwise love my little truck with the 2LT-E. I like my 2LT-E better than I liked the 22RE, and that's saying something...

Dan
 
John,
disagree (surprised?)
even when running right they are a fuel thirsty, gutless POS. no such thing as a "pretty nice" 2LTE.
the 2LT has more power, better fuel economy and much more reliable ...

(he should have just turbo'd his 22RE)
 
RE

isn't the 2LT basically the same as the 2L-TE minus the EFI. If the basic frame work of a good engine is there, would it not be better for me to just remove the EFI and replace it with mechanical fuel injection and have basically the same thing as a 2LT?
 
The 2LT and the 2LTII marks the difference between the heads: the 2LT is roller rockers and the 2LTII and 2LTE are bucket and shim. The 2LTs still had trouble, but not anything like the 2LTE.

I have never cut a 2LTE head apart to see exactly what is wrong with the head, and so I can't say for sure what differences there are between the head that came on the 2LTE and the 3L of the same vintage. I also do not have any specific information about what differences there are in the "upgraded" 3L head from Toyota that gets used as the replacement unit.

The 3L does not seem to have that many issues compared to the 2LTE, but the bottom end is the same and if you replace the head of a 2LTE the top end is the same. The primary differences are in the pump - with the electronic unit being problematic (and in my opinion, causing the 2LTE to run much hotter than it should). Most diesels have a hard time getting fully warm at idle, but the 2LTE gets smoking hot in only a few minutes of idling.

Parts suppliers only like the 2LTE because it's a good source of parts sales - my engine parts have said this on occasion.

You might want to query the mini-truck section on 'Mud and see what they say about these engines in real world use. I don't quite know for sure how many countries got the 2LTE, and I don't have a percentage death count for this engine, but from my point of view seeing JDMs brought into to Canada, the death count represents a very high percentage that will eventually suffer a cracked head. I am also quite confident that many were already dead while still in Japan, and that moving to Canada just pushed them over the edge.

The dead 3Ls that I have seen (comparatively few - but there are also far fewer 3Ls here), have all been due to serious over-heating.


~John
 
red dirt squirt said:
well sh*t...that's not what i wanted to hear. clearly i should have looked before i leaped...I just really want to go the diesel route...but looks like this isnt the way to do it....oh well i will figure something out. thanks for the help...
any chance you all could get me pointed in the right direction....what is a better option and where would i find an engine
matt
Click to expand...

I believe my neighbour put a 3B in his mini-truck and just added a turbo. He got it cheap from the old rusted out BJ60. That's old tech but cheap when you get the whole thing for about $1000. To find whole vehicles like this search Craigslist in Canada.

But probably the cheapest route to go is as Crushers says, just turbo a 22RE. Used 22RE's are cheap and they are likely many more available much closer to you.
 
the "upgrade" 3L head is still the same piss poor design, false advertising in hopes to save face.

Toyota's engineers dropped the ball on this one.
 
Well that's unfortunate that the 3L head offers no resolve to this overheating problem, apparently I bought a real piece of crap which is also unfortunate and probably what I deserve considering my lack of research. Seeing that in the summer here we see temps around 110 degrees farenheit, this would probably only amplify these problems. Maybe I can pawn this thing off on someone equally as ignorant as I. Regardless, I appreciate all the advice. I am still really interested in doing a diesel swap on this truck because I have a lot of time and money in it and there is nothing around here diesel that I know of as far as mini trucks go and its turning out to be a really nice rig. Let me know if any good options cross your minds as to what would be a good swap. I guess there's really nothing wrong with my 22re other than the fact that oil pours out of every orophus of it. None the less, a little more power would be nice but I don't want anything GM on it and still really like the oil burners......THANKS AGAIN!!

Matt
 
Radd Cruisers said:
Most diesels have a hard time getting fully warm at idle, but the 2LTE gets smoking hot in only a few minutes of idling.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I have never seen another 2LT-E, but mine does not exhibit this at all. In fact, it's 6 degrees F here today, so I started the faux-lux, and let it idle while I went back inside to brush my teeth. Of course, the friend I was going to have lunch with called to postpone it a bit, so an hour later I got out to get into my truck. It STILL wasn't up to temperature. It wasn't until I started heading up the hill that it got up to operating temperature and the T-stat opened up.

Mine has always taken forever to warm up, unless I drive into town via the big steep hill, in which case the engine gets plenty warm pretty quick.

Dan
 
well, first, the 2lte is NOT more powerful than the 22RE. the 2LTE is NOT better on fuel. the 2LTE is NOT cheap to fix.

if it was my truck, i would go buy another 22RE and rebuild it tweaking it along the way and then add the turbo. SCORE.

this is the funny side of this whole thread.
you will find some sucker to buy it.
he will buy it unknowningly.
he will then come on mud going "i bought this engine, what do you think"
then he will sell it.
and so on
and so on
and so on
and so on
 
DanS HJ-45 said:
It wasn't until I started heading up the hill that it got up to operating temperature and the T-stat opened up.

Mine has always taken forever to warm up, unless I drive into town via the big steep hill, in which case the engine gets plenty warm pretty quick.
Click to expand...

Sounds to me that your thermostat is shot and is not closing at all. If you are not getting up to the proper operating temp, then you are causing other problems.
 
red dirt squirt said:
I guess there's really nothing wrong with my 22re other than the fact that oil pours out of every orophus of it.
Click to expand...

There are more than a few Toyota engines - including oil burners - which tend to leak oil. I think it is Toyota's unofficial way to help prevent rust. :D

If you want more power in a Toyota diesel, then you are going to have to look at other newer diesels and a lot more money.
 
Just wanted a diesel (crushers). This is why the forum is here, so other people can learn.
 
Yeah I was reading a 40 some odd long page 1kz-te swap....I would love to have something like this but I don't have that type of mechanical skill and I have no wiring skills...I was just hoping to find something that would be an improvement and somewhat of a direct swap that i could handle. It doesn't really sound like this is a viable option...I am just a construction superintendent.......you need road and bridge building tech, I am your man....until then I guess I will just keep saving until I can buy some of the neat sh*t that you guys build. Being in the construction industry, I know tons of mechanics but no one will touch this with a 10 foot pole....at least not in okc...they just don't want to spend that kind of time on something they don't know about and I don't blame them. I can't find anyone around here that will do it or help me do it so....oh well. I will just keep saving and get what I want.
 
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