Builds '91 Pickup diesel conversion (1 Viewer)

[DanS HJ-45]

Last two...

This is my truck tonight. I'll snap some pics in the sunlight tomorrow morning. Might even wash it. I only wash my truck two or three times a year, need it or not. I still need to trim my plastic splash guards for the ARB though.



So, I can report that the Roundeyes are AWESOME. I cannot overemphasize just how much I like them. Not only did I clear up my little voltage problem, but the Roundeyes are simply the coolest thing ever. I am now safe to drive at night again! I really like the beam of light they put out, especially the fact that it cuts off at the "top" of the beam so as not to blind everyone else.

The ARB added a grand total of 35 pounds to my truck over the stock bumper, and I don't think I need to go into the benefits of it. I am, as they say, pleased as can be. I'm pretty sure my Dad will end up ordering one for his Tacoma soon too (which will make me happy, because the chrome piece of junk he put on the front of it a while ago is USELESS--and ugly). It will be a few years before I add a winch most likely, but at least now I'm ready for when that day comes.

To recap: go buy the Roundeyes for your truck. You need them. Seriously.

That's it for now. I think the faux-lux will stay this way for the near foreseeable future. It is serving as my very daily driver (and I am driving from Albuquerque to Denver at least twice a month again), I am saving to buy land/house, AND my 45 sorely demands my attention. The 1HZ, Turbo and H55f aren't going to install themselves, you know!

Dan

 

[DanS HJ-45]

So, here's how it sat when I got up this morning... Yes, that is a '58 Power Wagon. It belongs to my mother (seriously). Yes that is a PTO winch.


Sitting in the same spot as the "before" picture, but all cleaned up! Blingy!


And here it is next to my 45. The 45 is very, very close to getting the attention it deserves.


That's probably it for a while. I've got to save my pennies, work on my 45, and it's just too sweet right now.

Dan

 

[Bogo]

You'll like your new bumper. I've already had one deer test mine out. No damage.

I still have to make the light upgrade, but have some engine work first.

If you do decide you need more spring strength, consider getting OME's torsion bars. After putting the bumper on and before I put them in I bottomed out on the front end more often than before switching bumpers. Now I rarely bottom out.

 

[DanS HJ-45]

I already like the bumper a lot. I've put about 500 miles on it (yes, I drive a LOT) and I have determined that in it's current state, without a winch, that it provides more air to the radiator that the stock bumper and air dam. See, my thermostat has stopped closing completely (next PM it's getting replaced--about 1500 more miles), and now even a small downhill stretch will start dropping the temp gauge. It's even warmer this week than last, and the same exact hills now get the engine cd, as opposed to just chilled. VERY good to know that the bumper really doesn't cut down on cooling airflow.

Oh, and the Royndeyes are one of the vest things I've done to the truck. I don't know what they did to them, but the difference between the sealed beam units and the Roundeyes is more amazing now that I've driven 300+ miles at night with them.

Someday I'll either SAS the truck, or just put the full OME 2.5" kit under it. No bottoming with it yet, but I haven't done anything other than highway miles yet either.

Dan

 

[Bogo]

I already like the bumper a lot. I've put about 500 miles on it (yes, I drive a LOT) and I have determined that in it's current state, without a winch, that it provides more air to the radiator that the stock bumper and air dam. See, my thermostat has stopped closing completely (next PM it's getting replaced--about 1500 more miles), and now even a small downhill stretch will start dropping the temp gauge. It's even warmer this week than last, and the same exact hills now get the engine cd, as opposed to just chilled. VERY good to know that the bumper really doesn't cut down on cooling airflow.

ARB does allot of engineering design work on their products. With travel in the Austrailian outback they have to breath well due to the high ambient temperatures. My speculation is having a winch won't effect the cooling much. BTW, look at the air deflectors underneith the main bumper body.

Oh, and the Royndeyes are one of the vest things I've done to the truck. I don't know what they did to them, but the difference between the sealed beam units and the Roundeyes is more amazing now that I've driven 300+ miles at night with them.

Being a split bulb/reflector unit they can shape the reflector and lens to maximize output where it is needed and drop it off allot where it isn't. The old headlight design standards are way out of date as far as optics design goes. Another advantage Roundeyes has is the old headlight standard had the same unit on both sides. Roundeyes has different reflectors for each side. You just can't do that with a universal bulb/reflector combo.

Someday I'll either SAS the truck, or just put the full OME 2.5" kit under it. No bottoming with it yet, but I haven't done anything other than highway miles yet either.

My long term plan is the 2.5" OME lift or maybe just keep the rear suspension stock. I have the front ride height adjusted to neutral to match the stock springs in back. I need to replace the rear leaf springs some day due to often having weight in back. Right now there is close to 600 lbs of marble back there for the winter.

I noticed the increased bottoming out due to using it over rough fields all the time. Also I went from just the stock bumper to the ARB so I had a bit greater weight increase.

 

[Combat Chuck]

quick question

I'm right now buying a little pickup to phase out my Olds' and fill in for my 40 until I can actually afford to work on it (IE after college) and I'm hoping to swap out the 22R/W52 for a 3L/R151 or 1KZ-TE/R151 next year sometime, and I was wondering what kind of barrel-hoops you had to jump through to re-register your vehicle as a diesel conversion.
Is there some agency or desk-jockey I need to appease within the DMV, or is it a matter of filling out the right forms?

 

[DanS HJ-45]

I'm right now buying a little pickup to phase out my Olds' and fill in for my 40 until I can actually afford to work on it (IE after college) and I'm hoping to swap out the 22R/W52 for a 3L/R151 or 1KZ-TE/R151 next year sometime, and I was wondering what kind of barrel-hoops you had to jump through to re-register your vehicle as a diesel conversion.
Is there some agency or desk-jockey I need to appease within the DMV, or is it a matter of filling out the right forms?

In NM I just had to take it to the city (Albuquerque) inspection office. They had a bunch of guys (who surprisingly knew a LOT about vehicles--not the DMV flunkies I was expecting), they checked that it was a diesel, and that it didn't smoke up the place--then I was issued a new title with the fuel type changed to "diesel."

Easy as pie, really. And then when I moved up to CO it was just as painless to register it here, because I already had the diesel title (and moved to a county that doesn't do emissions anyway).

Do it. Getting mileage this good is just too sweet. The faux-lux gets better mileage than my fiancee's CRV. No joke. If you go the 3L route, budget for a turbo from a 2LT-E though.

Since I didn't do it earlier, here's my truck with a CO plate. I'll have to change it whenever I buy a winch.


Dan

 

[Combat Chuck]

In NM I just had to take it to the city (Albuquerque) inspection office. They had a bunch of guys (who surprisingly knew a LOT about vehicles--not the DMV flunkies I was expecting), they checked that it was a diesel, and that it didn't smoke up the place--then I was issued a new title with the fuel type changed to "diesel."

Easy as pie, really. And then when I moved up to CO it was just as painless to register it here, because I already had the diesel title (and moved to a county that doesn't do emissions anyway).

Do it. Getting mileage this good is just too sweet. The faux-lux gets better mileage than my fiancee's CRV. No joke. If you go the 3L route, budget for a turbo from a 2LT-E though.

Since I didn't do it earlier, here's my truck with a CO plate. I'll have to change it whenever I buy a winch.
View attachment 440571

Dan

Thanks! I'll ask the DMV gnomes when I register my truck after I pick it up from Yodaman this week. I'm just excited to be getting a truck, let alone something I'll turn into a diesel in a year or so. I probably will have to pick your brain a bit more when the time comes.

Awesome pic, too. I can't decide which is cooler, the truck, the toppled wall, or the emerald-green hill behind everything.

 

[Toyo Boyo]

Only just seen this thread - great work, really great. We're lucky enough to get JDM's in the UK - here's a pic of my old Surf 2.4LTE - with a little mod you MUST fit

Did you spot it? Another clue (ahh, parked next to my old LN130 too).......

Hood shot

Yup, fit a simple intercooler - noticeable increase in torque, with your skills you'll pull it off easy, then you can get on with the 45

 

[Combat Chuck]

I dig the hood scoop! I'd also like to come up with one of those JDM fender mirrors for The Mule when I clean up all her body dings and repaint her.

 

[mercfan]

Excellent

Dan -

I must say, I've read the entire post start to finish tonight and WOW your skills are admirable and the results are fantastic.

You and I exchanged PMs earlier this week (I'm the guy from Westminster). Looking forward to seeing your truck in person one day.

This just got me even more excited about the diesel swap...

You mentioned 1KZ-TE as a good candidate... I've read that all the electronics make it kind of a pain to swap. Also, I plan on using BD and worry a bit about electronically controlled injection - not sure why... just always thought more electronics means more possible problems... I read that there's also the 1KZ-T... thoughts on contrasting the two?!

Also, what transmission would you put behind the 1KZ-T/TE engine for maximum MPG?

 

[Combat Chuck]

Dan -

I must say, I've read the entire post start to finish tonight and WOW your skills are admirable and the results are fantastic.

You and I exchanged PMs earlier this week (I'm the guy from Westminster). Looking forward to seeing your truck in person one day.

This just got me even more excited about the diesel swap...

You mentioned 1KZ-TE as a good candidate... I've read that all the electronics make it kind of a pain to swap. Also, I plan on using BD and worry a bit about electronically controlled injection - not sure why... just always thought more electronics means more possible problems... I read that there's also the 1KZ-T... thoughts on contrasting the two?!

Also, what transmission would you put behind the 1KZ-T/TE engine for maximum MPG?

If you know what you're doing, the electronics aren't that hard to deal with. In simplest form: all you really need is the complete engine harness connected to all the necessary sensors, and to avoid things that may foul-up the computer. These can be frustrating at times, but it's never a debilitating problem for a build.
I really like Dan's swap because all he did was graft in the engine harness into the truck's pre-existing harness, which is comparable to installing Howell TBI on a 40, you need a power source, a palce to put the computer, and locations for lights, and interface ports.

Go for the swap, man, diesel's the way to go!

Also, I wold definitely recommend the R151F transmission, it's a well-geared, quiet, and tough gearbox, and in terms of efficiency, manual's the only way to go.

 

[DanS HJ-45]

Yup, fit a simple intercooler - noticeable increase in torque, with your skills you'll pull it off easy, then you can get on with the 45

Ooooh. I like. Did you measure a drop in EGTs with it?

Truth be told I've been thinking about an intercooler like that, and maybe adding some "louvers" to the hood to let the heat out around the turbo....

Merc: we'll definitely talk when the schedules match up. Chuck is spot on with the wiring. It's a pain, but not that big of a pain. And the benefits you gain from an EFI engine are pretty impressive. Denso electrics are top shelf, so the limiting factor is your wiring ability. I did the same amount of wiring work as I would have done with a 1KZ-TE, FWIW (but I get to live with the head-crack-o-matic). As to transmission: R151 or R150. I have the 150, and I don't know if I'd want to drive one with a lower 1st gear. It feel plenty low as it is, and the other 4 are the same. Again, Chuck is spot on when he says for efficiency manual is the only way to go.

Dan

 

[Toyo Boyo]

Ooooh. I like. Did you measure a drop in EGTs with it?

Truth be told I've been thinking about an intercooler like that, and maybe adding some "louvers" to the hood to let the heat out around the turbo....

Dan

I didn't have a pyro fitted so not sure about temp drop. All I do know is that the truck run better, a lot better.

I posted a write up on the Aussie forum, info about fitting the scoop too - Intercooling

( ToyotaSurf Australia Site )

If you haven't already, check out www.hiluxsurf.co.uk - lots of info coz JDM diesel Surfs are common as muck in the UK these days. Also, ebay.co.uk is a good place for spares - lots of the guys will export to the States.

Of all the many mods I made to lower under hood temps, the best were - a small body lift (allowed air to run around the auto tranny) and an after-market tranny cooler. Toyota use the engine to maintain the temp of the tranny. When stressed all the extra heat from the tranny overheats the engine. Problems you will not encounter!

And you were spot on about the failing heads on the 2.4. Replaced mine with a 2.8 (3L) head and never had another problem with it.

 

[DanS HJ-45]

I didn't have a pyro fitted so not sure about temp drop. All I do know is that the truck run better, a lot better.

I posted a write up on the Aussie forum, info about fitting the scoop too - Intercooling

( ToyotaSurf Australia Site )

If you haven't already, check out www.hiluxsurf.co.uk - lots of info coz JDM diesel Surfs are common as muck in the UK these days. Also, ebay.co.uk is a good place for spares - lots of the guys will export to the States.

Of all the many mods I made to lower under hood temps, the best were - a small body lift (allowed air to run around the auto tranny) and an after-market tranny cooler. Toyota use the engine to maintain the temp of the tranny. When stressed all the extra heat from the tranny overheats the engine. Problems you will not encounter!

And you were spot on about the failing heads on the 2.4. Replaced mine with a 2.8 (3L) head and never had another problem with it.

Very interesting.... I'll have to whip out the tape measure and see if I can figure something out that wouldn't require a body lift. I really, really like keeping my c.g. low. I'll also have to go looking around the UK Surf site. I have looked through the others, but that one is new to me...

Dan

 

[Toyo Boyo]

There is a guy who fitted his intercooler to the far RHS of the engine bay - that would be US drivers side. This did not require a body lift so would suit your need to keep the C of G low. Search on the UK site.

Maybe score a lower profile intercooler?

If you have a look on the Aussie site you'll see 4 or 5 other methods of cooling that do not require a body lift.

 

[Combat Chuck]

I think an air-to-water intercooler would fit nicely, the heat exchanger's fairly compact as I understand it, and comes in a variety of angles to fit into whatever obscure corner's available. when I do my diesel swap, I'm seriously considering an affordable air-to-water package, which seems to run about 90-130 dollars depending on what you buy.

Another possibility is water/methanol injection, compact, simple, switch-activated, and it cleans out your engine, too.

 

[85 t runner]

And shortly thereafter I drove it out of the shop for the first time in about a year. Yes, all of that dust is from the time taken to do the swap.

All told, I spent an actual 5 weeks of work on it, but the job I had at the time generally had me working for a month or two, before I got the time off to get home for maybe a week of work. And the first day was usually taken up trying to remember what on earth I was doing, and the last day was spent cleaning up for my absence.

It's now been on the road for about a year and 15,000 miles. My mileage is indeed awesome (about 30-35mpg typically), and it has a LOT more power than the 22R-E ever did. I used to be able to drive up the canyon from town at 53 mph with the gas engine, the first time I drove into town and back with the diesel I did it at the speed limit (65 mph)--I realized a day or two later than my speedo is off by about 16%, so I was actually doing about 75. I had LOTS of power to spare even at that speed.

Torque is obviously impressive. Like all real diesels I let out ont he clutch before I add any gas, mostly to save the clutch. In fact, the torque is so impressive that every time you hit a bump on the highway, your foot bounces a little on the throttle and you quickly skip a heartbeat wondering "did the engine just die?"

The 2LT-E has a serious problem with the head. Mine has not failed yet. I fully expect it to someday. When that happens, I will replace it with a 3L head which should fix the problem for good. Everyone who's heads had failed was right around 2 weeks/200 miles after they got it running (the stop leak fails about that time), about that same mark on mine I was driving it around and the engine would lose power on hills, and the check engine light would come on. Obviouly I was sure my head had just died. But, upon further inspection, it was just the biodiesel cleaning out junk from the fuel system--it was clogging my el cheapo fuel filter and causing the fuel pressure to drop (which caused both the power loss and the ECU light). After cleaning the filter (by blowing through it) the problem went away. Hasn't returned since.

Other than that, there was the leaking hot rod part, but once I tightened that hose clamp, the problem was fixed.

Other than that, it's been maintenance free!

The pics are the truck outside for the first time, a pic of the interior (if you look closely, you can see that I kept the RHD shift levers--not as awkward as it might sound--I also get to feel up passengers a lot ), and a pic of the truck just last month. In fact that's a pic of it on the day I brought the HJ-45 home.

Still to do:

replace that stupid hot rod part
replace head with 3L head
SAS
replace the body with a 4 door Hilux body
install correct speedo drive gear (got to find 4.11 drive for an R series, mostly I'm just lazy)
replace fuel lines from filter to IP (want hard line, and to replace all rubber with Viton)

I think that's it, whew!

BTW-if anyone is interested, I've got all kids of wierd stuff for sale after this swap. Anyone want a RHD interior?

Dan

wondering if you know if the 2lt diesel (not the 2lt-E) , also had head problems, and do you think the 2lt would be a doner for a 1991 2nd generation 4runner . thanks

 

[DanS HJ-45]

wondering if you know if the 2lt diesel (not the 2lt-E) , also had head problems, and do you think the 2lt would be a doner for a 1991 2nd generation 4runner . thanks

I don't think the 2L-T has head cracking problems as bad as the 2LT-E, but I hear it has issues there as well. It's just that 2.4L with a turbo is working pretty hard to pull the weight of one of these trucks around, and that leads to problems.

If I had a 1991 4runner, especially if it had a V6, I'd only consider a 1KZ engine. If you've got the 22R-E, then an L series engine may be an OK option, only because you are trading the head cracking issues for the ease of installation.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: my truck is simply awesome. But, it WILL have a crack in the head sooner or later, and I'll grumble and pull out the checkbook, and then it'll be back to being awesome again until the head cracks again. That's just the nature of the L series beast. The less weight your truck carries the more that problem will be minimized. But a 4runner is going to be an easy 600+ pounds heavier than my little truck. You're kind of starting from a disadvantage.

If money were no object, I'd really like to see if a 1PZ would fit in one of these. Since the 1PZ is fitted to an R151, half of the battle is already done getting the power to the wheels.

Dan

 

[85 t runner]

I don't think the 2L-T has head cracking problems as bad as the 2LT-E, but I hear it has issues there as well. It's just that 2.4L with a turbo is working pretty hard to pull the weight of one of these trucks around, and that leads to problems.

If I had a 1991 4runner, especially if it had a V6, I'd only consider a 1KZ engine. If you've got the 22R-E, then an L series engine may be an OK option, only because you are trading the head cracking issues for the ease of installation.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: my truck is simply awesome. But, it WILL have a crack in the head sooner or later, and I'll grumble and pull out the checkbook, and then it'll be back to being awesome again until the head cracks again. That's just the nature of the L series beast. The less weight your truck carries the more that problem will be minimized. But a 4runner is going to be an easy 600+ pounds heavier than my little truck. You're kind of starting from a disadvantage.

If money were no object, I'd really like to see if a 1PZ would fit in one of these. Since the 1PZ is fitted to an R151, half of the battle is already done getting the power to the wheels.Dan

thanks for the quick response , I actually dont own a 4runner there is one fore sale a second generation 4runner with a 2lt turbo engine that I was considering buying but I think I will pass now I dont want to have to worry about the head cracking, I prob will just get a 1st gen 4runner with a 22re engine, how would you compare in reliability 2lt vs 22re , thanks