isuzu 4BD1T swap?! (1 Viewer)

[mudmud]

I got the fever!

Ooooof! I just finished off this thread!!! It took me 3 days to read it end to end and I found it extremely interesting!! Now I've got Isuzu Diesel fever!

I'm the owner of an FJ40, bought for my wife, she HATES manual transmissions.... After a lesson or two she asked can this be converted to automatic... well, being a man and litteral I said "Yes". She said well do it.... So here I have been looking around for tips on converting my FJ40 to Automatic when I realized that since everything has to come out anyway.... I could do that AND give it something with a few more mpgs and would last for ever as opposed to going with a Chevy that would suck gas.... (hey I got 2 of em, fun and fast but I can watch the gauge move!!)

So I'll be starting a thread, prob today, Jan looks like will be the start of some fun!!

Look for FJ40 --> Isuzu 4.9 (Automatic Conversion) coming soon!

Carl
ps hi Jeff!

 

[Bennett]

Is that a typo... 4.9 ?


Not familiar with a 4.9-- Npr's had 3.9 diesel and 5.7 gasser IIRC

I know of a 3.9 zoo zoo auto 5 speed column shift trans here in utah if interested .

 

[dohcdelsol93]

The alternator connections are very simple. The standard Isuzu alternator has an integral regulator which makes it even easier to wire up. Check Fig. 9 on page 6D-14 of the FSM for detailed wiring.

Basically, you have three wires going to a round connector on the back of the alternator plus a heavy black wire (B) going to the output stud also on the back of the alternator. This black wire should be heavy enough to handle the full alternator output (70 A) and goes directly to the (+) of the battery (might be a good idea to protect it with a fusible link or big fuse). The black wire (S) from the round connector also goes directly to the (+) of the battery. It serves to sense the actual voltage at the battery which the regulator uses to control the output voltage of the alternator. The white wire (IG) from the round connector goes to the ignition switch and should be hot only when the ignition switch is in the "run" position. This wire turns the charging system on and off. The white with blue stripe (L) is used to control the "Charge" indicator light and is optional. When the alternator is charging, the (L) wire is hot and turns on the "charge indicator relay". Since the indicator light is wired through the normally closed set of contacts on the relay, when the relay is turned on, the indicator light goes out. Hope that makes sense.

I am to the wiring part of my 4bd1t fj60 swap.

I put the (IG) wire of the Izuzu Alt to the black/yellow wire of my fj60 harness (ignition)

I put the (L) wire of the izuzu alt to my yellow wire of the fj60 harness (indicator light)

both yellow and black/yellow stripe wire are the wires from the FJ60 Alt plug (internal regulated alt)

Then the Black wire or (S) wire goes to the battery, is there any reason i can't hook it to the battery charge terminal on the back of the alternator?

I'm hoping someone can verify that i hooked this up correctly before i turn the ignition switch over and give her juice, i don't want to fry anything. Trial and error sucks when it it comes electrial.

 

[astr]

I am to the wiring part of my 4bd1t fj60 swap.

I put the (IG) wire of the Izuzu Alt to the black/yellow wire of my fj60 harness (ignition)

I put the (L) wire of the izuzu alt to my yellow wire of the fj60 harness (indicator light)

both yellow and black/yellow stripe wire are the wires from the FJ60 Alt plug (internal regulated alt)

Then the Black wire or (S) wire goes to the battery, is there any reason i can't hook it to the battery charge terminal on the back of the alternator?

I'm hoping someone can verify that i hooked this up correctly before i turn the ignition switch over and give her juice, i don't want to fry anything. Trial and error sucks when it it comes electrial.

You should be good! The only thing I'm not sure of is the L circuit for the indicator light. You won't cause any damage by hooking it up the way you propose. The only thing that could go wrong is that it would work backwards - light on when charging and off when not. You'll know that right away because with the engine not running and ignition on, the light will be off. Once you start the engine, the light will go on. If that happens, let me know and we will figure out a solution.

You could hook the S (Sense) wire directly to the big wire on the back of the terminal. It will work but your regulation won't be as good. When the alternator is putting out a lot of juice, there is some voltage drop across the big wire that connects the alternator to the battery. If you sense at the alternator, the voltage at the battery will be reduced by this voltage drop. If you sense at the battery, then the regulator will bump the alternator voltage up just enough to compensate for the voltage drop in the big wire. Probably won't make much difference in a FJ60 as the alternator is close to the battery so the drop will be minimal.

Edit: I looked at the wiring diagram for the FJ62 (probably the same as FJ60) and they do connect the Sense wire directly to the output wire on the back of the alternator.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

thanks a million, hope to hear her run in a couple hours. Caught a snag while putting on the new cross member and didn't get it started yesterday.

I take that back, i've already heard my engine run, now i'm ready to hear her run in the cruiser and not on a wood pallet.

 

[thegrubb]

The MSA is a good transmission if you can gear to live without OD, solve the shift linkage problem, and don't need 4 wheel drive or are willing to use a divorced T-case.

Seems one smart Australian has solved a few off these issues.....



MSA to Rover LT230 with shift linkages.





Info found here;

http://www.isuzuadaptors.com

 

[Nexxussian]

Looks neat, I especially like the plating.

 

[Dougal]

Seems one smart Australian has solved a few off these issues.....

With some help from a kiwi.

 

[thegrubb]

With some help from a kiwi.

True!

 

[88tlc]

isuzu with landcruiser radiator - coolant pushes out to radiator

i am having a coolant issue, on my fj62 with the isuzu 4bd1T diesel. i have used the stock radiator from the fj62, although it is a new radiator.

the coolant wants to escape from the radiator, and goes into the overflow. i feel like the level is too low in the radiator though, because the heater in the cab stops working. if i refill it, the heat works, but it pushes the coolant if i drive it hard up the pass. eventually the coolant escapes or gets sucked back into the radiator, but the point at which it is stabilized, the heater will not work. ends up being like a 1/2 gallon low.

stock waterpump,
replaced thermostat

I recently added a new 14 lb cap, same problem.

so i am curious what it could be?

Worst case to best case!

Head gasket - i do not see oil in the coolant,nor coolant in the oil, nor see smoking from the exhaust.

Turbo? - this turbo has a coolant jacket on it, can it have blow by that causes pressure to build up in the radiator? would likely blow by only when boost is on, which is hard to simulate when under the hood. how can i check or confirmed?

engine running too hot? - is this stock radiator too small? the gauge will show it is running one notch up from the C. when the coolant escapes, and the level gets like 1/2 gallon low, it will run hot while idling, or when in town traffic, and when running at speed it will cool back down.

engine or coolant system clogged? i did not boil out this block, but it is a new radiator.


waterpump? these radiators have a neck that makes it hard to see if coolant if flowing at idle?

a coolant flush? i have never done one of these, it seems like a silly thing that just costs money, but curious if there may be some sediment or something clogged?

just a burp? is there a air bubble that can cause these issues? i wish...

 

[astr]

i am having a coolant issue, on my fj62 with the isuzu 4bd1T diesel. i have used the stock radiator from the fj62, although it is a new radiator.

the coolant wants to escape from the radiator, and goes into the overflow. i feel like the level is too low in the radiator though, because the heater in the cab stops working. if i refill it, the heat works, but it pushes the coolant if i drive it hard up the pass. eventually the coolant escapes or gets sucked back into the radiator, but the point at which it is stabilized, the heater will not work. ends up being like a 1/2 gallon low.

stock waterpump,
replaced thermostat

I recently added a new 14 lb cap, same problem.

so i am curious what it could be?

Worst case to best case!

Head gasket - i do not see oil in the coolant,nor coolant in the oil, nor see smoking from the exhaust.

Turbo? - this turbo has a coolant jacket on it, can it have blow by that causes pressure to build up in the radiator? would likely blow by only when boost is on, which is hard to simulate when under the hood. how can i check or confirmed?

engine running too hot? - is this stock radiator too small? the gauge will show it is running one notch up from the C. when the coolant escapes, and the level gets like 1/2 gallon low, it will run hot while idling, or when in town traffic, and when running at speed it will cool back down.

engine or coolant system clogged? i did not boil out this block, but it is a new radiator.


waterpump? these radiators have a neck that makes it hard to see if coolant if flowing at idle?

a coolant flush? i have never done one of these, it seems like a silly thing that just costs money, but curious if there may be some sediment or something clogged?

just a burp? is there a air bubble that can cause these issues? i wish...

You've been driving this combo for a few years now. Is this something that just started recently or have you had the problem from the beginning?

If it's a recent occurance, then I would think that may have combustion gasses leaking into the water jacket (Bad head gasket?). If you can get your hands on one of those cooling system pressure testers, replace the radiator cap with it and see if pressure is building up. You might also do a cylinder compression test to see if one may be low.

 

[Dougal]

I'd also guess head-gasket. I had one let go once, no oil in the water or water in the oil, just kept blowing the top of it out the overflow.
I drove 500km home and fixed it with new pistons, liners and rings at the same time.

Pressurising the coolant system won't always show a gasket leak, especially if it only occurs under load (i.e. higher cylinder pressures).

 

[Nexxussian]

There isn't any place in the CHRA that it could get air or exhaust pressure into the cooling jacket.

I agree with astr, different problem if it's new vs from beginning of the swap.

There are alot of commercially available coolant flush solutions.

I prefer vinegar.

Drain the system, rinse with water, fill with vinegar (cheapest stuff you can get).

Drive it a while (day or two, whatever you can manage without risking it freezing) drain and rinse, feed it a little baking soda to neutralize the vinegar (run it to temp with clean water if you have the time).

Fill it with your preferred coolant.

Not saying it will help with what you are experiencing, but it's how I flush a system.

 

[astr]

...Pressurising the coolant system won't always show a gasket leak, especially if it only occurs under load (i.e. higher cylinder pressures).

You warm the truck up good, install the pressure gauge on the radiator, and see if pressure builds from the leak. If you don't have a leak, then the pressure will build slowly due to the temp increase as you would expect. If you have a leak between a combustion chamber and the cooling system, you should see the cooling system pressure go up very quickly somewhat related to load. Since he Bill has an automatic, he can load up the motor somewhat while sitting still.

 

[88tlc]

isuzu 4bd1t head gasket

i had the radiator checked for the pressure test, but it would hold pressure. it did not leak anywhere. but the coolant would begin bubbling before even getting to temp.

my father was in town while on vacation so i put him to work, and we took the head off. it was the head gasket with small ports in between the pistons were leaking. very little coolant was getting into the pistons, the pressure was pushing compression gases into the coolant.

this was a new head gasket when i rebuilt, and installed new sleeves and pistons. isuzu OE gasket set. the head bolts all felt pretty consistent in tightness. i do not know why it would leak there?

one thing i did notice when we cleaned the surface of the head. in between the pistons, where the leaking was occurring, there was a visual indention. i could see it, but not feel it. but still it looked like the steel had been etched. this head was surfaced when i rebuilt, and it was dead flat when i installed.

is this a sign of the wrong coolant? perhaps a galvanic corrosion or poor ground on the head?

I put the head gasket back on, another isuzu head gasket kit was needed (the gasket only is hard to find in the us) and torqued them down again to the 65 ft lbs, and then the 90 deg. i then went around again and torqued them another 20 to 30deg. they were damn tight.

one of the good things putting it back together, i had found a significant oil leak. the valve cover has the inner valve cover has the three bolts with rubber donut, and the a large washer that holds the rubber donut in place. then there is another valve cover cover? over this original valve cover. perhaps for noise? well, one of the the washers had fallen off the donut during a removal for valve adjust, and the donut was ripped and not holding the cover down.

got it running, and it works great. radiator holds coolant well, and fixed my oil leak!

thanks for the help, once again a great support group!

 

[Dirtgypsy]

Sounds like a bit of a pain especially after the time and effort into the engine before install. Thanks for the update I have been wondering what was going on with this especially as I am in the middle of working on my swap.

Clint

 

[Nexxussian]

88TLC, you could see the depression in the head between the cylinders?

Is that with a straight edge on the head?
I'm just trying to understand how you saw it, if it wasn't bad enough to feel (sighting down the head perhaps?) as it might be something I've not heard of, and I'm always trying to learn.

I'm glad it's working for you now.

 

[88tlc]

head on 4bd1t isuzu

the etching was visual mostly, but i know it had some depth to it, since i stoned off the head to clean it up, and that portion would not contact the stone.

i have heard of some issues with coolant and poor grounds, the frybrid forum guy is all twitchy about coolant and grounds, but i guess he has seen the damage that can result. i use good quality coolant, but not sure about some of the grounding. My EGT gage for example can go twitchy if i turn on my rad fan. so i wonder if the problem may be the result of something like this.

Check for electrolysis - Forums

 

[astr]

the etching was visual mostly, but i know it had some depth to it, since i stoned off the head to clean it up, and that portion would not contact the stone.

i have heard of some issues with coolant and poor grounds, the frybrid forum guy is all twitchy about coolant and grounds, but i guess he has seen the damage that can result. i use good quality coolant, but not sure about some of the grounding. My EGT gage for example can go twitchy if i turn on my rad fan. so i wonder if the problem may be the result of something like this.

Check for electrolysis - Forums

I would doubt that it is electrolysis that created the etching. You have an iron head bolted to an iron block using steel (iron) bolts. For electrolysis to happen, you need dissimilar metals and the corrosion will typically occur at the junction of the two metals. In addition, modern coolants are loaded with anti-corrosion agents. I would suspect that the etching is as a result of the hot combustion gasses passing by the failed gasket. As to what caused the gasket failure, I haven't a clue.

 

[jmattj]

NPR wiring

The alternator connections are very simple. The standard Isuzu alternator has an integral regulator which makes it even easier to wire up. Check Fig. 9 on page 6D-14 of the FSM for detailed wiring.

Basically, you have three wires going to a round connector on the back of the alternator plus a heavy black wire (B) going to the output stud also on the back of the alternator. This black wire should be heavy enough to handle the full alternator output (70 A) and goes directly to the (+) of the battery (might be a good idea to protect it with a fusible link or big fuse). The black wire (S) from the round connector also goes directly to the (+) of the battery. It serves to sense the actual voltage at the battery which the regulator uses to control the output voltage of the alternator. The white wire (IG) from the round connector goes to the ignition switch and should be hot only when the ignition switch is in the "run" position. This wire turns the charging system on and off. The white with blue stripe (L) is used to control the "Charge" indicator light and is optional. When the alternator is charging, the (L) wire is hot and turns on the "charge indicator relay". Since the indicator light is wired through the normally closed set of contacts on the relay, when the relay is turned on, the indicator light goes out. Hope that makes sense.

astr, thanks so much for the Isuzu alternator wiring instructions. one question, if the black wire (S) needs o go directly to the battery, couldn't it just be connected to the output stud where wire (B) connects, that way they can share the same wire?