Topic: 47mpg and drivable? Easy Jeep Diesel Swap

[Torch_Ind]

Yet another advantage we have doen here...  The VW engine is more common than the Jeep one!

ya but I already have a jeep engine in my jeep and parts for it are cheep and you can swap to aftermarket stuff very easily to cut costs.  the vw on the other hand if a fuel pump or anything that ends up being a vw part only and costs over 300$ range would kill.

plus whats this engine going to cost even if you say there more common I don't have one in my shed.  and whats this kit going to cost to make it all work.

[Jeffy]

wow jeffy you always amaze me on how much you know on who owns what and were and how lol   egrs are easy to fix with a block of plate lol

EGR on a OBDII engine isn't so easy.  You need to tune the PCM to run without it and disable the CEL.

[Jeffy]

ya but I already have a jeep engine in my jeep and parts for it are cheep and you can swap to aftermarket stuff very easily to cut costs.  the vw on the other hand if a fuel pump or anything that ends up being a vw part only and costs over 300$ range would kill.

plus whats this engine going to cost even if you say there more common I don't have one in my shed.  and whats this kit going to cost to make it all work.

Fuel pump is your OEM one or if you want, any aftermarket one, I suspect.  Diesels by their very nature are pretty robust.  Simple things like alternators and stuff can be had easily.  There are a lot more VW's on the roads then Jeep.

[jfrabat]

Fuel pump is your OEM one or if you want, any aftermarket one, I suspect.  Diesels by their very nature are pretty robust.  Simple things like alternators and stuff can be had easily.  There are a lot more VW's on the roads then Jeep.

Especially south of the border, like in Costa Rica and Panama.  Jeeps are REALLY scarce here (most of them are fixed up and wheeled, so parts are really a "luxury" item in that the few people that do bring stuff, ussually charge quite a bit - Hence the reason I built mine in the US and then shipped the whole thing to Panama).  The smaller VW engines are on everything, including Taxi cabs, which makes parts available all over the place.  Keep in mind Diesel is an EXTREMELY comon fuel, and it is taxed about half as much as gas, so price of diesel is cheaper and you get better mileage.

ya but I already have a jeep engine in my jeep and parts for it are cheep and you can swap to aftermarket stuff very easily to cut costs.  the vw on the other hand if a fuel pump or anything that ends up being a vw part only and costs over 300$ range would kill.

plus whats this engine going to cost even if you say there more common I don't have one in my shed.  and whats this kit going to cost to make it all work.

We are comparing to doing some other engine swap (or some heavy mods that will net the same power increase); of course, the cheapest alternative is just to do nothing to the Jeep, but we all just know that is, of course, not acceptable!

[Torch_Ind]

there is a lot less vw's in my area especially diesels there is way more jeeps here. I could pic up a 6cld here with full drive line. 

I don't mind my jeep anyway I'm running 64mm tb and header didn't cost me anything other then the header cause I had a friend do it at a local machine shop.  power wouldn't be what i'm after it would be the mpgs but even then I don't know if it would be worth it for me is what i'm saying

[Jeffy]

there is a lot less vw's in my area especially diesels there is way more jeeps here. I could pic up a 6cld here with full drive line. 

I don't mind my jeep anyway I'm running 64mm tb and header didn't cost me anything other then the header cause I had a friend do it at a local machine shop.  power wouldn't be what i'm after it would be the mpgs but even then I don't know if it would be worth it for me is what i'm saying

Well, a 4.0L won't give you much if any change in mileage and you're adding more weight.  Still, it would be a pretty straight forward swap.  With any swap though, you won't make up the cost over just driving what you have.  You would be better off selling the Jeep and buying another with a larger engine in that case.

Looking at the other diesel options, the VW will have better parts availability nation and world wide.  The other thing is the VW diesels don't really look any different then the regular version unless you look at the badge.  They have been making them for a LONG time and the engine has evolved so it's for the most part reliable.  The downside is that most VW mechanics don't know the diesels that well so you'll have to find a diesel mechanic, but that's pretty normal.

A VW diesel would give you better mileage but more importantly, it should double the range.  Now if you're not going very far then that's moot too.  Not ever gas station sells diesel so that can be a problem as well.  Although that would only be a problem in the center of a big city.  Go to the outskirts or areas with trucking routes and you'll easily find diesel.  Another advantage I can think is that diesel doesn't vary from state to state or country to country like gas/petrol does.  In some countries, petrol can be had to come buy as well.  Although this is more of a problem for a Expedition vehicle and not some rockcrawler.  I think having the option to run bio or even veg is nice also.

So, in short this isn't for everyone. 

[jfrabat]

A VW diesel would give you better mileage but more importantly, it should double the range.  Now if you're not going very far then that's moot too.  Not ever gas station sells diesel so that can be a problem as well.  Although that would only be a problem in the center of a big city.  Go to the outskirts or areas with trucking routes and you'll easily find diesel.  Another advantage I can think is that diesel doesn't vary from state to state or country to country like gas/petrol does.  In some countries, petrol can be had to come buy as well.  Although this is more of a problem for a Expedition vehicle and not some rockcrawler.  I think having the option to run bio or even veg is nice also.

So, in short this isn't for everyone. 

Well, down here, Diesel is easier to find than gas, to be totally honest; all gas stations have diesels, and truck stations ONLY have diesel.  So that, the range, and the fact that the Diesel runs better when submerged (no coil or plugs to worry about when fording a deep river) are defenetly a plus.  Also, since diesels are so common, mos mechanics know how to work on them, which makes that a non-issue (any mechanic will know how to fix both gas and diesel angines).

But there are differences in Diesels; some have more Sulfur than others, and high-sulfur diesel fuel can be a problem (ussually the cheap Venezuelan Diesel fel has higher sulfur content).

[Torch_Ind]

if cash was no prob I would be on board for sure but unless i source a engine fairly cheep I will stick with my 4banger. I wish I was in your area then jfrabat.  if there every were but diesel vw & other brands here even used are $$$$$. because most people want them but the price different is to great to justify buying them unless you tow a a lot or highway drive a lot.

[stan98tj]

aside from the obvious advantages in mpgs and POWER, the other great thing a diesel offers is robust durability. less moving parts and such, these engines last a hell of a lot longer then their gasoline counterparts. id like to go diesel in the long run. i had wanted a 4bt cumins figuring that it was still sort of jeep related given that the cumins gets placed in dodge/chrysler products. i dunno how id feel about goin to VW for a powerplant. it wouldnt really feel like a jeep to me anymore. by that im saying, id like to keep it within the jeep/chrysler world. that would be ideal to me. this same line of thinking is also why i would upgrade to dana 44 and not go the ford axle route... thats just me though. BUT ideals always change and i wouldnt be surprised if in a year or two im posting pics of my vw powered jeep lol.

by the way, we had discussed mpg gains in a 4bt cumins...online they claim near 40, but i doubt that. someone had figured it was prob around 25mpg...can we really expect 30+ with the VW?

[jfrabat]

by the way, we had discussed mpg gains in a 4bt cumins...online they claim near 40, but i doubt that. someone had figured it was prob around 25mpg...can we really expect 30+ with the VW?

I doubt it will be over 30; I think 15 is realistic, 30 would be excellent, and 30+ is just dreaming.  But who knows...  My diesel (Toyota Fortuner) gives me about 25 mpg, but it is also 3.0L, not 1.9L (both are turbocharged, so no difference there).

[Jeffy]

I doubt it will be over 30; I think 15 is realistic, 30 would be excellent, and 30+ is just dreaming.  But who knows...  My diesel (Toyota Fortuner) gives me about 25 mpg, but it is also 3.0L, not 1.9L (both are turbocharged, so no difference there).

15?  The 1.9L TDI has over 100 more torques then the 2.5L and is lighter.  I suspect 25-35mpg.

The 4BT gets about 25MPG.

[jfrabat]

15?  The 1.9L TDI has over 100 more torques then the 2.5L and is lighter.  I suspect 25-35mpg.

The 4BT gets about 25MPG.

Typo; meant 25...  And the reason I say 25 has to do more with aerodynamics than power or weight.

[dwtaylorpdx]

There are a lot of dodge trucks documented at 22+ some of the best being the original  trucks.

I would bet it would be really speed related, say at 50 to 55 You'd see 30 but at 75  or 80 you'd be back under 20...?

I know I got back 5 MPG dropping to a 8" wide tire from the 10 or 12 " wide ones,, so I could see aero playing a big role!

Dave

[Jeffy]

There are a lot of dodge trucks documented at 22+ some of the best being the original  trucks.

I would bet it would be really speed related, say at 50 to 55 You'd see 30 but at 75  or 80 you'd be back under 20...?

I know I got back 5 MPG dropping to a 8" wide tire from the 10 or 12 " wide ones,, so I could see aero playing a big role!

Dave

Aerodynamics come into play at speeds above 35MPH. Then it exponentially grows as you go faster.

[jfrabat]

Aerodynamics come into play at speeds above 35MPH. Then it exponentially grows as you go faster.

Well, there you go...  I only drive under 35 when I am getting out of the garage!