DieselSJ
03-04-2009, 02:40 PM
Well in a few days it will be exactly 2 years since the DieselWag got registered and went into service as my daily driver. I have just over 25,000 miles on the swap.
The swap has been one of the best modifications that I have ever done to a vehicle. To remind everyone - I used a 6.5l GM turbodiesel backed by a 700R4 trans, adapted to the stock 229 tcase. I used engine mounts and tcase adapter from Advance. At the same time I installed a hydroboost (also an awesome modification) and upgraded the charging system so that I could use the CS-130 alternator that was stock on the diesel engine.
To date, my overall mileage is just over 22mpg. My best tank was just a hair over 25, with more than a few at 24+. Worst tank so far was just over 18, which was mostly short trips taking kids back and forth to school, plus about a hundred miles pulling a 5x8 trailer loaded with 3 dirtbikes. My typical tank is just over 22mpg.
Problems have been very few. Within a day of getting it running I managed to blow the viscous apart in the 229. I changed the oil a few times and it is still in there, while a 208 waiting to be rebuilt sits on my garage floor. The 229 failed while getting onto the freeway. I guess I found the torque limit of that tcase. Then, about 2 weeks ago the lockup in my torque converter started slipping. I think that is my own fault though for just letting the converter lock as soon as it shifted into 4th gear - someone told me that low rpm lockup was hard on the converter and that it would eventually fry the clutch, which apparantly it has. That gives me an excuse to drop in one of the new diesel converters from TCI which is supposed to put even more torque to the ground.
Oh, I also did lose a power steering line, which cascaded into a much bigger failure. Turns out that those stainless braided high pressure teflon hoses are not as tough as the inner fender on a FSJ. The braid rubbed through, causing the inner teflon tube to bubble out like an aneurism and fail. This was low speed in a parking lot. When I cranked the steering wheel to turn, the Grant steering wheel adapter failed and I lost all steering. I replaced the line and now have everything secure and protected so no more rubbing. Grant sent a new adapter at no charge - the new one is much heavier than the old.
I have not made much other progress on the project. I did add some sound/heat damping and that made a HUGE difference in the noise level inside the vehicle. We can carry on a conversation without yelling. I have had typical window tape failures, over this time all 4 power window units have come out, been thoroughly cleaned and lubricated (using Sylglide - no more grease) and I think the windows work better than they did when they were new. I also changed out the power steering pump/reservoir - I was using a pump with a remote tank and had to custom fab a line from the tank to the pump and it always leaked and made a mess. I went to a late-90's pump with the integrated tank (larger tank and 2 return lines made specifically for the diesel/hydroboost application) and it cleaned things up under the hood.
My next two big projects for it are to get the 208 installed and to get the A/C installed - I have gone through 2 summers here with no A/C and I'm not going through a 3rd. Getting the windows tinted is also on the agenda. Smaller items related to the swap are to install an airbox from a Dmax and eliminate the generic cone shaped hot air sucking filter, and swap the Hummer intake for one from a truck and redo the piping between the turbo and intake.
Overall I am very happy with the install. There really isn't anything that I would do differently next time. Maybe a different turbo - like an HX-35 from a Dodge truck - instead of this MHI unit. But I have not played with the exhaust wheel yet so the turbo is still open for discussion. Plus I know that I am way under-tuned on the fuel as my last opacity test came back at 3% (I'm allowed up to 20%) and more fuel will make the turbo respond better.
I also have an electric fan that I may install, though I have ZERO cooling issues with a stock fan and no shroud. I have idled through 115 degree temps sitting in gridlock traffic and the temp sits right at 195 (has 195 tstats in it). I have even purposely tried to overheat it on a couple nice grades (I-10 east of Indio, and 62 from Palm Springs up into the high desert) - both times it was well over 100 degrees out and I just mashed the skinny pedal and pushed it as hard as I could. Dang thing just kept accelerating and the temp got up to about 210 at which point I could hear the fan clutch engage (fan sounded like a jet) and it never got any hotter than that no matter how much harder I pushed. I'm really just considering the efan just as part of the A/C install to help things work better in city driving.
That is about all I have to report. I fires up and runs whenever I hit the key. And I still get the occasional person at a gas station say "Hey, did you realize that you are putting diesel into that?"
The swap has been one of the best modifications that I have ever done to a vehicle. To remind everyone - I used a 6.5l GM turbodiesel backed by a 700R4 trans, adapted to the stock 229 tcase. I used engine mounts and tcase adapter from Advance. At the same time I installed a hydroboost (also an awesome modification) and upgraded the charging system so that I could use the CS-130 alternator that was stock on the diesel engine.
To date, my overall mileage is just over 22mpg. My best tank was just a hair over 25, with more than a few at 24+. Worst tank so far was just over 18, which was mostly short trips taking kids back and forth to school, plus about a hundred miles pulling a 5x8 trailer loaded with 3 dirtbikes. My typical tank is just over 22mpg.
Problems have been very few. Within a day of getting it running I managed to blow the viscous apart in the 229. I changed the oil a few times and it is still in there, while a 208 waiting to be rebuilt sits on my garage floor. The 229 failed while getting onto the freeway. I guess I found the torque limit of that tcase. Then, about 2 weeks ago the lockup in my torque converter started slipping. I think that is my own fault though for just letting the converter lock as soon as it shifted into 4th gear - someone told me that low rpm lockup was hard on the converter and that it would eventually fry the clutch, which apparantly it has. That gives me an excuse to drop in one of the new diesel converters from TCI which is supposed to put even more torque to the ground.
Oh, I also did lose a power steering line, which cascaded into a much bigger failure. Turns out that those stainless braided high pressure teflon hoses are not as tough as the inner fender on a FSJ. The braid rubbed through, causing the inner teflon tube to bubble out like an aneurism and fail. This was low speed in a parking lot. When I cranked the steering wheel to turn, the Grant steering wheel adapter failed and I lost all steering. I replaced the line and now have everything secure and protected so no more rubbing. Grant sent a new adapter at no charge - the new one is much heavier than the old.
I have not made much other progress on the project. I did add some sound/heat damping and that made a HUGE difference in the noise level inside the vehicle. We can carry on a conversation without yelling. I have had typical window tape failures, over this time all 4 power window units have come out, been thoroughly cleaned and lubricated (using Sylglide - no more grease) and I think the windows work better than they did when they were new. I also changed out the power steering pump/reservoir - I was using a pump with a remote tank and had to custom fab a line from the tank to the pump and it always leaked and made a mess. I went to a late-90's pump with the integrated tank (larger tank and 2 return lines made specifically for the diesel/hydroboost application) and it cleaned things up under the hood.
My next two big projects for it are to get the 208 installed and to get the A/C installed - I have gone through 2 summers here with no A/C and I'm not going through a 3rd. Getting the windows tinted is also on the agenda. Smaller items related to the swap are to install an airbox from a Dmax and eliminate the generic cone shaped hot air sucking filter, and swap the Hummer intake for one from a truck and redo the piping between the turbo and intake.
Overall I am very happy with the install. There really isn't anything that I would do differently next time. Maybe a different turbo - like an HX-35 from a Dodge truck - instead of this MHI unit. But I have not played with the exhaust wheel yet so the turbo is still open for discussion. Plus I know that I am way under-tuned on the fuel as my last opacity test came back at 3% (I'm allowed up to 20%) and more fuel will make the turbo respond better.
I also have an electric fan that I may install, though I have ZERO cooling issues with a stock fan and no shroud. I have idled through 115 degree temps sitting in gridlock traffic and the temp sits right at 195 (has 195 tstats in it). I have even purposely tried to overheat it on a couple nice grades (I-10 east of Indio, and 62 from Palm Springs up into the high desert) - both times it was well over 100 degrees out and I just mashed the skinny pedal and pushed it as hard as I could. Dang thing just kept accelerating and the temp got up to about 210 at which point I could hear the fan clutch engage (fan sounded like a jet) and it never got any hotter than that no matter how much harder I pushed. I'm really just considering the efan just as part of the A/C install to help things work better in city driving.
That is about all I have to report. I fires up and runs whenever I hit the key. And I still get the occasional person at a gas station say "Hey, did you realize that you are putting diesel into that?"