2.8L diesel swap kit

[haven]

4 Wheel Drive and Sport Utility Magazine reports the following:

"Jeep Performance, a division of Mopar Performance, is working on a stand-alone diesel engine swap kit to drop the 2.8 diesel that first appeared in the Jeep Liberty into your TJ, YJ, CJ, or ?

While we'll have more details (and maybe a photo or two) after Jeep Safari in Moab, this is the real deal and is going to happen. Everything needed to install the diesel mill into a Jeep will come with the kit - including a stand-alone wiring harness and non-EGR motor! "

http://blogs.4wdandsportutility.com/6232286/editorials/diesel-jeep-swap-kit/index.html

Presumably the kit also has some recommendations for upgrading the front suspension. The VM Motori 2.8L diesel is about 175 lbs heavier than the gas V6 in the Liberty.

I guess this means you can have a diesel engine in your AEV Brute conversion of a Jeep TJ!

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z241/expeditioncampers/AEVBrute.jpg

Chip Haven

[Redline]

Maybe I shouldn't have sold my 2005 LJ

[Beowulf]

If this had been an option you can you bet your bottom dollar I would have had AEV install it when I got my 2006 LJ.

Don't get me wrong. I absolute love the reliability of my I6. It is just that sub 20mpg sucks for overland travel.

We only have a few more days before Easter Jeep and we will know tons of info on this swap. The most important aspect being if it is even true. So far, I have heard it will be the Military TJ diesel without all the EGR stuff or AC that is on the libby. But AC can be fitted to about any engine. (need it for the wife ;) )

Supposedly there are many kits available for the Libby diesel that really crank up the HP and torque which would be great as long as it does not kill the mpg.

If this is true I'm excited about combining a 20mpg engine and my 31.5 gallon Safari tank. 600+miles of travel is a lot of breathing room for finding those remote area.

[Redline]

If this is true it will be cool. Though I would much prefer a factory installed, new diesel option for the JK and/or a Gladiator pickup.

[jingram]

I too would prefer to see a JK or the JT concept moved into production with a diesel. That being said, if there is no mention of the JK coming with a dieselm, then I very well may be looking at picking up a high mileage TJ and going this route. I have been over on AEV's forums reading up and Dave pointed out that the cost of going with the Brute Kit sans bed and having an adventure trailer box put on instead would be about the same price. I guess the guys over at Adventure Trailer even have this planned out and are waiting for somebody to jump at this project. A TJ with Brute Conversion, 2.8 Diesel mated to the 6speed and an Adventure Trailer Box with RTT on the back would be one very slick setup. Especially if you started out with the Rubi.

[haven]

If Jeep puts a diesel in the Wrangler, it will be the same engine they use in the Grand Cherokee.

The VM Motori 2.8L 4 cylinder diesel in the 2005-2006 Liberty is rated at 160 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. It doesn't meet 2008 USA emissions standards, although this could change.

The Mercedes 3.0L V6 diesel in the 2007 and 2008 Grand Cherokee has 215hp and 376 lb-ft of torque. It meets current emissions standards in 45 states, and there's a clear path to meeting the 50 state standard (urea injection).

At some point, Mercedes may grow tired of selling the 3.0L diesel to Chrysler. By that time there should be several 2.5L to 4.0L V6 diesels proven to pass USA emissions. Most all European and Asian manufacturers are developing engines of this size for their large passenger cars and SUVs.

Chip Haven

[Z O O R O P A]

I have been researching this all week

my local dealer said they don't have any techs that can even work on a diesel, so you might be relegated to some new mechanic - plus parts, etc

I however have another question:

I have an unlimited source of veggie oil available to me about 10 minutes away from a good friends rest.

can you recommend an engine I could install on a JK or LC that would utilize this as a fuel option


many thanks!

[Z O O R O P A]

what about a Ford diesel?

[SinCityFJC]

Most likely this motor a current production-redesigned 2.8 CRD

http://www.vmmotori.it/en/01/00/01/dettaglio.jsp?id=56

Diesel Toyz will be offering a conversion kit using this motor for current model Toyotas http://www.dieseltoyz.com/Home.html

[Z O O R O P A]

well, can we buy one of those?

as of right now, I'm thinking the most viable option is maybe finding a wrecked liberty and pulling the engine, then buying the parts from Jeep for the CRD for any replacements requirements - i spoke to my 4x4 modding center about this today.

or get a Tacoma and buy the upgrade if my local dealer is a tech???

there are plenty of Ford engines around, I wonder wqhat the compatibility would be

:chowtime:

[jingram]

You are absolutely correct... the swap kit will not be available for the JK as the 2.8 VM diesel does not meet emissions requirements and was the reason given by Jeep for dropping it from the Liberty lineup. Personally, I don't think you will see the 3.0 Liter in the JK. I think you will see the baby cummins that they are getting ready to put in the Dakota. I also don't think we will see anything on this front until 2010 from Jeep. That being said, the 2.8 is perfectly legal to swap into older Jeeps hence the article pointing to the TJ,YJ,CJ, etc.

Also, there are already a plethora of 2.0 to 4.0 liter diesels available overseas, but most do not meet US emissions standards, although I find that really hard to believe.

[ChuckB]

Does this swap meet all the wickets to be legal in CA?

[cshontz]

A TJ with Brute Conversion, 2.8 Diesel mated to the 6speed and an Adventure Trailer Box with RTT on the back would be one very slick setup. Especially if you started out with the Rubi.

:drool:

[Z O O R O P A]

where does that leave us with the JK?

Are we relegated to either going our own way or waiting for a potential diesel?

you know a 2.8 with a 30 gallon tank would go about 900 miles and cost about 120$ bucks! Makes overland travel affordable again!

[jingram]

I think the JK will end up with a cummins or the 3.0 CRD Merc. I think the 3.0CRD would have been a sure thing pre DC split, but post split, my guess is the cummins, although if it is 4.2L, I am concerened about it being too heavy and giving up too much fuel economy.

[OS-Aussie]

They have been using the 2.8 overseas sadly not the 3.0 CRD :(

[Z O O R O P A]

well if you wait a year you can pick up a used liberty diesel for cheap, around 6-8K$, rip out the engine, put it in your JK, sell your JK engine to get $$ back, sell the liberty without engine get $$ back, keep advil near by its gonna be a headache!

of course you void any warranty. If Jeep did what Toyota might do above with instructing techs would be sweet!

But since Jeep builds its diesels in the USA the parts should be ready available for a wrangler JK after the install, you just need a mechanic who is instructed in diesel which you wont find if you live in a CA emissions state or you have someone close that does expedition like conversions and preperation :smilies27

given the information above i think i will wait until the end of the year and see if there is any progress or anyone crazy enough to do it - or its a Toyota for me...... I'm going to need a new car in the next year and it will be a diesel ...... with gas going the way it is and having easy access to veggie oil - seems like a no brainer

Hypothetical

Jeep JK Rubicon

21 gallon stock tank?

at 18miles a gallon loaded Petrol

at 28 miles to the gallon Diesel

18x21 = 378 miles a tank

21x$3.29 = $69.09 for a full tank = 378miles Petrol

21x$4.20 = $88.20 for a full tank = 588miles Diesel

increase gas tank to 30 gallons with a fabricated tank (easy to do @ $1000 cost)

30x$3.29 = $98.70 = 540 miles per tank

30x$4.20 = $126.00 = 840 miles per tank

diesel right now is $4.19 and Petrol is $3.29 where i live

We all know Petrol is only going to get more expensive cutting further into our budgets ...... now add a veggie conversion and that diesel price only gets better!

I could drive to Asheville or Savannah on nearly one tank of gas with that configuration!

[Metcalf]

Swapping the CRD liberty engine in a TJ is not an easy swap at all. I am interested in seeing what Mopar performance is going to offer.

The mopar performance kit is going to use the engine from the TJL military jeep series. This is a basic engine without a lot of frill, but still running a bosch CP3 based CRD injection system. It also uses the NV3550 transmission as far as I can tell...so I don't know what they are going to do there?

I have looked at just about every diesel I can find for potential use in a TJ/LJ swap that would look and function like factory. There are not a lot of options. I'm talking about having all the factory guages, cruise, air, etc work like they do in the factory application.

AEV is the only company that I know of that has done this so far. They used the 2.8 CRD, 545 auto, and N242 transfer case in a right hand drive LJ that was built for the owner. There is a good thread on the AEV forum right now about this. Basically you have to rewire most of the jeep and use a 'gateway' module to allow the forward control module to talk ( speed, tach, etc ) with the TJ/LJ guage cluster computer and to provide a speed signal through the CAN-C network for the ECU to allow the cruise control to function. There is a lot more info in that post. Its possible but not easy by any means....

Using a mechanically injected diesel and fooling the factory GAS PCM into providing some guage functions and perhaps cruise control is another option.

[kodiak1232003]

Does this swap meet all the wickets to be legal in CA?

x2...i'm thinking CARB will veto it, but who knows.

[pwc]

This looks like a really good idea. I started liking jeep a lot more when they brought that diesel Liberty to market.