AEV/Burnsville 3.0L Diesel JK Conversion Kit

X-plorenow

Adventurer
I live in the Yukon in Canada, where it makes no different what engine I put in my vehicle. There is no emissions testing. Ever.

-Dan

Great, I am Jealous and have another reason to want to move to the Yukon :Wow1:. But I believe the CRD is available in Canada, correct?
 

X-plorenow

Adventurer
I know someone who did the Bruiser conversion : http://www.bruiserconversions.com/jeep-wrangler-diesel-conversion and said it cannot pass state inspection for highway use, so off road only.

Yes, I have spoken to Jeff at Bruisers, until something changes with the current legislation, this is an off-road only conversion. The only people that I know run it on-road are in Colorado for example, where in certain counties emissions are not tested.
 
Great, I am Jealous and have another reason to want to move to the Yukon :Wow1:. But I believe the CRD is available in Canada, correct?

It's funny. I've read the NJ regs. And they clearly state emissions testing on the vehicle and that it must be a year equivalent for such in an engine swap. So a hemi swap is ok, so long as emission compliant. It also say "unless its a diesel, no tests required."

There is no statement that it must be an available engine to swap. So I read it as you can put a diesel in, and it doesn't require emission testing.
 

Dan Grec

Expedition Leader
Great, I am Jealous and have another reason to want to move to the Yukon :Wow1:. But I believe the CRD is available in Canada, correct?

The CRD GC and Libery from a few years back are around. We don't currently have a CRD option (other than the new GC coming in 2013)

Of course, it was -31F here today, and sunrise was 10am, sunset 4pm.
Well past -40F with the windchill. It made snowboarding tricky today.

-Dan
 

Mbogo

Observer
I believe that the issue with the particular 3.0 diesel used in this conversion is not only was it never used in a JK, it was never used in any motor vehicle. This is an industrial engine, not an automotive design, and has never been DOT certified or approved. I'm no lawyer, but even if your state or county does not require emissions testing, it may still be unlawful, if not illegal, to operate a vehicle with this engine on the interstate highway system. If you are seriously considering such a conversion, it might be worthwhile to do a little research. It would be a major bummer if the feds seized your pride and joy then sent it to the crusher. Any lawyers want to chime in with a definitive precedent?
 

will

Adventurer
I believe that the issue with the particular 3.0 diesel used in this conversion is not only was it never used in a JK, it was never used in any motor vehicle. This is an industrial engine, not an automotive design, and has never been DOT certified or approved. I'm no lawyer, but even if your state or county does not require emissions testing, it may still be unlawful, if not illegal, to operate a vehicle with this engine on the interstate highway system. If you are seriously considering such a conversion, it might be worthwhile to do a little research. It would be a major bummer if the feds seized your pride and joy then sent it to the crusher. Any lawyers want to chime in with a definitive precedent?

It depends on how you want to live your life...in fear of someone coming and crushing your vehicle or enjoying your life driving what you want.

Sure it is illegal, but you can do it and fly under the radar and enjoy life. It is illegal to drive faster than the posted speed limit, but most everyone justifies speeding when it suits them.

Plenty of people drive illegal diesel conversions and you can too. You just have to decide if the risk outweighs the possible consequences (like anything else in life).
 

Dan Grec

Expedition Leader
I believe that the issue with the particular 3.0 diesel used in this conversion is not only was it never used in a JK, it was never used in any motor vehicle. This is an industrial engine, not an automotive design, and has never been DOT certified or approved. I'm no lawyer, but even if your state or county does not require emissions testing, it may still be unlawful, if not illegal, to operate a vehicle with this engine on the interstate highway system. If you are seriously considering such a conversion, it might be worthwhile to do a little research. It would be a major bummer if the feds seized your pride and joy then sent it to the crusher. Any lawyers want to chime in with a definitive precedent?

I think this was the swap they did of the engine from the Diesel Liberty.

Over on the AEV forums Dave has talked at length about it - basically it was a pain in the *** of a swap, and way, way to complex with tons of custom parts and computer trickery.
As he said, you want a reliable uncomplicated swap for years of trouble free motoring - and this was not it, not by a long shot.

Hopefully the new 3.0 into the JK turns out to be a different story.

-Dan
 

Metcalf

Expedition Leader
The white LJ that AEV converted used a Liberty sourced 2.8 and 545 automatic ( and 242 transfer case and Rubicon axles ). It is a total pain because the diesel engine computer needs a speed signal. In the liberty this came from the ABS computer. There was a a gateway module to help the computers talk to each other on different networks in the liberty....and AEV used there own version in the converted vehicle.

The JK conversion that was done by Mopar used a 3.0 out of the grand. The benz based engine. It didn't fit really. The steering box on the JK had to be moved.

Just about any mopar engine swap is possible now since they generally all use the same network system.

AEV combined a Cummins 6cyl and 4door JK and got it to talk to each other for a magazine Ultimate Adventure rig a few years back also.....

I love diesels but I HATE all the new EGR/DPF junk.
 

Mbogo

Observer
It depends on how you want to live your life...in fear of someone coming and crushing your vehicle or enjoying your life driving what you want.

Sure it is illegal, but you can do it and fly under the radar and enjoy life. It is illegal to drive faster than the posted speed limit, but most everyone justifies speeding when it suits them.

Plenty of people drive illegal diesel conversions and you can too. You just have to decide if the risk outweighs the possible consequences (like anything else in life).

Hey, I'm all for Carpe Diem, personal liberty and all that (it's why I live in an unincorporated county with no HOA and precious few zoning laws), but to paraphrase, your freedom to swing your fist ends at the tip of my nose. If you caused damage to my vehicle or injury to me and/or my passengers (or your passengers) in an accident while driving a non DOT-certified vehicle, will I get static from your insurance company when I try to collect damages? Probably. Most likely, the damages will have to be covered by the uninsured motorist rider on MY policy. Then my attorney will have to come after you and all you own to recover the remaining balance. Maybe you're willing to accept those consequences, but that's a lot of time, effort, money, and teeth gnashing on my end. That's why we have laws. Maybe it's not a perfect system, but it's what we have to work with.
 

Metcalf

Expedition Leader
Hey, I'm all for Carpe Diem, personal liberty and all that (it's why I live in an unincorporated county with no HOA and precious few zoning laws), but to paraphrase, your freedom to swing your fist ends at the tip of my nose. If you caused damage to my vehicle or injury to me and/or my passengers (or your passengers) in an accident while driving a non DOT-certified vehicle, will I get static from your insurance company when I try to collect damages? Probably. Most likely, the damages will have to be covered by the uninsured motorist rider on MY policy. Then my attorney will have to come after you and all you own to recover the remaining balance. Maybe you're willing to accept those consequences, but that's a lot of time, effort, money, and teeth gnashing on my end. That's why we have laws. Maybe it's not a perfect system, but it's what we have to work with.

Doesn't ANY vehicle that has been modified kinda fall into that category? Lift kits, bumpers, bigger tires, etc?
 

Mbogo

Observer
Doesn't ANY vehicle that has been modified kinda fall into that category? Lift kits, bumpers, bigger tires, etc?
Heck, even factory modifications can fall into that category. Remember the big stink about Jeep Liberty Renegades with the light bar that couldn't be sold in West Virginia? Seriously though, in the case of an accident, the burden of proof usually goes to the owner of the modified vehicle. If it's an engineered lift kit from a reputable manufacturer, there shouldn't be a problem in most cases. A homemade spring over lift with stacked blocks on the front might be a different story. It also depends very much on the particulars of the accident. A buddy of mine had a Chevy Avalanche with a 6" lift (Superlift, IIRC) that he had professionally installed. One night, he got on the highway going the wrong way. Two kids in a Mitsubishi Eclipse were going 115 mph on the same highway. Everyone was drunk. The kids died. My friend got 20 years. The fact that the truck was lifted never entered into it. In this tragedy, whether the truck was lifted or stock, the outcome would have been the same. Bottom line: if a reasonable person would conclude that the modifications were done in a safe manner, you would be in a strong position to defend them. If you knowingly and willfully disobeyed federal laws, not so much.
 

will

Adventurer
Hey, I'm all for Carpe Diem, personal liberty and all that (it's why I live in an unincorporated county with no HOA and precious few zoning laws), but to paraphrase, your freedom to swing your fist ends at the tip of my nose. If you caused damage to my vehicle or injury to me and/or my passengers (or your passengers) in an accident while driving a non DOT-certified vehicle, will I get static from your insurance company when I try to collect damages? Probably. Most likely, the damages will have to be covered by the uninsured motorist rider on MY policy. Then my attorney will have to come after you and all you own to recover the remaining balance. Maybe you're willing to accept those consequences, but that's a lot of time, effort, money, and teeth gnashing on my end. That's why we have laws. Maybe it's not a perfect system, but it's what we have to work with.

All good points. In the interest of full disclosure, I did drive an illegally converted diesel rig for 5yrs or so. It was great, but not all that it was cracked-up to be. I sold it and will probably never drive another illegal conversion again. I didn't like that nagging feeling in the back of my mind...but it was fun while it lasted and a good learning experience. I am glad that I never had any accidents in it.
 

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