V8 Swap, Diesel?

[KingCarGuyZ]

swinging back around again, I was doing some research and it comes down to the ht of the engine to power ratio. Cummins are cool but there heavy and industrial, not great for a TJ.

I landed on 2 really prevalent engines that I am debating between.

VW TDI can easily be built to do decent HP, small, readily available, reliable, light, won't break the bank or the trans. has the downside of electronic controlled injection pumps (while this is the main reason for the excellent fuel economy and power, they can make a swap significantly more troublesome) and the fact that there not a very clattery diesel, which is less cool, but is also more civilized if this is a DD

Mercedes OM060: if you can find one of these 3.0 liter straight 6 engines. they seem to be the way to go. there a very civilized engine, higher redline fewer vibes, good power and reliability, you can easily swap the mech injection pump onto any generation of this engine, so that helps for a really simple swap compared to the VW this engine needs very little to run. The problem is over here the engines themselves are hard to find and can be expensive, not to mention the injectors and speed parts if you want to make the 600 ish HP this engine is capable of are hard to find, then again. if your Jeep is making 600 HP, you're going to have to beef some other stuff up aswell.

DeBoss garage has some really good videos on youtube, I can't really find anyone swapping an OM060 into a TJ, but I can find tons of swaps into other vehicles on the other side of the pond, the TDI has a few Jeep swaps ad seems like a good option, but by the time you get the wiring done, 'm not sure if the TDI or the OM060 is going to be cheaper.

I'm new to diesel'so I would appreciate advice. just forming opinions based on what I can find on the internet.

 

[BugoutJeep]

DeBoss garage has some really good videos on youtube, I can't really find anyone swapping an OM060 into a TJ, but I can find tons of swaps into other vehicles on the other side of the pond, the TDI has a few Jeep swaps ad seems like a good option, but by the time you get the wiring done, 'm not sure if the TDI or the OM060 is going to be cheaper.

I'm new to diesel'so I would appreciate advice. just forming opinions based on what I can find on the internet.

DeBoss is great. I really like his stuff, but I haven't watched him in years, since I finally decided on the R2.8.

I think the TDI very good candidate in a TJ. I do prefer more displacement for a diesel. Size/weight is the main drawback really you get for the increased displacement. My only issue with the TDI, is if you buy a kit. The kits are just as high as the R2.8.

Again piece it together yourself, it's a great build, but get an excel sheet and list each and remember the TDI probably has 100k mi or more on the clock, but you could pick up a few for the cost of the R2.8, but you've still got a 1.9 or 2.0L. Which can work, just depends on what you want/need for your project.

There's an ISF 3.8. I think that would be really really cool, but I've only heard they exist.

 

[KingCarGuyZ]

DeBoss is great. I really like his stuff, but I haven't watched him in years, since I finally decided on the R2.8.

I think the TDI very good candidate in a TJ. I do prefer more displacement for a diesel. Size/weight is the main drawback really you get for the increased displacement. My only issue with the TDI, is if you buy a kit. The kits are just as high as the R2.8.

Again piece it together yourself, it's a great build, but get an excel sheet and list each and remember the TDI probably has 100k mi or more on the clock, but you could pick up a few for the cost of the R2.8, but you've still got a 1.9 or 2.0L. Which can work, just depends on what you want/need for your project.

There's an ISF 3.8. I think that would be really really cool, but I've only heard they exist.

my only problem with the R2.8 was availability, Cummins made a great engine there and everyone wants it and is willing to pay a lot for it. that and once you have the engine, good luck getting parts.

ill have to check out the ISF 3.8, displacement is always nice, but IDK how much it matters in a TJ. your limited in how much power you want to push by the short wheelbase and in my case the Dana 35.

yeah, thankfully I'm along way away from a swap rn. more of just dreaming, I'm going to need a fatter wallet for this gig.

 

[BugoutJeep]

my only problem with the R2.8 was availability, Cummins made a great engine there and everyone wants it and is willing to pay a lot for it. that and once you have the engine, good luck getting parts.

ill have to check out the ISF 3.8, displacement is always nice, but IDK how much it matters in a TJ. your limited in how much power you want to push by the short wheelbase and in my case the Dana 35.

yeah, thankfully I'm along way away from a swap rn. more of just dreaming, I'm going to need a fatter wallet for this gig.

No in a stock TJ 1.9 is plenty and if you need a bit more you've got option. Compound turbos, gearing, etc.

I do really want to build a 3/4 ton Gladiator essentially. I was discussing it some at work and thinking of making some beefy frame additions to distribute the weight properly from hauling/towing and then integrate that with heavier armor, and then true 1 ton type axles and BRAKES. I don't really know the about the mated transmission, but I'm thinking if I had some 1 tons, the 7.3 and 4.10s, I should have the torque, axles and transmission to handle everything and I'd have to look 1 ton springs, shocks, brakes and weight and try to get the same frame stiffness without hopefully making a new frame.

I still need to go and measure the 7.3 to see if this is all moot.

 

[AidenC]

I think not going with a kit is optimal, but just very slow. If you have any questions let me know. If I didn't want to deal with the down time, then I would have gone my own direction. IMO I'd buy a partial kit. I don't think you can beat some of the pricing.

My only issue with the stock gauges was the PCM location near the battery, which needs to be bigger than you can fit in the OEM tray. I just like eliminating stuff as much as possible. You can relocate the PCM and you can make the gauges work if you really really want.

All the gauges should work on the stock dashboard except the speedometer, right? A boost gauge in its place would be pretty neat.

 

[BugoutJeep]

Speed comes from your tcase. You've got to"excite" the PCM to get anything to work and tach is the harder one. Everything stock runs to the PCM I think.

I'm pretty familiar with that stuff but not 100% because I didn't want the PCM.

 

[AidenC]

Speed comes from your tcase. You've got to"excite" the PCM to get anything to work and tach is the harder one. Everything stock runs to the PCM I think.

I'm pretty familiar with that stuff but not 100% because I didn't want the PCM.

I remember you saying that you would also need a new reservoir for the power steering, is the stock one not able to work? If not what reservoir would you recommend? I also noticed that quick draw brand sells an AC kit with the bracket and the compressor for just $600.

 

[BugoutJeep]

I remember you saying that you would also need a new reservoir for the power steering, is the stock one not able to work? If not what reservoir would you recommend? I also noticed that quick draw brand sells an AC kit with the bracket and the compressor for just $600.

That would be awesome if it fits the TJ. Most of that stuff won't fit the TJ frame width, so you have to change around everything so the compressor will fit in the frame. I'll check it out, because at $600 that's interesting.

Btw for speedometer, GPS is nice and pretty easy. Reception when I leave the garage kinda sucks, but I can change tires and have accurate speed and when I get an Atlas, I can get the shorter one, which is handy for our wheelbase.

 

[AidenC]

I would love to see my automatic transmission hooked up to the 2.8. The torque specs are up to it and if the controller and the adapter are available somewhere then it would mean I wouldn't have to buy a nv3550 to match. My tranny was just rebuilt too so I don't think it would be logical to rip it out.

 

[BugoutJeep]

I'm pretty sure most use a GM auto transmission for the R2.8. Might not be a bad idea too. I would think this engine is very reliable with 360 ft lbs too, so maybe keep that in the back of your head. I'm still rolling with the AX-15, but I may be changing that in the future. I don't want a torque monster, but I would like a bigger ratio with 1st gear. I wouldn't turn down the torque though.

I will probably get the 180hp tune regardless, which will have about 360 ft lbs available and I think in 4th gear, the AX-15 can handle that. The only time I think I'd even think about needing more torque would be in like a towing/passing situation on the highway. I could see shifting down to 4th and passing a semi going up a steep grade. But even then I'm very docile when towing. Also there's a crazy grade that goes on forever at a lake we frequent and 360 ft lbs would be nice, it's hard for anything to get up to speed on that hill when towing.

 

[AidenC]

Does your 2.8 maintain highway speeds pretty well? It would be cool to be able to turn on cruise control at 70 and be able to go 300 miles on a tank.

 

[AidenC]

I remember the Cummins repower crew talking about having cruise control available in the future with that engine.

 

[BugoutJeep]

Does your 2.8 maintain highway speeds pretty well? It would be cool to be able to turn on cruise control at 70 and be able to go 300 miles on a tank.

The 2.8 handles highway speeds pretty well depending on several factors. With 33in mud tires and 3.07s and AX-15, 5th gear sometimes needs a touch of help from the throttle/4th gear on steep hills. Now that I have a rack, there are certain hills that require shifting to 4th, but this is still fairly rare.

I've been playing with tire size to compare with how it will be with different gear ratios and I think I should I have gone with 4.10s instead of 3.73s, after messing around with the different tires, but anything over 3.55s with the 33s and .79ish OD would be good enough.

The 2.8 will easily get over 300 miles per tank. Over 550 mi is probably even possible, if you really want to make some sacrifices and get a custom tune. You could probably get 300 miles a tank when towing too. If your setup is pretty mild you will get 450 miles or more from a tank on the highway. I average 24/25 mpg per tank running tires and 3.07s simulating 33s and 3.73s and I have a rack on my vehicle and some lights and winch.

Now my plan with the 7.3 diesel is not targeting MPG. I expect probably 15ish MPG, but I want to be able to actually tow with the setup and use an automatic transmission. But if I went with something like a big block gas engine I would probably get 10mpg or less with the setup I'm planning, which would just take up too much volume to get any useful distances and not have to really take special considerations with the fuel tank(s). I will try to run 2 OEM Jeep fuel tanks though so I expect around 38 gal onboard, but we'll see.

Cruise control is doable with the 2.8, but be VERY CAREFUL with this setup. Most people that have figured it out won't post how they did it, because they don't want any liability. I thought I knew how, but after talking with some R2.8 builders, they said, the method I was thinking of using a setup from Dakota Digital was incorrect, but I don't use cruise that much anyway. I didn't even know I had cruise until I pulled the 4.0 and the corresponding electrical components. I didn't know I had AC for a year or more after owning the Jeep, so in some instances I'm not very observant.

 

[AidenC]

The 7.3 is gonna tow like a beast compared to a gasser. What I like about diesels are all of the cool tunes you can do to them and their reliability. Kinda takes a little stress off your mind when on those long trips. I’d definitely be buying the r2.8 for its fuel mileage because right now I have short commutes and a lot of idling and get about 190 miles per tank on 31’s. 450 sounds a whole lot better.

 

[BugoutJeep]

The 7.3 is gonna tow like a beast compared to a gasser. What I like about diesels are all of the cool tunes you can do to them and their reliability. Kinda takes a little stress off your mind when on those long trips. I’d definitely be buying the r2.8 for its fuel mileage because right now I have short commutes and a lot of idling and get about 190 miles per tank on 31’s. 450 sounds a whole lot better.

Besides availability, initial cost, and maybe HP numbers and maybe racing vehicles, I prefer diesel to gas. In small vehicles gas is fine, because of the rules of the US.

Everything that I've got that's diesel vs something similar we've got that's gas, the diesel just blows it away in every category. I do have vehicles that I get parts easier than the diesel counterpart, but the gas one fails so much more often that most of the time I'd rather just be towed once than 4 times even though I can get parts easier.

I do think diesel has so much torque and ability to tune that you can really destroy stuff and cost yourself a lot of money, but if you stay moderate on your power, the stuff is amazing. Now that EV stuff is coming around, I'm getting close to not having any gas vehicles that are running, left and the ones that are left, I probably need to sell or it's just for nostalgic purposes. The exception might be some of the older inline 6 powered trucks and that's only because the diesel trucks are SO expensive right now or maybe one of the compact trucks that aren't sold anymore.

 

[AidenC]

have they started doing emissions testing in Kentucky yet? i could see a big mileage increase with a delete of the egr and catalyst.

 

[BugoutJeep]

have they started doing emissions testing in Kentucky yet? i could see a big mileage increase with a delete of the egr and catalyst.

They used to have some testing in Louisville about 20 years ago, but got rid of it. The VET testing isn't too popular here.

 

[Tree killer]

Saw your post and thought I would chime in.
I've got a brand new VM Motori V6 24 valve Turbocharged. Carbon graphite compacted block. 241 hp 406 foot lbs torque. The whole motor weighs under 500lbs. I have the motor, 6 speed automatic transmission, transfer case, ecu, front half wire harness, gauge cluster, telescoping tilt steering wheel and floor shifter.
Everything it would take to make it run. It's the same set up they put in dodge ram and the jeep grand Cherokee EcoDiesels in fact it was in a Cherokee. I was going to put it in a 2012 JKU. If your looking for a conversion this would be the one.
The only reason I would sell it is I broke my neck several years ago and my priorities have changed.
If your interested get ahold of me? I'm probably going to list it on the forum.

 

[BugoutJeep]

Saw your post and thought I would chime in.
I've got a brand new VM Motori V6 24 valve Turbocharged. Carbon graphite compacted block. 241 hp 406 foot lbs torque. The whole motor weighs under 500lbs. I have the motor, 6 speed automatic transmission, transfer case, ecu, front half wire harness, gauge cluster, telescoping tilt steering wheel and floor shifter.
Everything it would take to make it run. It's the same set up they put in dodge ram and the jeep grand Cherokee EcoDiesels in fact it was in a Cherokee. I was going to put it in a 2012 JKU. If your looking for a conversion this would be the one.
The only reason I would sell it is I broke my neck several years ago and my priorities have changed.
If your interested get ahold of me? I'm probably going to list it on the forum.

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That's super cool. Of course it would be awesome. However I think Grant with @RustyAutoholicGuy was really looking into this swap in one of his vehicles. I just picked up another truck so my funds are low, but I'm still interested.

 

[Tree killer]

That's super cool. Of course it would be awesome. However I think Grant with @RustyAutoholicGuy was really looking into this swap in one of his vehicles. I just picked up another truck so my funds are low, but I'm still interested.

I hear that, no worries. I wish I could of made it happen.