curtis73
Member
I was a member years ago here and then my account went dormant, but I'm back to pick some brains.
This is going to sound odd, but I want to swap a diesel into an old Mazda B-series truck... basically a Ford Ranger with Mazda stickers on it. I researched OM606 since I'm familiar with them and love them, but too much core support surgery, and a lack of compatible manual transmissions. Also looked at VM 2.8, Cummins 2.8, OM617, etc. Everyone keeps telling me to do a 1.9 TDI because there is a cheap kit that adapts it into Rangers. I keep telling them they're too small because I tow 3500 lbs with it.
I thought I'd come straight to the folks who know more. I know I can get decent HP/TQ from a 1.9, but I'm concerned about EGT and "turning it up to eleven" to get what I need. I was thinking a 3.0L diesel that makes somewhere in the 150-175 hp range stock with some minor tweaks to get 250hp/350tq would be ideal since it wouldn't cost a ton and it wouldn't belch black smoke.
Ranger guys will talk about a cranked-up TDI making 275 hp in their truck and tell me it's fine.
Long story short... current 4.0L gas is a wheezy 160hp/235tq. Is it possible to do a TDI (not necessarily a 1.9... maybe some other TDI) that does more like 200-225hp (and whatever resulting torque) that doesn't belch smoke and won't be asking too much of a TDI's integrity in a towing, foot-to-the-floor-up-a-mountain truck application?
Budget isn't determined yet, but the truck is only worth about $3000 so I don't want to go nuts. I want a diesel, but I could also swap in a 302 for $800 so there is a cost/benefit part here. I can go the diesel way and save fuel, or the cheap gas way and get 10mpg. Modifying the current 4.0L is also on the table, but they have uninpsired head designs and it takes significant alteration to really make them breathe, at which point you are moving the torque peak up which is not ideal.
So tell me... good idea? Bad idea? I could take something in the 3-4 liter range and crank it up 20%, or a 1.9L and crank it up 100%. Your thoughts?
This is going to sound odd, but I want to swap a diesel into an old Mazda B-series truck... basically a Ford Ranger with Mazda stickers on it. I researched OM606 since I'm familiar with them and love them, but too much core support surgery, and a lack of compatible manual transmissions. Also looked at VM 2.8, Cummins 2.8, OM617, etc. Everyone keeps telling me to do a 1.9 TDI because there is a cheap kit that adapts it into Rangers. I keep telling them they're too small because I tow 3500 lbs with it.
I thought I'd come straight to the folks who know more. I know I can get decent HP/TQ from a 1.9, but I'm concerned about EGT and "turning it up to eleven" to get what I need. I was thinking a 3.0L diesel that makes somewhere in the 150-175 hp range stock with some minor tweaks to get 250hp/350tq would be ideal since it wouldn't cost a ton and it wouldn't belch black smoke.
Ranger guys will talk about a cranked-up TDI making 275 hp in their truck and tell me it's fine.
Long story short... current 4.0L gas is a wheezy 160hp/235tq. Is it possible to do a TDI (not necessarily a 1.9... maybe some other TDI) that does more like 200-225hp (and whatever resulting torque) that doesn't belch smoke and won't be asking too much of a TDI's integrity in a towing, foot-to-the-floor-up-a-mountain truck application?
Budget isn't determined yet, but the truck is only worth about $3000 so I don't want to go nuts. I want a diesel, but I could also swap in a 302 for $800 so there is a cost/benefit part here. I can go the diesel way and save fuel, or the cheap gas way and get 10mpg. Modifying the current 4.0L is also on the table, but they have uninpsired head designs and it takes significant alteration to really make them breathe, at which point you are moving the torque peak up which is not ideal.
So tell me... good idea? Bad idea? I could take something in the 3-4 liter range and crank it up 20%, or a 1.9L and crank it up 100%. Your thoughts?
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