Best diesel conversion for a Series 3

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Originally Posted by wagoo

For a cheap reliable, economical, low cost conversion that won't break the bank, as a 200 or 300 TDI engine would when it needs a new turbo or cylinder head, I would look for a rusty Toyota BJ40 LandCruiser and transplant the 3 litre engine gearbox and transfercase complete into your LandRover.Forget trying to retain any of the series 3 transmission.Even the transfercase is strong enough only if you retain standard ratio diffs. You could even swap the better Toyota front and rear diff assemblies in as well for relaxed cruising speed , and which would give you a better turning circle and the option of easy and cheap disc brake conversion.
I bought a suitable bJ40 donor vehicle for $1300 at a 4wd swap meet a couple of years ago.
Wagoo.

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The 3 litre would be the "B" engine which seems to be a dead-end for parts now. The 3B is the best for parts supply (3.4 litre) but it's down on power and up on fuel consumption compared to the landrover tdi's. The cylinder head story isn't better than a tdi they suffer head cracks and drop pre-combustion chambers occasionally.

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Originally Posted by Dougal

The 3 litre would be the "B" engine which seems to be a dead-end for parts now. The 3B is the best for parts supply (3.4 litre) but it's down on power and up on fuel consumption compared to the landrover tdi's. The cylinder head story isn't better than a tdi they suffer head cracks and drop pre-combustion chambers occasionally.

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For the 3 months I drove the BJ before removing the engine/trans I reckon it had much better torque down low where it counts than any of the LandRover offerings bar the Isuzu 4bdI, and fuel economy was more than double that of my 2.25ltr petrol SWB.You reckon a 6cyl engined series 3 owner would think the 3B down on power?
Parts and rebuild kits are still available from a few of firms over here, and the previous owner of the vehicle I bought who ''refreshed'' the engine at a cost of $1600 after 425,000kms would disagree with your other observations.:)
Wagoo.

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Originally Posted by wagoo

For the 3 months I drove the BJ before removing the engine/trans I reckon it had much better torque down low where it counts than any of the LandRover offerings bar the Isuzu 4bdI, and fuel economy was more than double that of my 2.25ltr petrol SWB.You reckon a 6cyl engined series 3 owner would think the 3B down on power?
Parts and rebuild kits are still available from a few of firms over here, and the previous owner of the vehicle I bought who ''refreshed'' the engine at a cost of $1600 after 425,000kms would disagree with your other observations.:)
Wagoo.

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I must say I agree with Bill. I saw a couple of 3B and 3BT powered 101's in canada - complete with toyota 5-speeds and t-cases. The owners were very happy with the performance compared to the 3.5V8. And that was in a vehicle with the aerodynamics of a 2 story house.

However the 13BT or 15BT is a superior engine if you are going down the toyota path...

But as for "best" engine conversion options, it really depends. I have been looking for a 4JB1T (rodeo/jackaroo 2.8TD) for my IIA for a while now, but even very rusty holden 4x4s with them fitted sell for silly money. I have now somehow ended up with a 300Tdi disco, and while I am not a fan of those engines - tweaking the disco and whacking it in will by far be the most cost effective option... The isuzu can always follow if and when the 300 dies...

The easiest engine to fit to a series is undoubtedly the 2.25D, followed by the 200 Tdi, Isuzu C22, 300Tdi, and anything that comes with an off the shelf adaptor plate (in that order).

I know the owner of a "mint condition" BJ40 with the 3 litre B engine. He's started stockpiling rebuild parts due to fears about the dwindling supply.

Power and fuel consumption is indeed relative. I have the before/after dyno plots here for a couple of 3B's, one being fitted with a turbo, before is 45-55hp to the ground, after close to 70hp. There were no factory 3BT's, only the 13BT, 14BT and 15BT.

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Originally Posted by Dougal

I know the owner of a "mint condition" BJ40 with the 3 litre B engine. He's started stockpiling rebuild parts due to fears about the dwindling supply.

Power and fuel consumption is indeed relative.

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Like riding a kangaroo, spent years driving a BJ42 when I was a kid

I'd also agree with Bill and Ben, yea, run too cool and they kill the heads, but they still keep going and going and most outlast the rustbuckets they come in

I'd be aiming for a 3B though, the B's are gutless

3B's certainly aren't down on power in comparison to a rover tdi;)

I had to tow the dead ski-club truck back from the mountains a few years back now. It was a daihatsu delta with the 3B. A precombustion cup had cracked and dropped into the cylinder - munch munch.

It was a stark reminder of how quickly an idi engine can die. It's not something you can easily check either.

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Originally Posted by wagoo

For the 3 months I drove the BJ before removing the engine/trans I reckon it had much better torque down low where it counts than any of the LandRover offerings bar the Isuzu 4bdI, and fuel economy was more than double that of my 2.25ltr petrol SWB.You reckon a 6cyl engined series 3 owner would think the 3B down on power?

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Hi Wagoo,

Do you mean the Toyota used twice and much or half the amount of the Land Rover?

Sam

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Originally Posted by series3

Hi Wagoo,

Do you mean the Toyota used twice and much or half the amount of the Land Rover?

Sam

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Now Sam, I wouldn't be suggesting the 3B deisel if it consumed twice as much fuel as a 2 1/4 litre petrol engine.:) That would mean I got about 7 MPG instead of the 28-30 mpg in a 50/50 mix of country and outer suburban Melbourne peak hour traffic operation.
Wagoo.

Are the crusier diffs wider than series though? I want to keep it as original looking as possible. Surely series(ex-army) diffs with disco centres must be good? Equally I look at the 200tdi conversion with defender box mated to series transfer sounds like the gear levers would be inthe same spot as original?

Just need to find cheap parts...

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Originally Posted by Blknight.aus

almost anythings doable with the most common repower from other landies being first and foremost a detuned tdi 200 and then retrofitting the tdiX00 with its matching box and tcase then getting the front axles modded to take CVs most people try for a stage one front end.

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So what exactly does nodding the duffs to take cv joints involve? I assume it becomes full time 4wd, but what changes? Can disco or defender diffsjust be swapped in or are they to wide? Cheers