Thread: Any regrets with the 4BD1/T swap?

No regrets from my conversion.
Transmission is LT95 with tapered roller intermediate shaft has no issues in the 45K km's since conversion. Have aftermarket half-shafts and CV's and haven't broken anything.
Average around 13.8L/100km - usually fully loaded or towing as its not my daily driver. Its never empty.
Most of the nasty rattling in the transmission goes away at around 1000RPM, so if I need to keep the engine running while stationary I either hold the revs up with my foot on the pedal, or if I'm going to be out of the vehicle I've got a small block of wood that I wedge in the pedal. A hand throttle would be a more elegant solution.

Steve

No issues here. I have a stock LT95 transmission and don't notice a lot of the noise any more. I have replaced the front diff with a TrueTrac, but that was just because I wanted one. I've had a few Isuzu powered Land Rovers, including a Stage 1. All were great to own and drive.

Ignore all the bar room and armchair "experts" - most of those guys have never been within 30 feet of an Isuzu powered Landy.

I converted from a stroked 4.2 litre V8 in my County to a 4BD1T and would never go back to the V8. Except for outright high revs acceleration, the 4BD1T outperforms the V8 in every way, especially off road.
I have an Lt95 with tapered roller bearings on the intermediate shaft and Maxi Drive axles. Never broken anything and the gearbox has probably done about 200,000 kms.
My advise is, fit the 4BD1T and enjoy it. Keep in mind things like the torque impulse, but don't 'worry' about it, it's not something which will cause any problems in the short term, as long as your gearbox is in good condition to start with it will be a very long time before any issues (referring to a Lt95)

Cheers, Murray

I finished a 110 rebuild/4BD1T conversion last year and am loving it. If you find yourself in SW CO, you're welcome to take a look.

Originally Posted by amano

I am currently planning a 4BD1T/NV4500 swap into my '76 LR Series III 109. I was speaking to a rather intelligent individual when it comes to Land Rover's and different combinations of engines/drivetrains you can use and the pros and cons of them. It has been recommended to me that a 5.3L GM LS motor is better path to follow because the 4BD1T is a rattler which will start cracking the bulkhead and the Torque Impulse of being a 4 pot diesel will eat up the drivetrain. The plan for the LR is as an expeditions vehicle so mpg and reliability are on the top side of the list along with being a capable off-roader. They also stated that the LS motor will get better mpgs than the 4BD1 and be just as if not more reliable. Now I must admit I am partial to diesels, I guess its the kid in me, but not opposed to the gas route. I have read the threads on how to "properly" drive the 4BD1 to deter driveline damage as well. So on to my questions:

1. For those who have preformed the 4BD1/T swap, any regrets/pitfalls?

2. How is your transmission and drivetrain holding up?

3. As I don't plan on idling the diesel for long-periods of time I would like to be able to idle for short-periods of time without worrying about destroying the input shaft etc. Are there any options to aid in the minimizing of torque impulse such as DMF (Dual-Mass Flywheels), which appears to be receiving very mixed reviews.

I would appreciate your feedback before I keep accumulating parts if I am going to be changing direction.

Thank you,
Andrew

Gday, I was looking at the NV4500 gearbox choice, but gave up that idea when looked at the torque capability of that 'box, my Isuzu puts out around the 1000ft/lb mark! I'm using a LT95 with std 1.113:1 high range. Over 120,000km travelled and no issue. Its a daily driver, tows anything and everything, is always carrying around 300+kgs.

So your saying your Isuzu puts out 1355Nm?

I tried doing the maths but was way to excited

I had to Google it AM, me not that smart