Oakboy

Anyone ever heard if 4runner were available with a diesel engine? If so, what year? My girlfriend seems to think that they were. I know that all landcruisers have that option outside of the U.S. Does anyone know when the landcruiser stopped having that option available in the U.S?


Some Yota trivia for your monday morn...

Thanks!!

Todd E

I almost don't think they were available - in the US at least.
The diesel engine was discontinued here around 1985 or so, right when the first 4runners were coming out.
Most likely a different story in Canada and abroad.
Todd

Unhappy99

ICBW, but I think the last LandCruiser diesel which Toyota imported into the U.S. was in 1985-86. I don't think there was ever a 4Runner diesel brought in by Toy.

Everywhere else on the planet, diesels are prevalent. A very nice 3.0 liter turbo diesel (1KZ-TE) from Toy is available in all their small trucks and Surfs (4Runners).

I'd really like to have the Isuzu 4JX1-TC diesel in something like a 4Runner. 30 to 35mpg and 260lb-ft of torque out of a quiet, simple 4-banger.

Andrew

You can get a "4Runner" turbodiesel in Central and South America. Elsewhere they go by Hilux Surf.

Here's a 3rd gen one CarDomain: http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/431508 (I like those wheels btw)

toy283

4Runners were never diesel in the U.S. '81-'83 pickups had 2.2 liter diesel (1L) option, '84-'86 pickups had a 2.4 liter diesel (2L) option, '85 also had a 2.4 liter turbo-diesel (2L-T) option.

CTB

Just curious...

why are most diesel engines today equipped with a turbo? What makes them so different from gas engines that a turbo is necessary?

Thanks for the info-

Unhappy99

It isn't necessary to turbocharge a diesel, it's just advantageous. Since detonation is the basic principal of diesel engine operation, they take turbocharging quite well.

With common fuel rails and electronically controlled injection, diesels are quieter, smoother running and less polluting than ever before. Now if they could just keep the pump handle clean.....

Gas engine---fuel and air are sucked into the combustion chamber together, then set off by a spark plug. If the temperatures of the combustion chamber and intake air/fuel mix is too hot, the engine detonates...very bad in gas engines as they are timed by the spark.

Diesels - air is brought into the combustion chamber and then compressed so much that it superheats. (remember PV=nRT from high school physics?). At the appropriate time, diesel fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber. When it hits this superheated air, it detonates. Diesels are controlled by timing the fuel pulse.

CTB

Ya, I understood all the basic operation, but just wasn't sure why diesels took so well to having a turbo added to them.

Erich_870

I believe they work so much better because of the higher pressure required for combustion. Like Unhappy said, it’s all about compressing the air to super heat it. Well the exhaust is gunna come out at a screaming pressure, so it makes sense to use the "left over" pressure in the exhaust to help pressurize the air as it enters the cylinder. Seems to me the less the piston has to push to get the air to the right pressure the more power in the stroke you keep. As if that made any sense.

Unhappy99

The blocks are built so friggen strong that turbocharging doesn't particularly stress them. The Cummins 5.9 used on the Dodge gets retuned and stuffed into a Freightliner with 900lb-ft of torque.

By using electronic injectors, they shoot multiple fuel pulses for each combustion cycle. This allows a controlled pressure rise, resulting in smoother running and a bunch less noise compared to a single fuel pulse detonation knock.

Higher compression ratio gives higher fuel efficiency as well. Cheap and easy way to get higher compression is to turbocharge the intake. It just all works together nicely.

amusement

I believe a diesel engine would serve USA Yota's very well.


Here's a quick film demonstrating the power of a diesel pickup when compared against a mustang.

click me

Figit090

hmm....i really wish the USA had those engines...

how much more power do they put out??

how much cheaper would it be to run a diesel anyway...i never could quite tell as the only truck i ever really tried comparing with was an F-250 ....

would it be possible or resonable to import a diesel to the USA for an engine swap?? how much oculd that cost?

say if you needed a new engine anyway...why not go diesel?

does anything in the truck need to be changed mechanically?

BruceTS

After I blew up my motor, I almost swapped out to a 3.0L turbo diesel. They are avaliable in the US, I've seen them from the japanese imported engines that have 30k on them.


http://www.asapmotors.com/services/t...sel-engine.htm

aviator

hey importing a diesel is a good idea but doing an engine swap bad idea... you'd have to swap the fuel tank and lines, wiring harness and computer and beef up the front end and...and...and... better idea import the truck and just drive it but you have to check a few things with yer local (state and fed.) government. Here in Canada it is OK to import a truck but not certain cars because od different emissions rules... If you do be prepared to wait a while for parts when you need them and find a good mechanic...Tip- Hino is yota's heavy truck division so they will know about or at least have a better idea about how to service your orphan rig.
The reason toyota stopped importing diesels was due to strickter emissions standards that the 2l-T etc. could'nt meet and a persieved small demand making it uneconomical to modify them.
The new engines can meet and perhaps even exceed even CARB bastards standards all we need to do is convince yota to put it on the option list the new pick-up (HILUX) is not going to be built in the US anymore but will be built back in TARHANA Japan (thank god) where they all come from for the rest of the world so we should be able to get it no problem... Just write in to YOTA and demand one... Sorry for the long post Aviator

funglenn

WAIT WAIT WAIT......

You all are raising good points, but there is one small problem.... the FUEL. Diesels are very popular in Europe and everyone makes them there, BUT their Diesel fuel is different than ours. Diesel in Europe is alot more refined than the sludge we call Diesel in the US. Putting our stuff in a newer diesel engine may not work in the long run, you may have problems......all sorts of build up and clogs....

My two cents

aviator

Hey funglenn! you=re right the diesel here is almost Bunker C but you can get "super diesel' in some locations particularly out west (for some reason) which is a more refined product check with your local truck stop if they don't have it ask a driver in the choke and puke he/she will probably know where to find it. I've heard that the regs on diesel are changing and we should have the cleaner burning type soon if not already. The main problem is the sulpher content, if you can get low sulpher diesel you should be ok. cheers aviator.

Dude236

you guys just wait, in 2005 US will get low-sulphur diesel, which is basically what the rest of the world gets, it smells less and is more efficient. because of this, manufacturers are bringing more and more diesels. vw toureg gets a 310 hp 555 lb ft torque 5.0 v10 turbo diesel, passat will have one, audi a8, mb e320, vans are gonna have em. tons of applications, maybe not as much as europe but alot more. i know ford is working on a v6 diesel for the f150. i love diesels, especially in cars no one as them, and they have more torque than alot of trucks.

Juggalo

That's going a bit far isn't it?

Just because we don't get import diesels isn't a reason to:cry:

Europe doesn't have bad ass diesel Chevy/Dodge/Ford's like we do (no flame wars! I gave credit to all 3 )

And when it comes down to diesels the big 3 rule the world (in personal trucks)

Bighead

Ohhh, I don't agree with this. I have spent alot of time in Diesel Hi-lux's and and TurboDiesel Land Cruisers driving around some very austere parts of the world. The Big 3 are good with diesel's but I don't think they are to the level of refinement of some foreign makers (i.e. Toyota). One of my dream vehicles, and one I've spent alot of time in, is the 80-Series Turbo Diesel Land Cruiser.

Oakboy

You guys are awesome.
So much info.
My girlfriend told me that importing diesels from japan or other areas into canada is fairly easy. Into the U.S. they're a little more stringent. I've seen a few imported diesels for sale in B.C. but very, very few in ontario.
It's a shame that my runner doesn't get 30 mpg's...
I've read alot of reports about how North American diesel is dirtier than europes. One article I read states that the diesel fule in europe is typically 6 times cleaner. Canada will have regulated clean diesel fuel for 2006.
The Heep Liberties are supposedly offering a common rail diesel for 2004, but I haven't seen one around yet.