Cummins 2.8L Diesel "Repower" engine kit

[red EOD veteran]

Depends on your driving style. If you drive at lower RPM the extra torque of the diesel wins. Prefer high RPM horsepower then gas.

Excited to see the official price tag and if this works out well for them. The engine was designed with the ATLAS test program so it's a clean running motor. Being available with just the EGR system for emissions will keep the cost down and repair cost will be lower without DEF/DPF/CAT to deal with.

 

[B85]

For me HP is just math .

Wonder what gears would be best ?

 

[overlander]

For me HP is just math .

Wonder what gears would be best ?

And what tranny and tcase? They used the jeep nvg3550 5 speed, but is there a rover tranny that would work? This engine is prob strong enough for a zf.

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[Comanche Scott]

Wide ratio, or lots of gears

I can't speak for this engine, but the Scout with the 4BT runs a GM 4L60E with about 1200rpm stall diesel converter, a Dana 300 with 4:1 Teralow kit, and 3.73 gears to 35" tires.
That works out very well.

The 4L60E is a fairly wide ratio transmission:
Gear ratios:
1-----2-----3-----4-----R
3.059 1.625 1.000 0.696 2.29

This works great to get "out of the hole", while providing time for the turbo to spool up. Then provides a nice over drive with the lock up converter.
If starting over, I'd get the 4L65E, as it's a bit more stout. For longevity, it requires a very tunable ECM with some quality tuning time. The Scout has a CompuShift-II.

For someone thinking about this. Here is the best site I've ever found for gearing calculations:
http://www.grimmjeeper.com/gears.html

 

[Fursphere]

Any word on price yet? My XJ might be in need of a new engine and this one has my attention. At $9k they can keep it though - I can buy an another Jeep for that.

 

[robert]

I'm sill wondering why more folks don't do a 2.8TD (4M40 series) Mitsu swap into Jeeps. They're available in ebay (you can get whole front clips, ex. w/ auto trans for under $4000USD http://www.ebay.com/itm/JDM-MITSUBISHI-PAJERO-FRONT-CLIP-V26-4M40-2-8L-TURBO-DIESEL-ENGINE-AUTOMATIC-4X4-/322191622605?hash=item4b041e01cd:g:QNIAAOSwyDxXhvb9&vxp=mtr) pretty cheap and since they are common all over the rest of the world, parts are available and there are mods to boost it's output. It's a reliable engine and pulls the heavy Pajeros without problem, not that you'll win any speed races.

You can get the Toyota 1KZ-TE engines as well but I suspsect you'll have a harder time getting parts for them in the US.

Yes, I understand that for folks with draconian motor laws like California this may not work but it is still easy to meet the newer engine clause in some areas and for states without testng, like SC, it wouldn't even be a question.

 

[Haf-E]

Could be an interesting option for repowering a Sprinter van into a 4WD rig - the specs are very similar (OM612 is 154 HP and 240 ft-lbs torque)

 

[Haf-E]

Comparing a brand new engine to a used take out / half cut is really apples and oranges - the example you gave has 174,000 km on it (about 110,000 miles) and their warranty would be difficult to claim against and is only for 30 days - which would be hard to even use since you would have to get the engine transplant completed in that time to really test it.

 

[proper4wd]

Any word on price yet? My XJ might be in need of a new engine and this one has my attention. At $9k they can keep it though - I can buy an another Jeep for that.

I don't get this logic. How much do you expect a brand new turbo diesel engine to cost - let alone with a conversion kit of any kind?

 

[overlander]

I don't get this logic. How much do you expect a brand new turbo diesel engine to cost - let alone with a conversion kit of any kind?

Agree. 9k works for me. Most conversions fall in the $12-15k range w labor

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[Dalko43]

I don't get this logic. How much do you expect a brand new turbo diesel engine to cost - let alone with a conversion kit of any kind?

$9k may make sense from the perspective of the manufacturer (in this case, Cummins). But from the perspective of the DIY mechanic or professional shop, it may be harder to justify. Putting a $9k engine into an older truck (which is the likely target for these kind of engine swaps) that costs $11k for example...does anyone here think those project vehicles will bring in $20k, or anything close to that, on the used market?

It might, if it the whole project and conversion was well done, but still $9k is a lot to drop for the engine alone, especially in regards to offroad/hobby vehicles. Granted, some of Chevy's crate engines can cost almost 2x that amount, but a lot of those are built as dedicated racing engines.

Don't know...if I had an extra $13k plus a good project vehicle (something like a LC 80), I could see myself pursuing this kind of build. But for people who have slimmer financial margins, I can see why there is some skepticism.

 

[proper4wd]

You're right - its not cheap. My point is, what new crate engine swap is?

The crate engine swap market in general is aimed at a relatively slim cross section of the populace. We can't fault this engine for that. It's not supposed to compete with the guy who replaces his blown 4.0L with another junkyard 4.0L for $500. It's competing with crate LS swaps or people who have the money for a crate LS swap but that end result doesnt appeal to them.

As for what that market is like, its huge - there are a couple dozen build on this board alone.

 

[justbecause]

With very few exceptions once you put money into a vehicle that money is gone. To expect a 9k engine to increase the value of a used vehicle by 9k is not in line with reality.

People will do this for reasons like "i love my old car but the engine is on its last leg" "i love this car but its driving range is too short and I cant carry X amount more gallons of fuel on trips" "diesel engines are cool and i want one"

There is a guy out west who is putting 6bts into 80 series right now. He is in the 16-20k ball park (with a used engine) his site explains why he will no longer do 4bt swaps. I wouldnt expect this 4cyl to be enough of an improvement to sway his opinion.

I got a quote from ironpig to do a v8 swap into an 80, they said 16-20k depending on what options I want.

 

[red EOD veteran]

At SEMA they were saying an expected price of 7-9k for this kit, mostly dependent on what emissions equipment was going to be required. The base 2.8 ISF has been built overseas since it was designed and you can buy the engine for about 5-6k. Add in shipping/customs, pedal, engine readout panel and the cost was around 7k for an engine that was not US emissions tested. Meaning if you lived in an area that was strict on emissions the engine would fail because of paperwork and you would not have a street legal vehicle.

This repower kit fixes that. US emissions approved, international shipping/customs included, pedal, everything to have the engine run.

As for the debate between buying a used engine or a crate engine, that depends on you. Planning to keep the vehicle for a long time then a new crate engine is worth it. Personally I've been debating whether to go with the 2.8 ISF or a Mercedes OM617 for my 82 toyota pickup.

 

[onemanarmy]

Small Diesel is overrated. Towing 15k pounds, then yea...Go diesel.

To get this engine to meet USA emissions, it's gonna be packed with expensive and problematic bits and pieces. Long gone are the million mile workhorse diesels that everyone seems to think are still being made. These motors will have to use ULSD, so theyll crap out when someone goes to another country with one and fills it full of crappy fuel.
Then you have to buy adapters for trans and t cases. Then wiring and tuning.
Diesel fuel is more expensive. Ive never seen diesel cost less than gasoline. For wheeling...Gearing is what matters most...You don't need 300 ft/lbs when going 5 mph.
A $2k 5.3 V8 with trans or rebuilding your current motor will save a lot of money for a lot of gasoline. And so much other stuff.

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