Date:         Thu, 12 Dec 2002 23:38:22 +1300
Reply-To:     Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:      Re: Mercedes 5cyl 300TD in vanagon? & other diesels
In-Reply-To:  <20021211153842.GB19248@cybershamanix.com>
Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=us-ascii

>  > Do Hiluxes there come with TDi 3.0s? They do here, and from what I
>>  hear these are great engines. Hiace vans come with this engine too
>>  (the 1KZ-T) and are supposed to really fly. Unfortunately I have not
>>  had the opportunity to drive a 3.0.
>>
>
>      Nope, the only Toyota diesel imported to the US at all was the 2L and 2LT
>and they are quite rare and very expensive.

Jeez, the 2C (2.0) is very common here in Coronas, Corollas and
Liteaces (have 2 diesel Coronas and a diesel 1C 1.8 Corolla Sprinter
Liftback, as well as a 2.2 3C-T Estima in the family right now, and
recently sold a 1C Corolla notchback), and a guaranteed good used
late-model one generally is about $500-800US from a dealer. One of
these would power a Vanagon OK, but no rocket sled. The 2C-T would be
pretty good...

The 1.8-liter 1C was the first of the family, back in the 70s. It was
bored & stroked to become the 2C and again to 3C.

>Canada got the 3B and I find them at
>a reasonable ($850-1000) price, but people who know say they are too tall and
>too heavy for my Toy4x4 pickup, although they might work if I add a 2"-3" body
>lift and much heavier springs. Completely hopeless for a vanagon transplant.

3B? Yuck! Our work 82 Cruiser Wagon had one of these... on the flat
at 100kmh the beast could not overtake... absolutely nothing left. We
put a turbo on it and whoo boy, it was fun to drive... until a couple
of years later it blew, cracking head and block and running a
bearing...  then it was replaced with another and the turbo boost
reduced. Performance adequate, but had further blowups. We replaced
it with a 14B (3.7) direct-injection unit. Relatively quiet and
smooth (compared to the 3B) and had more power & torque than the
tuned-down 3B with turbo.

But these engines are very large anf heavy. However I'm sure they
would fit, as I doubt they'd be bigger or heavier than the GM V6 my
van came with. Real trans-trashers, though.

>    Well people don't seem to be having that problem with the 1.9TDI and 2.5TDI
>engines. Not to mention that people have been sticking V8's on vW trannys for
>years.

What they don't want to tell folk is how many new transmissions
they've had to fit. Even a beefed VW 091 trans won't handle more than
160hp reliably or for long. Sure the US VW magazines are full of hot
VWs, but these rags never give hp, performance or reliability
details. The VW trans can barely handle the stock power output. Its
legendary reliability and toughness are an urban myth.

>     The parts for the 300TD aren't anymore expensive than any other engine as
>far as I can see. And most of them are still running strong at
>300,000 miles, as
>are most VW diesels. Old Mercedes are quite popular in the US as
>daily drivers,
>especially the diesels.

Here there are commonly (factual) horror stories about Mercedes,
including the V8s. I wouldn't touch one. And the Bosch electrics...
--
Andrew Grebneff
165 Evans St, Dunedin 9001, New Zealand
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut