Diesel truck options? MB in a Ranger? - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

rs899 · #31 03-07-2006, 07:38 PM

I bought my VW pickup 12 years ago when there were tons of Rabbits in the boneyards for parts. Now they are all pretty scarce. The VW is OK on flat land here, but may not suit if you have any hills. Its pretty easy to work on- suspension especially is a snap. It is low to the ground- that's a plus for loading. My big complaint is the VERY small cabin and the feeling that I am driving in a house of cards if I ever get hit (unibody). Also, they have aluminum heads , timing belts and shimmed solid lifters which are all problematic. That said, the thing does get 49MPG in my commute and the engine has been dead reliable since I rebuilt it about 125K miles ago. The truck has about 350K miles on it now, but I am getting tired of it.

Rick

rwthomas1 · #32 03-07-2006, 08:38 PM

There is one other option that hasn't been mentioned. GM made the only 1/2ton pickup available with a diesel from '82 to '00. The '82 to 92' where available with the 6.2liter NA engine and the '94 to '00 were 6.5liter turbodiesels. No '93 1/2tons that I know of. The 80's diesel 1/2tons were often used in fleet service so they turn up at auctions from telephone companies, gas companies, etc. The USAF had them too and if you look around you will find them at auctions, military surplus yards, etc. The 6.2 NA in a 2WD 1/2ton with 3.42 gears will easily get 20+mpg. Justa thought.... RT

t walgamuth · #33 03-07-2006, 09:41 PM

though i never got near 20 with mine, i never had od on a diesel.

they also made some 5.7 diesels. much maligned but loved by a few who had good luck with them. good economy but weak.

tom w

HIDGolf · #34 03-07-2006, 09:42 PM

Jeep had some diesels too in the US. They used Renault engines that are common with some RVs, so parts are just a few clicks away. I believe it came in the Cherokee and the Comanche pickup in the 80s. There was a few on ebay a few months back.

Also the USPS used diesels in some of their Jeeps. They had an all fiberglass, one piece hood/fender combo that flipped forward. The engine bay looked to be a dream to work on.

Quote I saved from internet:

Quote:

The diesel Cherokee is not a common one, but makes one hell of a vehicle. For those that arn't familiar with it, it is a Renault truck engine, a 2.1 litre turbocharged intercooled 4 cylinder diesel. The engine and head are aluminum with wet cast iron liners. This marriage results from a contract Jeep had with the French Army to provide CJ-7s with an "all fuel" powerplant. Under NATO co-production clauses, a certain percentage had to be French content, hence the Renault engine and German transmission (GETRAG, the same people who make the transmission for the Corvette ZR-1). Jeep had a bunch of engines left over after the production run for the French, so they stuck them in Cherokees until they were all gone. I've heard that the total production was 600, 1100, and 3500 units, take your pick.

Renault 2.1L 4cyl. Turbo Diesel - 85 hp @ 3750 rpm, 132 ft lb @ 2750 rpm - used in 85-87

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=333572

Info on the Jeep diesels is all over the map and not consistant.

t walgamuth · #35 03-07-2006, 09:53 PM

jeep was known for using up odd ball parts on their engines and such. you had to take in your (name a part) to the parts places cause the distributor might be gm or ford or whatever they got a good deal on.

it is a wonder that they survived to the present day. the basic design is just so good that folks still love them.

i once drove an old rusty wagoneer (the original boxy type) that my buddy was thinking of buying. i expected a poor driving pos but it rode well and steered well and impressed. it drove better than my suburban that i was driving back then.

tom w

buck moberly · #36 03-08-2006, 12:24 PM

Dodge made a Dokata pickup with a cummins 4bt. For the millitary, goverment, export? When I was looking a dodge diesel. I went to see what i thought was a d250, it was an x millitary dakota with a 4 cylinder cummins.
Look at millitary salvage autions?

I would think that engine would be perfect in a small truck. Way more power potential than a mercedes and better mpg.

Niloc · #37 03-11-2006, 02:18 AM

Never heard of this GM and Jeep diesel, interesting but odd-ball rare and probably hard to find parts for. I've done some more research on the Toyota swap and I'm leaning that way.

boneheaddoctor · #38 03-11-2006, 11:08 AM

the 6.2 or 6.5 gm diesel with the overdrive and axel gears in the low 3.XX range pulled 20+ mpg even in a suburban on the highway 25+ . but without an OD or low gears (I have 4.10 gears and a Non/od TH-400 trans) and I get 14 mpg empty or fully loaded with 2 tons of cargo.

greasybenz · #39 03-23-2006, 02:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Niloc

Find gasser '80s toyota pickup truck in good shape with blown motor - <$500
Get rebuilt or low mileage diesel engine (maybe turbo!) - ? $800 - $1000
Have mechanic buddy install it - ??? $1000 (including other peripheral parts)

Maybe $2500 for a Toyota diesel pickup. Am I dreaming? This would be way better than some POS overpriced Isuzu Pup with original equipment.

Still looking for a small diesel truck? Well here is a reminder of the toyota diesel option.

http://cgi.ebay.com/TOYOTA-1DZ-II-DIESEL-ENGINE-w-TRANSMISION_W0QQitemZ7601972495QQcategoryZ109507QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

cruising ebay and found it.

boneheaddoctor · #40 03-23-2006, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greasybenz

Still looking for a small diesel truck? Well here is a reminder of the toyota diesel option.

http://cgi.ebay.com/TOYOTA-1DZ-II-DIESEL-ENGINE-w-TRANSMISION_W0QQitemZ7601972495QQcategoryZ109507QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

cruising ebay and found it.

I know people who have driven those toyota 1 ton mintrucks for 400,000 miles delivering papers before the bodies returned to the earth...and the engine was still running....having done little but routine maintenance.

Got to admit that is a mighty impressive track record....In hindsight I should have gotten into diesels back then...would have saved a lot of money in vehicles over the years.

dsljp · #41 04-25-2006, 12:57 AM

First time on this page. I am planning a 617 for my cj-8. I had a 6.5 that was recently totaled. I really liked the engine. Had over 200,000 with little trouble.

There is a company, 4x4 labs, that is making adapters for the 617 to use GM transmissions. Right now they have only standards. When I talked to them today they said by the end of summer they should have a kit to use any GM auto with the 617. Think about a 617 mounted to a 700r4 or a 4L60e in an S-10 or a J10 or cherokee with a Dana 300 and twin sticks.

Does anyone know the weight of a 617?

t walgamuth · #42 04-25-2006, 09:06 AM

i believe it is about 575 #.

tom w

csp97 · #43 04-25-2006, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsljp

First time on this page. I am planning a 617 for my cj-8. I had a 6.5 that was recently totaled. I really liked the engine. Had over 200,000 with little trouble.

There is a company, 4x4 labs, that is making adapters for the 617 to use GM transmissions. Right now they have only standards. When I talked to them today they said by the end of summer they should have a kit to use any GM auto with the 617. Think about a 617 mounted to a 700r4 or a 4L60e in an S-10 or a J10 or cherokee with a Dana 300 and twin sticks.

Does anyone know the weight of a 617?

Thanks for the heads up on this! I had no idea there was anyone working on adapters for the 617. I have an FJ40 land cruiser that's getting a diesel. I was planning on a 4bt but since I got a 300TD wagon a few weeks ago I've been thinking about how to get a 617 into my land cruiser.

#44 04-25-2006, 11:18 AM

If you have enough connections and cash you can probally get a HZJ75 Land Cruiser. There are a few in the US, and they do come up for sale...