Diesel engine swap for a kia sportage?

[smokeater]

I am thinking of fitting a mercedes diesel engine and trans. in a kia sportage or other small suv. I found a good deal on a 300sd. What engine would you guys use? I want something with good power and turbo. The kia has something over 100 hp.I will be shopping for a whole car,so you guys tell me what car you would butcher.

[jt20]

be sure to compare the weight of the engines you are swapping first. These engines are very heavy and will greatly affect your weight distribution / front end handling.

[pawoSD]

A sportage is made from recycled pop cans....I'd find something bigger/more durable for it to be possible. Due to the heavy weight of the diesels you're generally looking to a pretty heavy duty truck chassis.

Is the 300SD drivable? If it is I'd leave it be and enjoy.

[smokeater]

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/cto/955603359.html

[pawoSD]

Originally Posted by smokeater

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/cto/955603359.html

That poor car....it looks like it doesn't have much rust (or any?).....it could be a good restoration project! New interior.....do some mechanical repairs.....some body work....lights.....it'd probably be a good driver.

I'll work to save most any car though. Especially a 300SD. They're awesome.

[shingleback]

Funny, I have been thinking about the same transplant but into a Ford Explorer.

[ggspeed]

I saw an old Land Rover Defender with a Benz 5cyl turbo diesel going in her. Truck was in the works.

If i were going to do it myself i'd use an old land rover discovery. They are cheaper and have a much more comfortable feel to them, they also are much cheaper.

Rovers can handle the weight, a kia may have some issues.

[babymog]

That car's on its way to the scrapyard anyway, no big loss. Bad news is it is a heavy cast-iron engine & head, probably need to be careful stopping that Kia so it doesn't tip over on its nose ;~)

[KAdams4458]

I've wished for some time that I could slap a diesel in my wife's Sportage, and even determined that they were offered overseas with a diesel engine option. Sadly, anything MB is going to weigh more than it should. You could maybe pull it off if you were willing to have custom springs made for the thing when you were done.

[Actros617]

If you want to put it in a land rover go with the OM603 you will be flying in a om603,i don't think you will like the performance of a Om617 with 123 hp 177 torq in a 5 1/2k lbs body , for a OM617, you can try a jeep Cherokee, the Cherokee engine weight is about the same as a OM617 and the body is SUPER LIGHT and it will go fast!!

[rcounts]

Originally Posted by Actros617

...try a jeep Cherokee, the Cherokee engine weight is about the same as a OM617 and the body is SUPER LIGHT and it will go fast!!

Ditto. A 86-96 Jeep Cherokee would be the PERFECT vehicle for this. They are plentiful, so they can be purchased cheaply - especially with a dead engine or tranny. They can be had in 4 door or 2 door configurations, but both have the same frame, suspension, and wheelbase. The standard engine is a 4 liter inline 6 and a LOT of them came with the AW4 automatic tranny - which is very comparable in size to the MB 4 speed automatic.

All this adds up to an engine bay and frame that are perfectly sized for the 5 cylinder OM617 and MB 4 speed auto. Curb weight is about 3450 - also very comparable to the 300 series diesels. The 4 liter inline 6 gasser engine is a bit lighter than the OM617 - probably a couple of hundred pounds - BUT that can easily be compensated for by swapping in a set of junkyard front springs from a V8 93-98 Grand Cherokee. This is a common swap to lift the front end of a "regular" Cherokee an inch or so - and they fit perfectly with no modifications required.

There is also a WIDE range of rear axle ratios available in the "regular" Cherokees - the stock ratios offered were 3.07 (I6 & 5 speed manual tranny), 3.55 (I6 & AW4 automatic), and 3.73 (I4 & 5 speed manual tranny) and 4.10 (I4 & AW4 automatic tranny). However, you can also get gearsets for the stock axle in 4.56, 4.88, and even 5.13

Stock tire diameter is around 28" but you can increase that up to as much as 30" without having to lift it or enlarge the wheelwells, and you can run tires as big as 32" diameter by doing some simple trimming of the wheelwell openings. So between the available axle ratios and tire options you can adjust the gearing to just about anything to want to match the powerband of the OM617 & 4 speed auto.

Personally I think the 3.07 ratio with stock tires (225/75/15) or maybe slightly upsized tires (245/75/15) tires would work out just about perfect for the OM617/auto combo.

[babymog]

I considered doing this in my discovery. Problem was that I'd be dropping 50hp from the stock engine, the stock engine is much shorter, the stock engine (aluminum-block V-8) is much lighter. The original truck is a perfect 50/50 weight distribution also, hated to mess that up.

Biggest problem is adaptors, which will cost more than the engine you're installing, to adapt to other transmissions.

Originally Posted by Actros617

If you want to put it in a land rover go with the OM603 you will be flying in a om603,i don't think you will like the performance of a Om617 with 123 hp 177 torq in a 5 1/2k lbs body , for a OM617, you can try a jeep Cherokee, the Cherokee engine weight is about the same as a OM617 and the body is SUPER LIGHT and it will go fast!!

[mobetta]

get a vw diesel for a kia. there are conversion kits available for different tranny's.

acme adapters.

[nickofoxford]

Originally Posted by mobetta

get a vw diesel for a kia. there are conversion kits available for different tranny's.

acme adapters.

I was thinking maybe a TDI would work, and they would meet the emissions as forced has explained. He is right though, don't know what the mechanics would say when you rolled in (pun intended ) with a kia with a 617 in it. The TDI is probably much lighter and a lot higher up on the scale as far as efficency. Plus, horsepower...

Drawback, you'd have to be crazy to run WVO or probably even biodiesel in a TDI.. maybe really good biodiesel. Whole diferent injection system.

Originally Posted by smokeater

I am thinking of fitting a mercedes diesel engine and trans. in a kia sportage or other small suv.

You can't. Federal Law requires that the engine be of the same year or newer and meet emissions requirements of the same year or newer. Kia wasn't even around when the 300SD was produced and there is no way a 617 can meet 90's+ emissions standards.