Isuzu Diesel Thermoking Swap - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

zsmith29 · #1 04-06-2010, 10:39 PM

OK, so I know it has nothing to do with MB; but I know and trust you all's opinions more than any other people I know.

I have the opportunity to get a recent pullout from a thermoking unit. I want to drop it in a small car, truck, SUV and keep the cost and time down at the same time.
It is a 2.2 Liter 4 cyl DI NA engine that has about 25K hours on it. Beat in mind that those hours are at a constant RPM for days at a time.

This is a link to one that is for sale on Ebay right now,

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260581300473&viewitem=&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26its%3DI%26otn%3D2&category=33615

Exact same engine.
Ok, now for the most immediate problems that I see with putting this engine into a small vehicle and mating with a tranny.
1. mating it with a tranny
2. the 4 gal oil pan that is just huge
3. the fact that it is mechanically inj is good b/c I think (I am not sure)
that I can simpy adjust the throttle to idle at optimal and to be able to get at least 3K out of it.
4. motor mounts are actually on the pil pan

Guys, Please feel free to enlighten me with reality b/c I sometimes lose sight of it from time to time.
Thanks for reading,
Zack Smith

Aquaticedge · #2 04-06-2010, 10:43 PM

I think those are designed as stationary or non car mounted... It would be interesting to see if a trans would even bolt to it

t walgamuth · #3 04-06-2010, 10:44 PM

Pictures of the motor might help. Also if you want to cut the pan down to a more normal size knowledge of the oil pump and pickup would be essential to guide any cutting there.

Weight? dimensions?

zsmith29 · #4 04-06-2010, 10:50 PM

Yeah I should have taken my camera w/ me this afternoon.
The guy who runs the shop said that he could test them and show me that they do run b/4 I buy them.

Yes they are designed for stationary use.

Anybody w/ any exp with these engines? Or suggestions??

zsmith29 · #5 04-06-2010, 10:52 PM

A good friend of mine who knows engines told me that I can go to a machine shop and take them the engine and a tranny and they could make an adapter plate for it.

Is this true?
How much would be a fair price for this?

Skid Row Joe · #6 04-07-2010, 12:15 AM

-32 years ago my Dad bought a new I6 4-cycle non-turbo Isuzu engine for his Vogue motorcoach. It cost about $5K for the engine, and another $1,500 to have a avid aircraft mechanic install it in the coach. It worked flawlessly for the next 15 years for us.It also yielded fabulous mpg!

At the time, Isuzu made an I4 diesel engine - that my Dad said if we installed one in my 1980 Lincoln Town Car it would get about 40 mpg. Sometimes I wish we'd of done the conversion.

Nothing to fear about in the reliability aspect of an Isuzu diesel engine.

KarTek · #7 04-07-2010, 05:48 AM

I'm pretty sure the governor in the IP will be set up for constant speed governing rather than the red line/idle setup in a vehicle. I'm not sure it can be converted or if you have to buy a whole different IP.

zsmith29 · #8 04-07-2010, 06:36 AM

Yeah, I dunno about that as well.
I know that when I was there the mechanic who works on them told me that the first thing to adjust would be the idle and max settings. It was a set screw that could be adjusted quite a bit and it would then allow for the throttle arm to be able to ho higher or lower.

This is the main area of my concern so any advice would be greatly appreciated. This is about all that I know about the adjustment and I dont know for sure if it will work or not.

shadetreemechan · #9 04-07-2010, 07:58 AM

I have a Izuzu pup with the c223 four cylinder diesel. It is a close cousin to the motor you are speaking of. I understand that the difference is that the camshaft is ground differently because your motor is designed for constant rpm. The understanding in the pup community is that the motor will not work in an automotive application, nor will its internal parts interchange with the 223 even though the blocks are the same.
The above is all internet rumor. I have no direct knowledge of any of this so please take it with a grain of salt until verified elsewhere.

tee51397 · #10 04-07-2010, 08:30 AM

If this is something you just want to do for the heck of it then anything can be done with enough time, ingenuity and $$ otherwise I think you'd be better off on all fronts starting with something more easily suited to the application. That being said, I figure the vast majority of the expense is going to be the same regardless of what engine you started with (other than direct MB replacement) so if you're doing it yourself it could be a fun and interesting project.

I know nothing about that engine so this is purely speculation but I would imagine that huge oil pan is there to allow for extended drain intervals and additional engine cooling capacity since those things sit stationary for long periods of time so I wouldn't think taking some depth off of it would pose any problem for your application but it is possible that you would have to do a dry sump conversion. Having an adapter plate machined for the tranny shouldn't pose any real problem other than expense. I would imagine any other issues could be corrected by swapping out the ancillaries and perhaps a little modification to the top-end.

Several guys have done engine swaps from gas to diesel in Range Rovers using an Isuzu diesel. I don't remember the exact engine but I think it's a 2.4 but they were buying them new in the 4-5K range and having adapter plates made. I haven't heard of anyone who did the swap regretting it. You may want to check out some of the info on that just for the sake of ideas and information.

tee51397 · #11 04-07-2010, 08:47 AM

Here are some links you may find interesting.
http://www.rangerovers.net/rrupgrades/engine/diesel/isuzuclassic.html

http://www.4btswaps.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?16-Isuzu-4BD1T-2T

TX76513 · #12 04-07-2010, 10:26 AM

The oilpan alone may be your biggest challange with a TK engine. Plan on having one fabricated to meet the application

dagObx · #13 04-07-2010, 11:45 AM

Since it is a constant speed setup, it would be excellent for a generator...if you are so inclinded.

Diesel911 · #14 04-07-2010, 02:53 PM

Several times a year we often have members who want to convert a 204D Engine into a Generator Engine. Quite often they are told to go find a Thermo King istead.

There might be someone out there willing to swap your Thermoking for a 240D. If the Thermo King still has the Generator on it you ought to get the transmission with the 240D.

Unless you can make your owe adapter parts and find a suitable IP even with a free Thermo King the cost will go up sharply.

zsmith29 · #15 04-07-2010, 09:03 PM

Thanks Guys for the input,
I will continue to do my research and see what I come up with.
It seems as though there will be quite a few hurdles to jump through and I am not sure if I am up for the task due to the whole time and money thing.
I dunno, I think that it is a very nice idea but I am just beginning to think that it might take up to much time.

We'll See,
Thanks,