cowlishaw

Question I have is very basic and straight-forward. For the Suzuki Samurai they have turbo diesel conversion kits. With gas prices going through the roof is there a possible way to install a turbo diesel engine in a 1996 Jeep Cherokee? I plan to keep my vehicle for a lot of years to come as they don't make these Cherokees any more. My original straight six is still working great with only 140,000 miles on it, but this is something to consider for the future. I hear that the new Cherokees are coming out with diesel engines?? I've googled this topic without much luck and I would love to find some solid resources!

aquickmopar

Yes you can do a turbo diesel in a cherokee. Probably the best one to do would be the cummins 4ciylinder turbo diesel. There have been a few done and they are nasty. Look it up on youtube.

Gee oh Dee

Some XJs came with a TD motor from the factory. Most were over seas models.

ivantheigor

Diesel fuel costs more than gasoline...

aquickmopar

True, but you can get more millage out of diesel than gas. Plus alot more torque.

Phatwitaph

capable of wayy better gas mileage.

Dave69

don't use the jeep diesel (VM 2.5) unreliable and porus head issues.

cummins is the better answer but is it worth the hassle in converting

Sunnypruit

I would be interested in hearing some other options too, as I have been thinking about this as well. From what I have heard the 4BT cummins is very loud and causes a lot of vibration. I agree it would be nice if there was a conversion kit like the VW one for the samurai.

alloutperform

the cummins they all speak of is the 4bt DON'T TRY TO PUT THE TRUCK MOTOR IN!!!! the 4bt is found in frito-lay trucks and other small box trucks. it is one hell of a job to convert but it would be nice..as far a comfort..eh you drive a jeep thats an after thought..go for reliability and power

redneckroot

There is a video of one in a comanche. If I was going to do it I would find a nv4500 out of a dodge diesel pickup along with a tcase. The 4bt's are pretty simple wire wise, but I'm not sure (because I haven't done it myself) how much of your factory harness you would have to hack to make all of your gauges functional. You should in theory be able to get close to 30mpg or more depending on your lift, gearing, and tires. Another nice part about them is a lot of the 6 cylinder performance with work on them. You can with enough time and $$ build one that will lay down close to 700hp assuming you get one with the ppump style injection pump. The ppump style 4bts are harder to come across because a lot of them are still in service in bread style trucks. If I had the time I would throw one in mine. Another thing to keep in mind is the weight difference between your current 6 and a diesel.

Noise wise they are loud and vibrate pretty bad. But most mechanically injected diesels are.

Here is another place I would start asking questions at. http://www.4btswaps.com/forum/index.php

redneckroot

Another thing I should have added is, if you do convert to a diesel it also opens up the doors for making your own biodiesel. We make our own and thats all our trucks run on, and have for years. Its pretty nice to know that I can fill my 30 gallon tank in my truck for about 35 bucks.

alloutperform

my chummins (chevy with cummins 6bt) ran on used tranny oil

redneckroot

http://lucienfrelin.com/jeepbuild/

Here is some info on a tj swap.

Dave69

look at an old toyota or isuzu lump, basic electrics and mechanical pumps but either way it will involve alot of work. if you look at the vw diesel then your looking at the 5 cylinder and newer. the downside is that you will have to sort out the complicated electronics

Ryan65r

yes some of the new liberty's are coming out with a 2.8L (i think) diesel but the are only available in europe for some reason