Cummins R2.8

Because diesels are designed to be run hard 24 hrs a day, gas engines don't last when you run them like that.
Diesel isn't for everyone and it's not for every application but the application it's designed for is excels at.

I'm also not a fan of the 7.3 in stock form.

 

I'm dazed and confused. I have no loyalties. Scored a great deal on the F250 while I was looking for a Tundra

I've put probably close to 100k towing an enclosed race trailer in my Dad's LBZ Chevy so I have a soft spot for 3/4 ton diesels. Even though that truck chassis and body is a pile of shit, the powertrain is phenomenal

 

The engine is reliable but I'm not a really big fan of that trans (auto 5 spd), it's a dog off the line but they do run. I also prefer the coil suspension on the newer trucks vs leaf spring on those trucks.

 

These will not be "original miles", they don't count

 

LBZ's had double OD 6sp's... IMO an awesome trans for near stock power applications. Big power will hurt the TC and the 4-5, 5-6 clutches in a hurry though. It's so much better than the A4OD behind a 7.3 that it's not even funny

 

I completely missed the portion about the LBZ , i haven't driven a duramax but I've researched them for my dad when he was looking for a replacement work truck and they seem to be a really good option (He ended up with a ram 3500 with the 6.7) and I'd like to get my hands on one to try out.
The trans behind the 7.3 I dislike a lot, it's nothing close the quality of trans that is behind the 6.0 power stroke. (I misspoke earlier about it being a 5spd, I was thinking the trans behind the 6.0 was a 6spd (technically it is, but only 5 speeds are used in standard operation) and the A40D had one less gear)

 

The fact is, if Cummins' market research didn't show much support for a small, efficient, and adaptable small turbo diesel engine that was 50 state legal and relatively affordable, then they wouldn't have spent 100s of thousands of dollars, if not millions tooling up to build something completely new that would fill the bill and make a profitable product that consumers would buy. Like I said earlier, it may not be for everyone, but people will buy these and Cummins will make good profits doing so.

 

You're talking about replacing an engine that doesn't need to be replaced. Assuming you needed a new engine, how much would a brand new engine and all accessories cost from Toyota? With those numbers, the comparison would be easier to make.

I'm interested in the Cummins engine for an fj80, which you can pick up for around $1000 with a blown motor.

If I was to get all new Toyota parts, the cost would start out like this:
Block- $3400
Head- $1300

See how that's starting to add up? You'd get to $8000 pretty quick.

 

A friend of mine has 1981 VW Vanagon Westfalia with a 2003 Jetta Turbo Diesel in it. That engine is pretty small and that van hauls and gets 30mpg!
He's always asking when we're putting a vw turbo diesel in my tacoma. I don't know...German engine in a Japanese truck...before you know it the truck is hell bent on global domination. Not something I want to deal with.

Anyway, if you want a diesel swap there seems to be a lot of options. Most of them are probably better than the new cummins R2.8 when you factor in the cost.

 

Yeah, it barely works out....if you're doing it as a means of saving money.

My truck gets 15mpg. I drive it about 1000 miles a month. My daily driver gets 46mpg. I also drive it about 1000 miles a month. The daily cost $4100 to purchase and $300 a year for insurance. Now that actually adds up and quickly too. Not to mention it goes 0-60 in 4 seconds and here in CA I can lane split with it. Traffic, what traffic? Plus it's fun as hell.

Not sure how that would work out in Poland. Winters might be an issue.

 

That would be pretty sweet.

 

You are talking about a car without a body and missing 2 wheels? We call it "riding on a vacuum cleaner" here . I used to ride them in my youth but I grew up. Tramway trucks crossing, oil spills, wet cobblestones roads - all are to deadly. You don't even need a distracted drivers to get killed. I want to retire and still be able to walk.

My brother is looking at me driving my truck and says I'm hauling an an air with 17mpg. I see it differently - I'm carrying an armor. This is why I refused to buy anything smaller than SUV, truck or minivan - preferably BOF type.

 

You grew up? What is that even supposed to mean? Like you had kids? Which is pretty reasonable. I doubt I'd ride or do most the things I do if I had kids. Which is part of the reason I didn't have kids.

I hear you though..that shit'll kill you no matter how careful you are. I'm aware of the risks..thanks for looking out.

Back to diesels...the cost doesn't make up for mpg gains. The torque on the other hand might.

 

That's what I had in mind. I've been shopping eBay for the FJ/FZJ80. The prices are all over the map. Most have well over 200k. Was considering the cummins swap as a viable alternative. Love the solid axle/coil spring combo but 13 mpg absolutely sucks with the stock gas engine. I just had a client tell me he sold his FZJ80 with 63k for $10,000 a few months ago, I nearly fell out. I just missed the unicorn. I'm also considering the 1998-1999 100 series, the last years for the elocker. The 4.7 liter v8 would have more power and better Mpg's than the inline six, but I like the 80's aesthetics, hence looking at the cummins if I found a clean one with bad engine.

 

Fuck yeah!

If you're doing a diesel conversion with the expectation of recouping your investment in fuel savings, then you don't understand the advantages of a diesel swap. The torque curve of a diesel is the main reason to swap. You have mountains of torque low in the RPM range which is great for a 4x4. That way you have plenty of torque for crawling and wheeling, without having to increase speed or rpm. The additional fuel efficiency of diesel is just a bonus for the added range on any individual tank of fuel. But if your criticism is, "the cost difference between diesel and gasoline isn't enough to justify an engine swap," you're analyzing it incorrectly.

Well, because when you're wheelin', you don't want more RPM. You want to have the option to go slow, while still having plenty of torque to move the vehicle along. True, you could just change the gearing, but then you run into a host of other problems like on-road driveability or the cost of converting to a dual case.

Agreed about diesel simplicity. And modern diesels are overly-complex. I think the perfect setup would be an old Cummins 4BT or 6BT and a Dodge NV 4500 5 speed. Those engines are brutally simple, parts are easy to find, and it's ultra-reliable. True, the Cummins engines are heavy, but you have to make a sacrifice somewhere.

Exactly! Brutally simple and runs forever. I don't consider the noise, vibration, black smoke, or harshness to be that big of deal. I kinda find it endearing.

Again, if you're trying to justify a diesel based on fuel cost savings alone, you're analyzing it incorrectly. I don't think the R2.8 is the answer. It's just a solution for California smog-Nazis. But I'll take a 200-hp-and-400-lb-ft-torque-diesel over a 190-hp-and-220-lb-ft-torque-gasser any day.

 

Here is a perfect example of what I'm talking about...

https://youtu.be/JLcC41lESuM

 

Normally you are trying to minimize your wheel speed when wheeling. The 3RZ has plenty of torque at low rpm in low range to trundle along. I'd put duals behind any engine so that I could slow the wheel speed down instead of bouncing in technical sections.

I'm not a fan of the NV4500...the gear spacing is awful on the 3-4 shift, not to mention that 5th gear literally falls off...ZF6 or NV5600 is a far better trans.

 

This is the only benefit (besides neglected fuel save) of having diesel over trustworthy 3RZ or 5VZ, but the same or better result for crawling you can get with dual transfer case for fraction of the cost. Like I wrote already, if you have enough HP and you need more torque just use gearbox. It has been invented over 100 years ago and it is still in use. And will pass CA emission easy

 

I didn't know that about the NV4500. NV5600 is just the successor to the NV4500 and a six-speed, correct? Do you know if they will still bolt up to the old 12-valve 6BT Cummins?

California? Never heard of it.

In all honesty, I just like diesels. They're just so utilitarian.