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SOG DonationsTo be fair you can’t leave out how underpowered they also were. Don’t get me wrong, I’d take a 7.3IDI over the newer Powerstroke(6.0/6.4/6.7) engines any day but they pale in comparison to the 7.3L PSD/444E. The 7.3 PSD was mechanically a damned reliable engine. It was the packaging that caused most of the issues.
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I have a first gen Dodge-Cummins 3/4 ton pickup. It’s not as fancy and powerful like the new trucks, but it has zero emissions or computers. That truck is old rattle box, but very reliable.
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Lol…I’m talking old brother…Shoot, I used to work on the old two-stroke blown Detroit diesels and a couple others of those old OTR semi truck engines 
Only problem with those old dinosaurs was when they wouldn’t quit running lol!
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Oh, so did I. Not that long ago I helped a buddy do an in chassis on the ‘Buzz’n Dozen’ in his show truck. The thing is an absolute brute…for what it is. In the end you can turn them up to make ridiculous power or you can tune them to be reliable. Set up as the latter, modern heavy diesels(ISX and similar engines) will run right with them while getting better mileage and less frequent maintenance intervals.
I hear tell that some pulling guys would rig a mechanism to purposely jam the rack and use the safety air cutoff as a throttle. Not something I would ever attempt. Had one start running away at a shop where I worked. The mechanic slapped a SnapOn tool tray over the inlet. It killed the motor but it also turned the tool tray into a bowl.
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Oh yeah! Those old beasts were something else! Saw one run away one time that got so out of control we just got the heck out of the way and waited for a rod to come through the block…which it did…got real freaking noisy and scary before that happened though!
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For smaller diesels (one ton pickup and smaller), it’s hard to beat the 1980s models for simplicity. I’ve had a few, ranging in years from 1982 to 1985, and displacement from 1.6L to 6.9L (none of them had a turbo).
I’d like to do a diesel swap on my XJ, and I like the weight savings that a 1.9TDI would provide (would help offset the winch and winch bumper), but it’s hard to give up on the idea of the simplicity of an older engine like the OM617, which is roughly the same weight as the XJ’s original engine.
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I researched TDI vs OM617 swaps a bit. You really need a decent height lift, combined with a modified oil pan, to fit the MB engine into an XJ or any solid axle Jeep. Packaging wise the TDI has the advantage but either requires a full electronics swap or an ‘M-TDI’ pump($$$). The MB has the advantage of being tunable to provide more low end torque AND more top end power without pushing the engine as hard. Of course that comes at the price of a QUALITY pump built by someone like Dieselpumpuk($$$).
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I’ve got some experience with doing gas to diesel swaps (one completed project that I drove for a few years), and sorting out the wiring was the biggest headache, even though I was putting in a dirt simple, normally aspirated diesel with a mechanical pump. Just had to find the wire that energized the coil on the gas engine, and connect it to the fuel solenoid on the diesel pump, then swap the probe wiring over. But then I had to chase down the electronic control modules and trace their wiring (lots of time reading wiring diagrams), to determine what needed to be ripped out and what needed to be left in place.
I’d like to keep the wiring as simple as possible, and I checked on the price of the mechanical pumps for the TDI, several years ago, so…
As far as dealing with trying to cram an engine under the hood, I’ve got some experience in such matters. It would be nice to use a lighter engine to offset the weight of the winch and bumper, though.
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4bt
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Reliable engine, it fits the ‘keep it simple’ criteria, and people have used it for Jeep swaps, but it is heavier than the engine it would be replacing. Add the increased engine weight to the winch and heavier bumper, and I could end up creating more problems than I’d be solving.
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The strings are radial plies. And yes, they get exposed. That isn’t a separated belt. That is all I am saying. I made an effort to inform, as automotive is one of the more bullshit laden businesses of all. Sell nitrogen in tires. Decarbon treatment of fuel injection late model cars (its not AR), etc.
I hope that helps.
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That’s just about any conversion to a non-OEM engine. Going from a carbed 4.2 to a Holley stand alone TBI 302 in my YJ Wrangler was simple in comparison to a diesel swap into an XJ unless it is one of the older carbureted 2.8’s. Your tank will need to come out for fuel pump removal. None of your gauges will work. The OM617 will need a vacuum pump added and the original vacuum fuel shut off from the MB donor wired in. The ‘M-TDI’ is definitely the simplest swap once you get past the price of the pump. One wire to start and stop the engine. In the end it comes down to what you want out of the swap.
Add- Has a shitty power curve for a passenger vehicle(leave the damned things in farm implements people) and will require a FULL drivetrain swap because the torque will destroy an XJ’s transmission and axles.
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I hear you Nick, and I agree with you that the automotive repair industry is a seriously BS laden deal. There are more scams being run by shops than by most internet scammers imo…one of the main reasons I got out of doing anything automotive repair related years ago. Also why I no longer do side work, because even as an honest mechanic, you are being continually unjustly accused of dishonesty and verbally assaulted by ignorant individuals who believe that they know it all (but can’t fix it). That crap got old real quick.
As a side note, one of the companies I worked for (an engineering and testing firm) did a huge test and evaluation of tires for a Major automotive manufacturer who was having issues with tires that were sitting on vehicles for a period of time before being sold. I can’t go into specifics beyond that, but it was interesting, and there are a lot of factors that can actually ruin a tire that go beyond what we already discussed here.
Ever since the Ford/Firestone fiasco, manufactures are very liability conscious when it comes to anything tire related, so remember to keep that in mind when it comes to an actual admission of what “can” and “can’t” happen.
Didn’t mean to seem like I was attacking you. If it came across that way I apologize. The engineer statement just got me going
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Yup. I got out of the retail side of vehicle repair and went to fleet work. Still had higher ups asking why some jobs cost so much but they accepted the answers given because they also knew there was ZERO money to be made on our end.
There was a TON of blame thrown around on that one that shouldn’t have been. From ‘subpar’ tires to the dangers of the TTB suspension. Most of it was BS. YES, Ford screwed the pooch putting ‘P’ series tires on a 4K lb truck but the TTB itself wasn’t the issue. NO, those Firestones couldn’t do the job on a 4K lb truck but they weren’t the problem in and of themselves either. Lastly there is the ‘loose nut behind the wheel’ factor. I remember people flying up and down I-80 WELL in excess of the speed limit in those 1st gen Explorers. Gee, you think a tire rated for 80mph under IDEAL laboratory conditions is gonna last long doing so daily in the real world…particularly when driven by people that only check their tire pressure when it looks low??? Gee, you think someone who’s never driven anything but a low COG sedan is going to know what to do if a 30" tire blows out on a 4x4???
I had a '91 Explorer…With a lift…And bigger(LT) tires…I did NOT drive like a little old lady…Yet I never had an issue. The closest that thing ever came to rolling was OFF ROAD.
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I worked for a short time (7 months) as “Manager of Vehicle Services” for BSRO. I don’t think the Japanese owners know of the dishonesty in their stores. Anyway, in some training they did admit fault where it existed. And pointed out where it didn’t. It was actually some decent candor.
There is an internal memo. Ford asked them to build a lighter tire. So, Firestone did. They are both at fault. Because there are identical tires to those, aside from the light weight, reduced strength production. And it never happened to those tires. Firestone should have said no. But they didn’t. Ford should have told people quit voting for the left (I won’t say Demoncrat or Re-publican), because Ford did that to try and comply with the CAFE standards. Government socialism killed those people with compliance and unintended consequences.
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Dealers make more on service than sales.
There’s why the “engineers” make that $20 part a 5 hour job to replace.
https://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/where-does-the-car-dealer-make-money.html
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They likely also own stock in Jim Beam, Band-aids and Bayer aspirin
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The vast majority of cars fixed at dealers are under warranty. The manufacturer(with some outside help) writes the ‘flat rate book’ with times for repairs. They want those times as SHORT as possible, while performing the job correctly, because they have to reimburse the dealer for warranty work(most dealerships are independently owned).
Yes, mechanics will find ways to ‘beat the book’ because they get payed by the book time and finishing a 2 hour job in 90 minutes means half an hour to put into another job(a skilled mechanic can easily make 12 hours pay in an 8 hour day depending on the jobs and how well they kiss up to the service writer to get the good ones). That doesn’t mean the job was done following the procedures set out by the manufacturer. It also doesn’t mean it was done 100% correctly(rarely are alignments done to ‘spec’, rather done to prevent tire wear and pulling. Usually fine for a commuter car but the car will NOT handle the same as the manufacturer designed it to).
Sure a single head gasket or connecting rod may only be $20 but, outside of a top fuel pit crew, no one is changing them in 15 minutes. Sensors are mounted where they are in order to get the most accurate reading, not for convenience. Are there stupid designs(like Cadillac putting the starter for Northstar engines under the intake)? Yes. In most circumstances though, there is a laundry list of reasons a system is designed as it is. From packaging, to aesthetics to environmental conditions the component can tolerate.
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Wow, great thread. I’ve been turning wrenches for at least fourty years. I have work in dealerships and independent shops and Aircraft power plants in the Army. I don’t work on much at all at home most of my tolls are at work. With over $300k invested in tools I cant afford two complete sets. People want me to work on the side (at home) cheaper the at the shop. I tell then it wont be cheaper because of the lack of tools and equipment and no parts delivery makes the job more difficult, why would I do it cheaper. The labor rate of repair shops goes mostly to the shop not the mechanic . A good mechanic is lucky if he can get 25% of what the shop charges with minimal investment for the shop owner like lifts jacks and other shop equipment like torch sets and maybe a press, welder and parts washer. Most of the diagnostic tools are the technicians personal tools.
Being an automotive technician these days isn’t as easy as it sounds. You’ve got to be an electrician, computer tech, plumber, metal fabricator, welder and a body man, not to mention with keeping up on the new technology which changes every six months.
In comparison to doctors, Attorneys and mechanics.
Doctors and Attorneys PRACTICE their trades which means they don’t need to know what they are doing.
Doctors get to charge you for fixing their mistakes or just bury them. The human body only has two models and no design changes since day one.
Attorneys get their money up front and honestly care less about the results.
Mechanics have to know what they are doing because peoples’ live are at risk if a mistake is made. And we must fix our mistakes for free.
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It’s not the equipment that costs the shop money, it’s the recurring costs. From insurance(the reason so many people bitch about not being allowed in the shop to see things for themselves even though most would have no idea what they are looking at) and workmans comp to waste disposal. From utilities, rent/mortgage/lease/property taxes to payroll taxes, it all adds up. I ran a shop attached to a local gas station for a while and did the books. The gas sales kept the place open(paid the rent but didn’t make the owner any real profits) and in the end the mechanics made about the same per hour as the owner did. It was the police towing side of things that actually put money in his pocket.
Theoretically, the real money maker should be the ‘10 minute oil change’ places if they are in a good location. The insurance is typically lower because most use pits instead of lifts, don’t have dangerous equipment like brake lathes/presses/welders. They don’t have a need for skilled mechanics(lower payroll means lower payroll taxes). They also don’t need as big a property(lower property taxes) because there is no storage of customers cars.
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