Saturday, July 09, 2005
Background II
Why the project? Several reasons. The overall goal is to reduce my comsumption of imported oil. Diesel vehicles offer an advantage in that they are able to burn bio-diesel fuel without modification and straight vegetable oil (SVO) with some fuel system changes. I intend to add an SVO system to the truck after the engine installation is complete. Either way, these fuels are made from domestically grown crops, are renewable and are carbon-neutral - or about as close as you can get - meaning that they do not increase the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere when burned (as the plant source of the fuel captured CO2 as it grew, and burning simply re-releases this into the atmosphere to be captured again by other plants). Petroleum fuels do not offer these advantages.
There are a number of reasons to be concerned about these issues. Please read up on peak oil, global warming and mid-east geopolitics if you'd like an idea as to where I'm coming from. It's all interrelated. Here are a few items to get you started:
For a look at peak oil, try this excerpt (the book it is taken from is an interesting read, as well).
For information on biofuels, try these sites: www.journeytoforever.org and http://forums.biodieselnow.com/default.asp.
Some thoughts on the politics of oil, specifically relating to Iran, can be found here.
So, with a goal identified, why choose this particular vehicle? Why not buy a Volkswagen TDI or an older Trooper with a factory diesel engine (available in the US in 1986-87)?
I've owned an '88 Trooper since 2003, when I bought it as a winter vehicle. I've come to love its versatility, low maintanence and economy. It's got a 2.6 liter gasoline 4-cylinder and a 5-speed gearbox, which gets around 20 MPG - not bad for something its size. The high roof and folding rear seat offers massive cargo capacity and the 4-wheel-drive is perfect for the nasty MN winter weather. Finally, these vehicles don't command very high prices on the used market and parts are easy to find and cheap.
Unfortunately, road salt had taken its toll on the truck and it was time to replace it. With a diesel vehicle in mind, my options were limited. I wanted a diesel Trooper, but they're rare and costly. Good examples go for more than $4000 on eBay, and I couldn't justify the price, especially considering the reputation these trucks have for being underpowered. Parts availability for the 2.2 liter turbo diesel engine is spotty as well, so I decided to look elsewhere. Newer VW diesels were too expensive and hard to find used, older VW diesels weren't for me (slow, spartan and rare around here) and new diesel SUVs were rediculously expensive (Jeep Liberty at well over $20k and the VW Touareg at $50k+).
Instead, I purchased a 1982 Mercedes-Benz 300D sedan last winter. While it was in decent shape, it was nearly worthless in snow or on ice and parts were often mail-order-only items. Certain systems tended to break often, such as the automatic climate control and the transmission shifting controls, making it a pain to own. I sold it after a couple of months and set out to find a more suitable replacement.
I knew that better Isuzu diesels were offered in the Trooper in other countries. Not much information was available, though, so I made heavy use of Google and online forums and was able to get in touch with people who had converted Isuzu vehicles or owned them in other countries. It was starting to seem likely that the 4JB1-TC would be a direct bolt-in engine for the 1988-1991 Trooper chassis (4-cylinder trucks, anyway). I even found an importer who could get me the drivetrain. All I needed was a donor truck.
As the 4-cylinder gas engines have a reputation for being very sensitive to overheating, leading to damaged cylinder heads and other problems, I set out to find a Trooper with a good body and blown engine to use for the project. I found one about an hour away from me. It had overheated and ruined the engine, was partially disassembled and had an excellent body and interior. For only $200, it was mine. I ordered the diesel engine, and the project was underway.
There are a number of reasons to be concerned about these issues. Please read up on peak oil, global warming and mid-east geopolitics if you'd like an idea as to where I'm coming from. It's all interrelated. Here are a few items to get you started:
For a look at peak oil, try this excerpt (the book it is taken from is an interesting read, as well).
For information on biofuels, try these sites: www.journeytoforever.org and http://forums.biodieselnow.com/default.asp.
Some thoughts on the politics of oil, specifically relating to Iran, can be found here.
So, with a goal identified, why choose this particular vehicle? Why not buy a Volkswagen TDI or an older Trooper with a factory diesel engine (available in the US in 1986-87)?
I've owned an '88 Trooper since 2003, when I bought it as a winter vehicle. I've come to love its versatility, low maintanence and economy. It's got a 2.6 liter gasoline 4-cylinder and a 5-speed gearbox, which gets around 20 MPG - not bad for something its size. The high roof and folding rear seat offers massive cargo capacity and the 4-wheel-drive is perfect for the nasty MN winter weather. Finally, these vehicles don't command very high prices on the used market and parts are easy to find and cheap.
Unfortunately, road salt had taken its toll on the truck and it was time to replace it. With a diesel vehicle in mind, my options were limited. I wanted a diesel Trooper, but they're rare and costly. Good examples go for more than $4000 on eBay, and I couldn't justify the price, especially considering the reputation these trucks have for being underpowered. Parts availability for the 2.2 liter turbo diesel engine is spotty as well, so I decided to look elsewhere. Newer VW diesels were too expensive and hard to find used, older VW diesels weren't for me (slow, spartan and rare around here) and new diesel SUVs were rediculously expensive (Jeep Liberty at well over $20k and the VW Touareg at $50k+).
Instead, I purchased a 1982 Mercedes-Benz 300D sedan last winter. While it was in decent shape, it was nearly worthless in snow or on ice and parts were often mail-order-only items. Certain systems tended to break often, such as the automatic climate control and the transmission shifting controls, making it a pain to own. I sold it after a couple of months and set out to find a more suitable replacement.
I knew that better Isuzu diesels were offered in the Trooper in other countries. Not much information was available, though, so I made heavy use of Google and online forums and was able to get in touch with people who had converted Isuzu vehicles or owned them in other countries. It was starting to seem likely that the 4JB1-TC would be a direct bolt-in engine for the 1988-1991 Trooper chassis (4-cylinder trucks, anyway). I even found an importer who could get me the drivetrain. All I needed was a donor truck.
As the 4-cylinder gas engines have a reputation for being very sensitive to overheating, leading to damaged cylinder heads and other problems, I set out to find a Trooper with a good body and blown engine to use for the project. I found one about an hour away from me. It had overheated and ruined the engine, was partially disassembled and had an excellent body and interior. For only $200, it was mine. I ordered the diesel engine, and the project was underway.
posted by acy76, 2:21 PM
