Replacing a gas engine with a diesel
I have been looking at full-timing in an RV for a while and have finally found an affordable one that is in surprisingly good shape. The only problem is, I know I really want a Diesel engine and this ...
Forum Discussion
If you find something, it is probably going to be an engine and transmission swap, and possibly rear end gears too, to get a drive train geared right for a diesel engine.
What might fit the Dodge van box? The van originally had an inline six, 170 and 225 CID, so it should be long enough for a six that small, but it might not be high enough, what Chrysler used was mounted at an angle. I first thought the four cylinder Cummins B series (the six is too long), but the Cummins is very tall, much taller than any engine that went into that particular van.
In the 60's through 70's Daimler had a relatively lightweight 4 cylinder diesel, 1.8 to 2.4 liters, manual transmission at first but later an automatic to go with it. They used this engine family also in small to medium size vans, but what we got here all came in sedans, models 180D, 190D, and later 240D.
Perkins made, and Ford used (maybe also Chrysler) a 4 cylinder diesel of comparable size. These were also around as small marine engines.
What you would be getting with a diesel this size is good fuel mileage, durability, and low rpm torque, but you'll be seeing HP ratings in 50 to 100 range.
A v-8 to look at might be the 6 to 6.5 liter Detroit that Chevy and GMC put into early Suburbans and pickups, before the turbo-chargers were added. Another might be the ID series from International/Navistar (was used by Ford before Powerstroke and in many school buses_, once again an old engine before the turbos were added. These are similar in dimension to big-block gas V-8s, and Dodge offered the van for a while with Chrysler's B-series (383-440) and may not have changed the size of the engine compartment when Chrysler big block manufacture was killed to get the first bailout.
I don't think you are going to find any modern turbodiesel engines in the 5-6 liter range (300-366 CID) that will fit, let alone something over 400 cubic inches. 7 liter and 8 liter diesel inline sixes are way too long and tall to fit the space in the van (to say nothing of height) and today's V-8 turbo diesels need a lot of extra space for fitting and cooling the turbo charger plumbing.
You would likely be looking at $8000 to $20,000 for the parts, unless you can find something in a wrecking yard that has not yet been taken apart and they'll sell you the whole vehicle. Is the RV worth that?
What might fit the Dodge van box? The van originally had an inline six, 170 and 225 CID, so it should be long enough for a six that small, but it might not be high enough, what Chrysler used was mounted at an angle. I first thought the four cylinder Cummins B series (the six is too long), but the Cummins is very tall, much taller than any engine that went into that particular van.
In the 60's through 70's Daimler had a relatively lightweight 4 cylinder diesel, 1.8 to 2.4 liters, manual transmission at first but later an automatic to go with it. They used this engine family also in small to medium size vans, but what we got here all came in sedans, models 180D, 190D, and later 240D.
Perkins made, and Ford used (maybe also Chrysler) a 4 cylinder diesel of comparable size. These were also around as small marine engines.
What you would be getting with a diesel this size is good fuel mileage, durability, and low rpm torque, but you'll be seeing HP ratings in 50 to 100 range.
A v-8 to look at might be the 6 to 6.5 liter Detroit that Chevy and GMC put into early Suburbans and pickups, before the turbo-chargers were added. Another might be the ID series from International/Navistar (was used by Ford before Powerstroke and in many school buses_, once again an old engine before the turbos were added. These are similar in dimension to big-block gas V-8s, and Dodge offered the van for a while with Chrysler's B-series (383-440) and may not have changed the size of the engine compartment when Chrysler big block manufacture was killed to get the first bailout.
I don't think you are going to find any modern turbodiesel engines in the 5-6 liter range (300-366 CID) that will fit, let alone something over 400 cubic inches. 7 liter and 8 liter diesel inline sixes are way too long and tall to fit the space in the van (to say nothing of height) and today's V-8 turbo diesels need a lot of extra space for fitting and cooling the turbo charger plumbing.
You would likely be looking at $8000 to $20,000 for the parts, unless you can find something in a wrecking yard that has not yet been taken apart and they'll sell you the whole vehicle. Is the RV worth that?
