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2000 Xterra diesel conversion

20K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  dennhop 
#1 ·
I've been thinking about converting our newly purchased 2000 Xterra to a diesel, and I've been thinking about going the 4bt route. I know the motors twice as much weight as the stock V6, and there'd be a ton of modifying to make it fit and work, but I like the idea of staying with a Cummins, especially since the 4bt is similar enough to the 6bt, that I'd be able to figure my way around it pretty quick.

That being said, with the weight, I've got two questions.

1. What is the addition of around an 800 lb motor going to do to the handling of the Xterra? Is it going to be too much of a weight difference between the front and rear for it to handle safely, on the road?

2. I would most likely be using a Wagoneer axle in the front, and probably try and find a D44 rear to swap in also, so that I could switch out gears to around a 3.55. I'm going more for mileage and DD at this point, rather than wheeling. For now, anyway. With that being said, I'm having a hard time figuring out what springs I should use up front, that would support the weight of the 4bt, while still fitting the wagoneer axle. Would a 1/2 ton pickup spring work, ie Dodge Ram 1500, or would the weight of the 4bt be too much for that? Any suggestions?
 
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#2 ·
D44s wont hold up for any reasonable time underneath a cummins imo. Looks at how often dodges/Fords go through 1 ton front end parts, now you have that same weight but smaller components.

Id look into a 5cyl Mercedes diesel(om617). It's a semi-common conversation in toyotas. Lighter weight, not as tall, plenty of power, still mechanical, cheaper. You could use a common Toyota tranny and transfer case.

Just my $0.02
 
#3 ·
Are you looking to keep this OBDII compliant for state inspection purposes?

I wouldn't go with a 4BT. Why not go with a 2.8 TDI that came stock in that chassis overseas. Or go with another common Toyota or Land Rover (International) diesel? They are smaller, lighter, and easier to package than a 4BT into an XTerra. Either way, if you are trying to stay emissions legal depending on your state laws, you would probably be better off selling your XTerra and importing an older diesel SUV. You will be time and money ahead.
 
#4 ·
As far as emissions go, as long as I registered it in Indiana, I wouldn't have to worry about that, since IN doesn't require inspections or emissions.

@boardbysled, there's a difference between the 4bt and the 6bt, which is the 5.9 6 cyl Cummins...not sure if you were talking about the 5.9 or not...the 4bt is about 1.2 the weight of the 5.9...still heavy, but not over 1000 lbs.

I'll look into the mercedes diesel, and do a little research on that one, to see what I'd be looking at for that swap.

I had considered going with the overseas chassis diesels, for this motor, but i did a quick google search (not at all in depth) and it seemed that trying to source one of those is going to be difficult at best, and then trying to get support for it later is going to be a PITA. I'm hoping to try to swap something that I can source from the US, as well as find support for it, without having to brush up on my Spanish:D If you know of a better way to source one of them, let me know, I'd definitely appreciate it!
 
#6 · (Edited)
Well a TD27 has just been done...
http://www.xterranation.org/showthread.php?947-RoninJiro-s-Build-(now-diesel)

I've kinda looked at TD42T1's, you can find them in mid 90's UD 12/13/1400's so you could get it stateside. The patrols with the TD42's used the re4r03a (same auto tranny as the Q45, turbo 300zx if you could get a hold of a 4wd tail housing) The auto UD's use some other big jatco tranny, but I think they were all 2wd.
 
#7 ·
Well, as of now, it looks like I'm giving up on the Xterra project...actually, the Xterra as a whole. If everything works out, we'll be selling the Xterra, and buying a Jeep Liberty CRD. It's too much of a hassle, with the amount of free time I have right now, to try and do a diesel swap into the Xterra, especially with the stringent laws NC has. If I was in Indiana still, I'd do it in a heartbeat, but I don't want to have to deal with the hassle down here in NC.
 
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