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replacing a gasoline engine with a diesel engine

43K views 19 replies 14 participants last post by  Stanley Murenje 
#1 ·
Anybody know if it is possible to replace a gasoline engine with a diesel engine? Or where can I get info on that?

Thanks
 
#2 ·
Is it possible to remove a gasoline engine from a vehicle and install a diesel engine? Of course!

Is it practical, easy, or economical? Sometimes. Generally, if a vehicle was offered with a diesel engine, it's easier to just buy a diesel version than it is to convert a gasser. In those cases where a diesel was never offered (in this country), then you have to do a swap. These vary from pretty easy to really hard.

What are you thinking about re-powering?
 
#3 ·
Something simple and easy to overlook. The brakes on a diesel are hydroboost. One more thing you have to change.
 
#4 ·
In my own humble opinion, it would be easier to swap a gasoline engine truck with a dieasel engined truck.....the whole thing............and swapping bodies
 
#5 ·
there was a guy here that did about 1000 diesel to gas conversions from retired oil trucks. No IM. The Im got wise and now want to hear the truck run.
 
#6 ·
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Something simple and easy to overlook. The brakes on a diesel are hydroboost. One more thing you have to change.

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Not always. Some systems use a vacuum pump. It probably wouldn't be too hard to set up a vacuum pump to work with a system that was meant for engine vacuum.

Something else to consider-the emissions legality of doing a diesel swap. If you live in an area that has emissions testing, you may have some trouble at the inspection station.
 
#7 ·
[ QUOTE ]


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Quote:

Something simple and easy to overlook. The brakes on a diesel are hydroboost. One more thing you have to change.


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Not always. Some systems use a vacuum pump. It probably wouldn't be too hard to set up a vacuum pump to work with a system that was meant for engine vacuum.


[/ QUOTE ]

Don't know about you strokers on here, but those of us with the older 7.3 and 6.9 IDI's have vacuum pumps and vacuum brake boosters.

I'm getting a 6.9 ready to go into my '85 Bronco. I have an entire donor truck, so it shouldn't be too difficult to make the swap. About the only parts I can't get off the donor are some heavier duty coil springs for the front. But I found a spring shop that will custom build me some for the diesel weight plus a 4" lift for under $500...
 
#10 ·
We have no idea what you can do. Do you have tools, money, equipment, money, work area, money, experience, money, training, money, patience, money, time, & money? Do you have a donor vehicle? Are you comfortable with LOTS of wiring modifications, including building some custom circuits?
 
#9 ·
With enough time and money you can replace the engine in your Mazda with ANY diesel engine that you'd like. Will it be easy or affordable? No. And depending on where you live, it may not be legal to drive on the road once you change the engine.
 
#11 ·
With enough time and money you can replace the engine in your Mazda with ANY diesel engine that you'd like.
How about a Wärtsilä RT-flex96C? :ROFLMAO:
That would just require replacing the Mazda chassis with one from a locomotive. That engine only weighs about 2300 TONS! and puts out in the neighborhood of 100,000 HP. Doesn't run very fast though. Max speed is around 100 rpm. You'd need a hellatious overdrive ratio on the transmission.
 
#14 ·
Back in 1994, I replaced a gas engine from an '86 F250 with a 93 ford diesel. Swapped the engine, trans and dually suspension, front and rear. Used the speedo cable and gear from the 86 to drive the 86 dash speedo

My first diesel...

It was a great truck until a cylinder was hydrolocked. I didn't know anything about diesels then.
 
#16 ·
I was thinking of going the other way if my 2013 6.7 dies. Replace it with a Godzilla 7.3 gas.
Swapping engines isn't as easy as it once was.

You will pretty much need a complete truck with the gas engine in it to do the swap

Sent from my SM-A426U using Tapatalk
 
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#18 ·
I have talked to a fellow mechanic not long ago if it made any sense replacing original engines with a different one. He said that it was of near zero sense.
Of course it makes no sense. People do these projects to say they've done it or to preserve a body that they are in love with. 40 years ago I saw a 1 ton Chevy with an 8V71 stuffed in it. Anything is possible with enough time, money, skill and determination. I blew up 2 of the famous exploding Chevy 6.2s in the 80s and finally put a 350 in the truck. But then I promptly drove it to the nearest city and traded the miserable SOB on a Ford. That was actually a fairly common remedy for those exploding Chevies - the guy I had do the swap had done a couple already. Those were simpler times though - no emissions testing and very primitive computers, if any at all.
 
#19 ·
It made a lot of sense for my first one: a '95 4.9L into an '83 Bronco. And for my 2nd: an '88 5.0L into a '75 Bronco. And for my 3rd: a '00 4.6L into a '94 CV. And my 4th: the same '95 4.9L came out of the '83 and went into a '93 (which I'm still driving with over a million actual miles on the UN-rebuilt engine).
 
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