[Vettezuki]

Oh hell, I didn't realize there was a diesel Isuzu trooper! John, please advise. Were these engines any good?

[blackax]

Originally Posted by Vettezuki

Oh hell, I didn't realize there was a diesel Isuzu trooper! John, please advise. Were these engines any good?

You can only get the first half of the 1st gen in a diesel so up to 1986. They last forever but they make next to no power, something like 80HP and 99 Lb-Ft and they are loud.

They get like 30 MPG so much better then the 2.3 that would of came in those years.


You might be able to find people that have swaped in a 3.1 diesel from the over sea's trooper.

[Vettezuki]

Originally Posted by blackax

You can only get the first half of the 1st gen in a diesel so up to 1986. They last forever but they make next to no power, something like 80HP and 99 Lb-Ft and they are loud.

They get like 30 MPG so much better then the 2.3 that would of came in those years.


You might be able to find people that have swaped in a 3.1 diesel from the over sea's trooper.

Thanks for the input. If I go diesel, looking like a Liberty with Merc diesel, unless someone has another idea for a small disel powered SUV. Looks like there are some good examples of the S10 blazer for rather less, but I can't get a definitive answer on CNG conversion, they're listed as certified but I can't seem to find anyone who does it (and it has to be done by a certified shop for that mod.)

And no Guy, an F150 is not about the same size, it's literally feet longer than a Rav4 or Liberty.

[Shaolin Crane]

Originally Posted by Vettezuki

Thanks for the input. If I go diesel, looking like a Liberty with Merc diesel, unless someone has another idea for a small disel powered SUV. Looks like there are some good examples of the S10 blazer for rather less, but I can't get a definitive answer on CNG conversion, they're listed as certified but I can't seem to find anyone who does it (and it has to be done by a certified shop for that mod.)

And no Guy, an F150 is not about the same size, it's literally feet longer than a Rav4 or Liberty.

No its not. A regular cab short bed is just as short as any other compact 4x4. They're extremely light and scoot because they are that way.

[Shaolin Crane]

Originally Posted by Vettezuki

I'm thinking more like life cycle. Will it, with proper oil changes, etc., last say 500k plus miles. I've heard people with the Volkswagen TDI (Jetta) going well beyond 500k. Certainly people are up there with the Cummins as that's really just about a commercial engine. But since I'm targeting something smaller like a Liberty sized vehicle, they do (I think) have the Merc diesel motor like your Cherokee.


I'm toying with the idea of one since I have access to lots of fry oil and making biodiesel. Apparently this can get down to way under $1 gal if you get into it. We'll have the Cummins already, so that would be two vehicles that could use it.

They have a single cab shortbed f250 with a 7.3l not un common to get a million miles out of a 7.3l

[Vettezuki]

Originally Posted by Shaolin Crane

No its not. A regular cab short bed is just as short as any other compact 4x4. They're extremely light and scoot because they are that way.

I don't think you realize how small these little SUVs are.

Seems Regular Cab short Box F-150 is 211" total length. (Unless I'm looking at the wrong thing, or there is a major difference between some years, which I doubt)

The biggest Rav4 (early 4 door) was 163", all others 147".

Both the Jeep liberty and Chevy S10 Blazer hovers around 174"

So the range of difference is between 67" and 37", yes, between five and three feet of total vehicle length! That is ENORMOUS when parking in a crowded parking lot.

[Shaolin Crane]

Overall length is 197" for what it is. That's not terribly larger. I'd says thats in the realm of sameish.
FWIW a common s10 has the same wheel base as the 92-97 f series trucks. So maybe overall larger by a tad, but same maneuverability.

Another FWIW, the rav4 info i came across showed an overall length of 182". With a 108-114" wheel base

[Vettezuki]

Originally Posted by Shaolin Crane

Overall length is 197" for what it is. That's not terribly larger. I'd says thats in the realm of sameish.
FWIW a common s10 has the same wheel base as the 92-97 f series trucks. So maybe overall larger by a tad, but same maneuverability.

Another FWIW, the rav4 info i came across showed an overall length of 182". With a 108-114" wheel base

Still several feet in length, and in some cases 25%. Sameish? A Liberty and an S10 is Sameish, within inches. But 197" vs the below is different worlds.

Rav4
1998–2000 4-door: 4,160 mm (163.8 in)
1998–1999 2-door: 3,750 mm (147.6 in)
1994–1997 2-door: 3,740 mm (147.2 in)
1994–1997 4-door: 4,150 mm (163.8 in)

197 vs. 174~ (S10/Liberty) is still a couple feet, but maybe not the end of the world, except I'm after things like I mentioned, not a pickup.

[Shaolin Crane]

You never said no pickup. In fact I figured a pickup would be fine if you kept mentioning an s10

[Ryridesmotox]

If you want a cheap reliable diesel SUV, get an old K5 blazer with the CUCV package. Its a military grade beast with a 6.2 NA diesel. Banks sells turbo kits, or used to, or you can mod up the turbos from a 6.5 fairly easily. I loved my suburban with the 6.5, kinda gutless compared to a power stroke or a Cummins of the same years... BUT I logged 22-24mpg highway regularly albeit at 60mph, but hey its a diesel, I wasn't trying to break any land speed records.