california diesel swap

[alfio]

anyone have experience getting a diesel swap approved in california? i'd love to drop a 3L/2LT into my '85 4WD pickup but i'm worried about not getting clearance.

little a

[84runner]

If you are trying to swap a gas power for a diesel powered in Cali, keep dream. They don't allow down grades and believe me they see that as a down grade when it comes to pollution.

[alfio]

If you are trying to swap a gas power for a diesel powered in Cali, keep dream. They don't allow down grades and believe me they see that as a down grade when it comes to pollution.

i agree with the pollution difference (although i'm sure some diesel folks wouldn't).

i put in a call to the smog referee just to see what they say. according to the operator, the ref will contact me in 48 hours or less. i'll post whatever they say.

little a

[mr4x42u]

My old tow rig was a converted diesel to gas..I think that rig still runs around the pismo area..Had to love a big block 94 dodge with some RRraaassPPP!

[El Cheapo]

Dropping a Diesel into a 1985 pick up originally designed for a gas engine would not be a good idea. I assume you gave up after looking at the www.DMV.ca.gov website where it states that only pre-1975 vehicles are smog exempt. The fit should be fine, but if you plan on registering the vehicle in Cali you will have a problem. Remember the smog requirements are dependent on the VIN not the type of engine. I hope you have had fun with whatever you decided.

PS For those of you who wonder why I posted this. I posted because I did not feel the need to start and unnecessary thread on a topic that had already been started. Also, with the reference to the DMV site, the site is mentioned elsewhere in this forum, but not yet in this thread. Once I have the money to purchase a pre-1975 vehicle I will be doing a diesel conversion. Until then, thanks to all who have paved the way before me.

[Pat]

I have looked into this a few years ago and at that time it was totally doable. At the time diesles were not done throught the refferee(bar) it is done throught the air resources board..  Like I said this was a few years ago but was totally doable at that time..  I even talked to the ARB and got papers sent to my house to do this..  So if you are going to do it call them too..   Don't always listen to all the nay sayers

[red]

most states not a problem, but cali is very odd. they dont like street legal gassers that are converted to run on propane either (much cleaner than gasoline).

with a diesel putting out "more polution" than a gasser, thats very debateable. run biodiesel in any diesel motor, even the old 2 stroke diesels, and its cleaner than modern gas engines. problem for diesels is the polution that comes out is visable, gassers not so much. its like when environmentalists look at a power plant releasing steam from the tower and saying "look at all that filthy polution they let out into the air!!" that white smoke, is water vapor. but its visable polution, so they assume its worse. these kinda people run cali (and are strongly influencing our country with their "chicken littleism" antics.)

[EarlKann]

I have no idea why El Cheapo decided to respond to a very old thread, but I'm finding some poor information here.  For my credentials, let me state that I did sucsessfully complete a diesel swap in California including having it inspected and certified by the SMOG/BAR referee.  The vehicle was a 1983 Dodge W350 crew cab with a 1993 Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel.  The rules state that the engine being swapped in must be the same model year or newer than the vehicle it is swapped into, that class of engine must have been available in that class of vehicle (3/4 - 1 ton trucks) and that the engine must have all of the original equipment from the year it was produced (muffler/air cleaner/any smog accessories).  I would guess that the main problem on a Toyota would be the class of vehicle requirement.  The engine you swapped in would have to have been available in a 1/2 ton pickup of the same year or newer.  I know that toyota put diesels in some trucks, I've even seen a few on ebay and craigslist, but I don't know how good of an engine that is.

[superyota]

being the truck is an 85, the last year i believe they came with the option of diesel, it should be pretty easy.  you don't even need to go to the referee.  i just got done helping a friend do a cummins swap into his 85, and all we had to do was go to dmv, tell them we swapped means of power from gas to diesel(fill out the proper paper work for a correction of title, since your old one will say gas), and they give you a form that you have to have either chp fill out, or you can even take the vehicle into dmv and have them inspect it to make sure it is a diesel.  its actually a lot easier than it sounds.

[superyota]

oh yea, i forgot to mention that they don't even charge you for the paperwork.

[Pat]

Yep When I was going to do mine some years back it seemed very easy.. 

being the truck is an 85, the last year i believe they came with the option of diesel, it should be pretty easy.  you don't even need to go to the referee.  i just got done helping a friend do a cummins swap into his 85, and all we had to do was go to dmv, tell them we swapped means of power from gas to diesel(fill out the proper paper work for a correction of title, since your old one will say gas), and they give you a form that you have to have either chp fill out, or you can even take the vehicle into dmv and have them inspect it to make sure it is a diesel.  its actually a lot easier than it sounds.

[Pat]

Well there must be more than one way to skin a cat when it comes to a diesel swap..  I got a whole complete differant story from the powers at be when I was looking into it..Like I said , it can be done outside the BAR when doing a diesel swapp.. Or at least it used to be

I have no idea why El Cheapo decided to respond to a very old thread, but I'm finding some poor information here.  For my credentials, let me state that I did sucsessfully complete a diesel swap in California including having it inspected and certified by the SMOG/BAR referee.  The vehicle was a 1983 Dodge W350 crew cab with a 1993 Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel.  The rules state that the engine being swapped in must be the same model year or newer than the vehicle it is swapped into, that class of engine must have been available in that class of vehicle (3/4 - 1 ton trucks) and that the engine must have all of the original equipment from the year it was produced (muffler/air cleaner/any smog accessories).  I would guess that the main problem on a Toyota would be the class of vehicle requirement.  The engine you swapped in would have to have been available in a 1/2 ton pickup of the same year or newer.  I know that toyota put diesels in some trucks, I've even seen a few on ebay and craigslist, but I don't know how good of an engine that is.

[El Cheapo]

I have no idea why El Cheapo decided to respond to a very old thread,

The reason was becuase of the whole, don't start a new thread if another thread already exists thing.

[kneedownnate]

Good job digging up an old thread   I had no idea it wasn't a new topic until I got several posts down.

As stated it is legal and a good idea.  I've known of a guy who swapped a 3L into a tacoma and got it re-registered in california.  If the original poster were still considering it, most people who've dealt with toy diesels will tell you to steer clear of the 1L/2L/2LT, etc.  3L are supposed to be a good engine, but if you're going to go to the hassle you're best off going with a 1kzte.  Lots of power, potential to build more and a much stronger engine.

[alfio]

to come full circle and reply to my own old ass thread, this is in fact very possible and very easy. i ended up having to find out without really wanting to. here's how it worked out that way:

a couple years ago i bought a 2L powered (powered being a suggestive term here since 2Ls are anything but powered but you get the idea) from its original owner and, somehow, the DMV had issued them paperwork that listed the truck as a gasoline vehicle. they'd obviously never had it smogged or anything but the paperwork showed it was a gasser so i when i went to register they asked me for a smog check. long story short, after a quick inspection with a relatively clueless inspector (at the DMV itself, not a smog referee or anything), they fixed their twenty something year old error and fixed the title to say "diesel". i imagine a similar process could be carried out with a swap and it would play out more or less in the same way.

alfio

[Tallchevy]

Try to stay happy about owning your diesel while you read this! Basically it's a visual test & it's upto the person doing the test to decied if your diesel smokes too much. Even if your vehicle is stock, running at it's best, the person can fail you because he/she thinks there's too much smoke. It's not in the letter but as of now there's no cap on how much you can spend to fix it.


http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/onrdiesel/onrdiesel.htm

Assembly Bill 1488 (Mendoza, Chapter 739, Statutes of 2007) requires the Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) to include in the Smog Check Program, by January 2010, diesel-fueled (diesel) vehicles meeting certain model year and vehicle weight range criteria. This legislation requires the BAR to work in consultation with the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to create the diesel vehicle test procedures, and requires the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to work in consultation with the ARB to identify vehicles for inspection.

At a minimum, AB 1488 requires that 1998 and newer vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of less than 8501 pounds be included in the Smog Check Program. In addition, the legislation requires the inclusion of diesel-powered vehicles less than 14,000 pounds GVWR once DMV determines the best method for identifying these vehicles, and ARB/BAR implement applicable test procedures. After working with the DMV and the ARB, the three agencies agreed that it would be most cost effective to include diesel vehicles up to 14,000 pounds GVWR so that program changes could be made all at once. This will result in significant cost savings to the State because DMV will only have to make changes to the system once, and emission benefits will be realized to the State sooner.

The bill indicates that the test will, at a minimum, consist of visual checks of the emission control systems (ECS), and an On Board Diagnostics (OBD) test. In addition, AB 1870 (Lieber, Chapter 761, Statutes of 2006) requires a visible smoke test.

Like gasoline-fueled (gasoline) vehicles, the newest four model-years will not be required to obtain a Smog Check inspection in order to register a vehicle when ownership changes. However, unlike gasoline vehicles, the newest six model-years of diesel vehicles will be required to obtain a biennial Smog Check inspection. It is estimated that approximately 540,000 diesel vehicles will be registered in California and subject to this program in calendar year 2010. DMV will begin sending notifications in January 2010 to registered owners of diesel vehicles with Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) ending in even numbers, and the VINs ending in odd numbers will be sent the following year beginning in January 2011.

inor changes to the BAR-97 Emissions Inspection System (EIS) software will be required in order to perform diesel Smog Check inspections by January 2010. The BAR will be contracting with the EIS manufacturers to make the necessary changes to the analyzer software at no cost to stations.

[TurboDieselYota]

I happen to know something about this and you are invited to do further research at http://toyotadiesel.com/forums/

The 1L (actually just the "L") was the first design of the mini truck 4cyl Toyota diesel engine, available in 1981.  2.2 litres and certainly not a powerhouse by any stretch of the imagination but nonetheless an economical motor.  In 1984 a revision was released called the 2L, enlarged to 2.4 litres and while still significantly underpowered, a better choice than the L.

In 1985 this engine was modified to accept a factory turbocharger-- the 2L-T.  Compression was slightly reduced, the crankpins and piston wrist pins were enlarged/strengthened, and special higher-temp materials were used in the exhaust valves.  Now you finally have enough power to do something, but again this is still a 2446cc engine that you should REALLY not think of revving much beyond 4000rpm MAXIMUM and keeping it to 3500rpm is frankly a good idea.  This engine was released in the USA just that one year but available in Canada through 1987.  So to recap, USA trucks had the L from 1981 through 1983, the 2L in 1984 and 1985, the 2L-T in 1985 only.

Around 1988 in overseas markets the 2L-T underwent some revisions, mainly to the head and camshaft.  In previous engines a "side cam" was used with roller rockers activating the valves; with this redesign the cam was moved directly above the valves with the lobes acting upon "buckets" that swiped the valves.  This is known as the "bucket and shim" head.  At the same time the timing belt with front cover was somewhat revised as well.  Mechanical versions of this engine are sometimes called the 2L-TII.  In a fairly short time this engine was given a computer-controlled fuel injection pump (all previous versions had been strictly mechanical) and re-named the 2L-TE.

A final version was the 3L, basically the bucket and shim head on a 2L and overbored to 2.8 litres, with electronic pump.  (There was a final version of this engine family called the 5L, a 3.0 litre engine, which is virtually unseen in North America.)  If you want any of these computer-controlled engines, your best sources will be Canada and Australia.  You will be exchanging the simplicity of the straight mechanical design for the potential of some additional power and economy due to the finer control of the fuel pump that a computer provides, but of course also the potential of having to chase down electronic gremlins.

In any serious research you may do on these L-family engines, you may read about head cracking problems with the 2L-TE.  Toyota executed product improvement in the 3L head design and this is a common swap onto the 2L-TE when the original head has died.  The side-cam heads had far less cracking problems although it should be noted that the turbocharger puts out a lot of additional heat and if you have not properly maintained your cooling system OR have overheated the engine, even these heads can develop problems.  Of course, not helping matters is the infamous "flat spot" in the Toyota temperature gauges that can mask significant heat until it's almost too late to get your foot out of the throttle and cool things down.


When it comes to doing a diesel swap into a California truck, the process is amazingly straightforward.  Swap in your engine with the proper bellhousing (starter and exhaust are reversed in comparison to the 22R) and take the truck down to the DMV to have your title corrected.  This will usually require an inspection to insure your truck does NOT have a gasoline engine.  That is all.  If you run into resistance, simply leave that DMV and try a different one.  Up until the new laws go into effect, the fact you have "diesel" on the title would automatically exempt you from an emissions check; with the new wrinkles coming online, you are still going to skate past most inspections because you've got an ancient diesel with no computer from the factory, strictly mechanical and reliable as a stone, and thus nothing to hook up the OBD to.

I own a 1985 2L-T longbed 4x4, which is currently being rebuilt practically from the ground up.

--TurboDieselYota

[emsvitil]

Out of curiousity, what are the HP,TQ specs (and at what rpm) for the various diesel engines........

[emsvitil]

Found the specs:

http://www.brian894x4.com/Hiluxengines.html

I like the 2kd-ftv......

[kneedownnate]

Surprised tdy didn't mention the 1kzte.  Makes 114 hp and 315 lf torque, but then you can chip it too    It's the toy diesel most guys drool over when settling for the cheaper 2LT. 

[abriel68]

hey everyone, i've been a proud toyota owner for forever but my question isn't involving a toyota but i am in the same situation i guess you can say, i have a ford, dun dun dun, that i want to convert to diesel, i live in beautiful CA and i was wondering if i can get rid of the gas V8 in it now and put in a cummins I-6 5.9l, would it be easy as going to the dmv and telling them that i switched it over to diesel and taking it to a refferee and having CHP check it out? i've been searching high and low for the answer for this question if you guys could help me it would be great.

[bigarms23]

call this number and ask 1-800-622-7733 and ask to talk to a ca ref to get your answer

[cavey]

Here's the specs for the Diesel (australian production )
  L 2.2 litre  46Kw/ 4200rpm
                 126Nm/ 2400rpm  mechanical injection
2L 2.4 litre  55Kw/4000rpm
                  156Nm/2200rpm  mechanical injection
2LT 2.4litre  83kw/ 4000rpm
                   188Nm/2400rpm  mechanical injection
   2LT-E has electronic cotrol over mechanical injection
3L  2.8 litre 60Kw/4000 rpm
                 183Nm/4000rpm mechanical injection
5L  3.0 litre 65Kw/4000rpm
                 197Nm/2400rpm  mechanical injection also 5L-E
1KZ-TE   3.0 litre  85Kw/3600rpm
                           295Nm/2400rpm  electronic control over mechanical injection
                               single overhead camshaft
1KD-FTV   3.0litre  126KW/3600rpm
                          343NM/3400rpm  common rail electronic injection  twin cam 4 valve

[Burl]

I know this issue was brought up in the old post a couple years ago but Advanced adapters sells a G to R series transmission adapter if you cant locate a Diesel L block R series bell housing.  Although you are limited to which R series tranny you want to run and I believe that it would be the R150 with the long front input shaft that started around 1996 please correct me if I'm wrong.  One problem with going with this combination would be that first gear ratio wouldn't spool the diesel's turbo as fast as the R151F.  I'm really considering the 5L swap from All Engine distributing but the only bell housings the have are the G or W pattern.  I have found a couple of complete aftermarket turbo kits out of Australia for about 3k american.  When last I did my pricing the used 5L was 1,300, Bell housing and clutch kit 600.00 adapter plate from AA was about 500.00

[mtm]

over here in the uk we have no problems with diesel swaps the 3lt turbo diesel is getting very popular and wat a lot of us are doing are running on vegetable oil just stick it in the tank. you see a lot of shopping troleys down of you equivelent to walmart(asda) with empty veg oil containers 

[Talon84x4]

Would you have to stick to a toyota diesel or could you get say a 4bt swap to pass here in CA

[Burl]

You might want to do the toyota diesel swap first then once the title is changed to diesel and smogging wasnt an issue you could sell the toyota diesel and put the 4bt in.

[locked 4x4]

^^seems like a lot of extra work^^

[Talon84x4]

I've been looking into this again. From what i've heard there are 2 possible ways to go about it but am still researching. One is basically like any motor swap, getting a newer model motor into the rig and having the ref. inspect it, another is supposedly going to the DMV to fill out a form and have them look at to to make sure it is in fact diesel powered and then they change the reg.

Because the toyota diesel motors aren't very common in the states let alone CA, I want to find an alternative that will pass and still let me register and be road legal. The TDI swap is what i'm looking at most if possible

[Burl]

The OM 617 mercedes is probably an easier swap manual injection.