4d55 turbo diesel info

[mason_411]

ok everyone knows they exists but no one seems to know much about um. ive read up on them over the past couple days as i am thinking of swaping one into my 94 4.0. i can get everything i need motor tranny transfer case innercooler the whole shebang for $600 which is a good deal to me. the only thing is the guy who is my friend has 2. one is blown up with the tranny and t case and is turboed. the other is non tuboed and running he is going to swap the turbo over for me. but as ive found the non turboed version is actually a 2.2l from mazda so idk if itll work. i want to make a performance motor out of it. any help is greatly appreciated!!

for anyone looking to do this swap heres all ive gathered so far:
-THESE ENGINES MUST STAY COOL! if you swap a inner cooler is a must!
-If you swap you should deffinetly change the timming belt theyre known to blow and take out many parts with them
- parts can be had from ebay.uk and many other places over seas (Australia for sure) as they are still in use there
-most of the 4d56 parts are inter changeable
-stock hp: 86 torque: 105
-stock psi: 10-12
-M5od R-1 trannys wont work as the bell housing cannot be swaped
-they operate with a VE type injection pump so can be tuned
-i forgot the stock turbo size but a t3 turbo fits and is bigger
-EVERYONE will tell you to leave it stock or itll blow but im pretty sure theyll hold 20 + psi and ARB makes head studs for them
-There has been people take these things OVER 200+ foot pounds of torque
-If you ask me any question you may have, i could probably answer it. I know quiet a bit more about them thats slipping my mind haha

 

[ericlerouge]

My advice: stay with your 4.0 for performance. If your truck is your dd, waiting for parts from overseas means you won't have anything to drive while waiting. search for a vw engine if you want something you can boost (aftermarket parts available) and drive daily. If you blow your engine, you can easily get a replacement in running condition for a few hundreds. As mentionned in the other thread fm145 is the weak link of that drivetrain.

4x4wire is the place to go for infos on the mitsubishi diesel. lots of archives there.

anyway, good luck.

 

[bobbywalter]

well its tough.


but, the tdi after what green geeker has demonstrated looks to be superior ver the sd motor. simply as you can easily opt for the r1 trans.


if your starting with a stock turbo diesel truck thats a different story altogether.

i like the idea of being able to get 130 hp and 220 plus torque and 30's in mpg hiway with minimal work.


thanks for a starting point.

 

[mason_411]

a TDI is not an option for me haha i hate those little bastards. they're the definition of gutless unless you drop wads of cash in them. and i like the mechanical parts of the 4d55 such as the ve pump and everything else requiring little wiring for a swap. i know i can get some power out of one of those things and i know how to do it right. as long os you keep the thing cool you can crank um especially with arb head studs and the appropriate 4d56 stronger parts. i plan on leaving the motor in the garage for a while and doing the work to it there before i go and do the swap and during that i can drive my dads spare truck so the DD thing doesnt effect me

 

[ericlerouge]

Now, that's a good thing you have a spare truck handy.

If i were you, i wouldn't buy both engines. Just buy the blown 4d55 and go from there. Don't buy pistons and rods off ebay as they're chinese crap and don't last. (more of the stuff from ebay is, anyway for these engines)

OR

save some $$$ and buy a jdm 4d56 crated engine with all the goodies. Better flowing head, oil and watercooled and bigger turbo, intercooled (and you can still play with the pump for more power) Believe me, i'd do it in a heartbeat if i had the dow. As you'll end up sinkin' the same amount of money (maybe a little less) in that old engine, trying to make a v8 eater.

OR

Study the 4bt swap you dream of. and go that route. I think it's an engine of choice for many guys. There must be a reason why.

Just sayin'

 

[bobbywalter]

well i like my mechanical diesel to say the least.


its like 160hp-290-300tq stock. no turbo.


but the tdi make better power then the stock ranger engine untweaked.

that what makes it tough to choose ..

 

[ericlerouge]

I'd use the word OBSOLETE for the 4d55. As much as i'd like parts to be readily available, they're not anymore. (well, not in north america) Some jdm parts are available here in canada from importers but they want premium $ for them.

If i was to build a daily driver, i wouldn't choose that engine. Searching for parts when you don't need the truck is the fun part. Having the truck towed and be on foot til your parts shows up = NO FUN, if you can find those! overseas = $$$

I just finished reading greengeeker's thread. I don't have half the ingenuity of that guy and i don't think i could pull off a swap like that. But for many reasons, that truck seems to have the best of both worlds: power, economy and he can pull off in any vw repair shop and get the parts he needs to get it back on the road.

 

[ericlerouge]

well i like my mechanical diesel to say the least.


its like 160hp-290-300tq stock. no turbo.


but the tdi make better power then the stock ranger engine untweaked.

that what makes it tough to choose ..

What's your engine?

 

[bobbywalter]

6.5 its in my script in the bottom of my post.


http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35931

 

[mason_411]

yeah i love the great availability of the vw parts but i dont have a tdi falling into my lap right now for cheap haha and i love mechanical diesels. now as for the 4bt goes its a 20x hard swap thats 50x more expensive. and for a jobless 16 year old doing a $5000+ swap on a truck worth about $3500 isnt exactly ideal haha and itll take much longer. now if this was a 100% project truck i would love to piece together a 4bt but its not really an option right now. as for the jdm 4d56 i would LOVE that exact crate haha those things are bad Ass haha but then again its all about the $$$

 

[ericlerouge]

Well, i understand what you mean. And i fully understand that you're all pumped up about that swap. I am too about mine. I just wanted to make sure you fully understand what it is to find parts for these and that it's not a powerhouse to start with. I drove a 4.0 ranger for a while and loved the power (used to 4 bangers 4x4) It's a bit of a gaz guggler.

In stock form, my 86 ranger turbo diesel has good pep for start ups and i don't feel the 31s under compared to my other 4 bangers i had. But the top speed at highway speed sucks big time. I started looking around (never had a turbo or diesel truck before) and found out i can obtain like 20 psi of boost out of the stock turbo. Safely? i don't know. That's why i bought a boost gauge, boost controller and egt. I have a top mounted intercooler i will install.

I have a bigger turbo on the shelf from a previous project. To tell you the truth, i don't know shit when it comes to calculate cfms and stuff. I'll study that later, once the engine is running in the new truck.

 

[Snoranger]

Mason, let me get this straight...
Your 16 years old, you dont have a job, and you have a running and driving truck.

My suggestion: Leave it be, until you can afford to build it right. Dont rip apart a running truck to swap the engine when you have no budget to back you up.

 

[mason_411]

Eric: yeah ive heard they'll do 20psi and gauges are a must with any diesel everyone knows that so it goes without saying haha but im not the biggest fan of my 4.0 i grew up on diesels haha i just dont really like gassers

Snoranger: Untill i can afford to build it right? what exactly are you inferring i cant AFFORD to do RIGHT when i can get all the parts? i have the availability to get any and all parts i need for the swap from the 2 donors for 600. i dont get how i cant afford to do it right. unless you mean that you think i have an incapable skill level to do the swap? which in that case i guess we'll see if i go through with it. or are you saying wait and save to buy a better diesel like a 4bt or 4d56 crate?

also i found out the both of the motors are 2.3l 4d55's he meant that the one that runs has the turbo off of it because he used it on something else i just miss understood him.

 

[Snoranger]

Snoranger: Untill i can afford to build it right? what exactly are you inferring i cant AFFORD to do RIGHT when i can get all the parts? i have the availability to get any and all parts i need for the swap from the 2 donors for 600. i dont get how i cant afford to do it right. unless you mean that you think i have an incapable skill level to do the swap? which in that case i guess we'll see if i go through with it. or are you saying wait and save to buy a better diesel like a 4bt or 4d56 crate?

also i found out the both of the motors are 2.3l 4d55's he meant that the one that runs has the turbo off of it because he used it on something else i just miss understood him.

I wasnt trying to insult you or anything, but you said you were getting to different motors. 2 different motors doesnt equal all the parts you need. Now that you found out they are the same, you shouldnt get nickled and dimed to death. That will kill a project fast if you dont have a good budget to back it up.

 

[mason_411]

yeah i gotcha at first i thought it was the two different motors but theyre the same. one was in a ranger and the other in a ram 50 the one that runs was in a front end collision so all the pullies and accessories on the front of the motor are toast but i can get those from the other. i have about 400 now so i may be getting them soon. if anyone knows where to find/has some exploded views of the drivetrain (any section) and maybe some basic stats (oil pressure, timing, valve specs, ect.) it would be greatly appreciated. Also does anyone know if you can even get a gasket kit in the usa for these? i may go through the thing before i put it in so ill need gaskets and some other simple stuff but i dont want to blow a grand on a rebuild kit if the rings and everything are good.