For what it's worth, I have a Nissan 720 pickup truck, 1983 vintage which
I have had since new, with its original SD25 4-cyl. (pushrods) 2.5 L.
engine. Now with 418,000 miles on the odometer.
One interesting difference, and I've never been able to find out "why",
is that this doodlebug has a SMALLER diameter clutch than the
gasoline-engine versions of this same vehicle.
It, of course, has different (i.e., stronger) front springs (torsion
bars), to support the heavier diesel engine. On the other hand, a V6
gasoline engine with all its paraphernalia might weigh about the same as
this diesel, which has no distributor, no pollution-control stuff (with
two exceptions: positive crankcase ventilation, and a very desirable
exhaust gas recirculation system.... both of which weigh neglibly).
It also has a larger radiator, since diesels operate at higher
temperatures; and it has an engine oil cooler (sort of: it fits under
the oil filter, between the oil filter and the engine).
A larger battery is essential, as the diesel's 20:1 compression ratio
makes the booger harder to crank; plus all diesel engines have to have
"glow plugs" which heat the cylinder heads at the fuel injection site so
the fuel will ignite. These glow plugs consume a lot of amps/watts of
electricity!! Nissan uses a larger battery; Toyota uses two batteries in
parallel.
There is no vacuum from diesel engines to operate the typical power-brake
booster, so some method has to be devised to provide vacuum. Nissan and
Isuzu use a little vacuum pump on an extended shaft from the rear of the
alternator: a real hassle when it comes time to rebuild the
alternator.... these ones with extended rear shaft are almost always hard
to find!. Cadillac used a separate 12-volt-DC motor to drive a vacuum
pump for its diesel-engined cars.
Some provision has to be made to shut off the diesel, as the ONLY way to
stop a diesel engine is to stop its fuel supply. From-the-factory diesel
vehicles have a solenoid-operated valve in the fuel line, which is
connected to the ignition switch, so that when the ignition switch is
turned off inside the vehicle, it closes the fuel supply valve and the
engine stops.
And, re fuel, you will need at least two fuel filters: one to filter the
fuel, and the other to separate the fuel from any water which might be in
the fuel. Often diesel fuel is contaminated with water at the service
stations, so water in the fuel must be allowed for, and prohibited from
entering the diesel engine.
A manual primer (rhymes with "timer", not "simmer") of some sort usually
is part of the diesel engine, since if you "run out of gas" in a diesel
vehicle, its pump must be primed (purged of air and filled 100% with
fuel) or you won't be able to crank the diesel engine!
And.... diesel engines vibrate at low speeds, so expect to have it's
"idle" speed set higher than a gasoline engine to offest such vibration.
The widely-available and often low-priced electronic tachometers for
gasoline engines will NOT work with a diesel engine, since most of them
measure spark or distributor pulses. Expect a diesel tachometer to cost
much more!
"THE" authority on diesel is Robert Bosch, which has a facility at
Charleston, South Carolina in the USA. Bosch publishes a book about
diesels that is invaluable in lerning how they work.... and why!
Mating the engine to the transmission would depend on bolt patterns,
engine supports, etc.
There are commercial firms that do diesel conversions.... whether they
would want to tackle a Peugeot is another matter.
I hope this helps!
David Dunbar
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Received on Mon Nov 7 06:00:29 2005
