Who's rebuilt a diesel?

[BadLux]

Hard?

Easy?

Complicated but alright if you take your time?

Looking at rebuilding a 3L lux motor. 272,000 on the clock 89 model.

Opinions would be great? Still deciding if I should attempt it or not? I mean i've got the time but not sure if I have the ability and know how.

[Red Rover]

Depends on the engine to some degree. I have rebuilt a few nissan engines and 2wd car engines, but not a hilux. 3L and 5L motors with wear are known to pick up on the bore with some piston wear. If you have the know how and have a workshop manual you should be right. A mate of mine who specialises in toyotas, specifically hiluxes in Burpengary works on plenty of them but nearly ayways get new sleeves etc put into it.

If it was me I would get either get a new head recoed and a short block built and jam it together and put it in or just send the block out to get new sleeves fitted and the crank sized and machined accordingly and fit the rest.

However given that it's got to go to the machine shop anyway, I would probably say stuff it and get a price from them to do a short block and probably go that way. If you head is ok then you can whack it on and drop her in and away you go.

The nissan engines I did only needed a hone and the ridge removed, or what little of it there was. The blocks were in good nick and I was able to just re-ring it with new bearing for the crank. The Std caps had not a single mark o them so were ok. You can't just just rering a 3l engine in my experience or what i have seen, some are sure to disagree

[Pauwolf]

Dude, I dont mean to be rude but if you are not sure if you can do, You definitely shouldnt.

It will be dearer to get someone to do it - but if you get a reconditioner to do (not some dude at the closest workshop) you will get some warranty and a better job.
you really need to know what you are looking at with respect to worn and broken parts and what needs to be replaced. Toyota sleves can be a PITA to replace so a shop should do that part anyway unless you have the correct pullers

If engine has not overheated why are you rebuilding it, my mates 2.2 hilux has 771,000 km and has had nothing but injectors and pump seals done
diesels are extremely long lasting

[BadLux]

Think it's dropped a ring, its got really bad blow by causing to much crankcase pressure and blowing oil out the crankcase seal bigtime. So if I gotta pull the head of to replace the rings I should probably do the whole lot.

Depends tho would you be able to just change the rings and put it all back together and it run alright? I guess it depends how much it has worn anyway hey

[wrksux]

Might be worth a visit to the local tafe to see if they have anything on basic engine mechanics or something where they show you a bare block and work up with what fits in and the like

[Red Rover]

Think it's dropped a ring, its got really bad blow by causing to much crankcase pressure and blowing oil out the crankcase seal bigtime. So if I gotta pull the head of to replace the rings I should probably do the whole lot.

Depends tho would you be able to just change the rings and put it all back together and it run alright? I guess it depends how much it has worn anyway hey

NO I do not think it will. I reckon with the wear it will pick up on the bore and really do some damage. Maybe not pick up straight away but it will soon enough. As I said I have seen a few people try and it had never worked. My mate always puts new liners in it cause he can't guarantee it unless he does. He seen plenty pick up on the bore. The bore will be scored for sure if it's done a ring, ie broken etc. Your best bet is a short block and your head is ok. If you are going to all the effort to pull the head off I would do the whole lot. Also depends how long you are going to keep it for. Short term then maybe a quick fix and flog off

[Spud76]

Badlux strip it down take it to a engine machine shop let them tell you what it needs and then buy the parts they will do all the machining pressing what ever you want them to do. they will even reassemble it for you if you want but they aren't hard to put together and take apart you just don't wanna do the machining yourself.
You also can't buy one oversize piston and rings you need to get the whole set. get them to tell you what size you need then buy them take them to them and they will machine you block to suit.
It is cheaper th have you cylinder sleeves bored out than resleeved and this works fine.
you can readily get pistons and rings out to 40 thou oversize for 3L motors when i done mine @ 285000 I had to go out to 20 thou oversize.
It works out far cheaper to rebuild you engine than by a short motor too.

[Dane]

I am a fitter by trade and once completely rebuilt the diesel engine in my Rocky. After spending many hours on the engine, I did the sums and found that I was about $500 and no warranty better off than having the engine reconditioner do it for me. Don't waste your time.

[MQSWBUTE]

pull it out pull it down take the block get it machined from the right people then get pistons,rings etc to suit slap it back together sound hard ....
buy a desent motor to suit drop it in and use ya smokey motor for parts
alt starter motor injector jump head cam gear etc

i done a motor change over on my patrol only weeks ago
it had no oil pressure blowing smoke big knock
brought a complete motor cheap
wacked it in now i have alt starter motor injector pump head cam gear fly wheel glow plugs all sorts of desent parts i wont be seeing repco/bursons anytime soon

to many things to think about
so many doors open when ya motor is stuffed i thought v8 convertion 3.8litre v6 turbo convertion rb30 turbo it dont end but i think i made the right choice with my 30kws at the wheels

hope it works out for ya mate
dont rush these things or it will come back to bite you in the arse

cheers justin

[BadLux]

Yeah tell me about it!!

So many decisions,

Flog it off cheap,

Fix it for like $3,500

Do a v6 conversion..

Buy another motor and whack that in..

Well I might do just that! I've found a 1994 2.8 with 260,000 on the clock doesn't blow any smoke and starts and runs fine. My mechanic said he'd do the swap for $450 and then I can get some money back for my motor..

Seems like the best option available so far.. what ppl think?

[MQSWBUTE]

i would say do it asap and flog ya stuffed motor off for spares you might even find some parts of ya stuffed motor might be useful on a 2.8l diesel
i dont much about toyota diesel motors being a nissan man myself i would think maybe same block maybe spare parts for urself

i brought a motor for my patrol for under $500 complete and i have not had any troubles with it great compression great oil pressure im cheerin lets hope u get the same result as me

[Beefcake]

have you checked that the breather isn't just blocked? this would cause you to blow seals. (so would along time alone in the antarctic, but that's another story).

Also, have you cut your oil filter open and had look for excessive metal? If it's broken a ring or scored the bore you should see a lot of metal in the filter. Just tear a section of filter out and squeeze the oil out in a vice and check it out.

[BadLux]

I asked the mechanic that and he said it wouldnt be the breather if it had that much blow by.. where is the breather on a 2.8 diesel? and how do you check it? I'll check the filter and see what its like

[Beefcake]

Not sure exactly on a 2.8, but should be part of your rocker cover. Pull your rocker cover off and there will probably be a section that looks like it's full of steel wool. Try rinsing this out with some kero or diesel.

I'm presuming you've got no turbo? so it's not the turbo seals gone.

Have you done a compression test?

[Beefcake]

I just read your post in the Toyota section, which says it is turboed. I would definitely be checking your turbo seals. If you are pushing intake air past the seals into your oil system you will be pressurising the block, blowing seals. I would say this more likely the case if you have serviced like you say you have. Pull the intake pipe off your turbo and wriggle the shaft, there should be a little end float (back and forth) but that is it. Won't tell you seals for sure, but will give you an idea on condition of the turbo.

[phippsy]

The breather for the 2.8 is at the back of the cover on the passenger side running to the inlet manifold striaght below it, if it's turboed, then it'll run to the intake pipe feeding into the turbo. And where it used to run on the inlet manifold should be blocked off.

[BadLux]

Very interesting.. I'll have to check this out, I bloody hope that this is the case!!

[Shadow]

Very interesting.. I'll have to check this out, I bloody hope that this is the case!!

dont get too excited, youve still gotta pay for someone to replace the seals in your engine and turbo >_<

[BadLux]

spoke to a few turbo guru's they said that this is very rare and if it running alot of blow by most likely not the case.

Also heres the bit i'm confused with and so are the turbo guru's/

The inlet pipe running from the air intake over the engine into the turbo which is normally vacummed (sucking) when the engine is even at idle is blowing smoke out of the pipe that the hose that attaches to the rocker cover goes onto.

The guys down at united fuel injection said that this is not possible and the only way that would be happening was if the cam timing was out rediculously but i mean the engine still starts and runs fine just blows all the oil out the frikkin crankcase seal.

Also if you take the hose from the rocker cover off the inlet pipe it reduces the oil pressure of the motor, whereas the guy at united said that normally this would increase the oil pressure.

ARGGHHH SO CONFUSED!!

[+dj_hansen+]

Id be getting a compression test done BY A DIESEL MECHANIC... this should tell you if it is infact an engine problem, or a turbo problem.

With your motor idling... d/c the small rubber hose that runs from the top of your rocker cover (the crankcase breather hose) and place the end into a glass jar or onto some paper towel and see how much oil is spraying out, and what kind of noise... if it sounds like a steam train (chuff chuff chuff) then this would indicate highish levels of blow by. Tis not scientific, a compression test will give you a better indication of the situation inside the combustion chambers.

[BadLux]

Id be getting a compression test done BY A DIESEL MECHANIC... this should tell you if it is infact an engine problem, or a turbo problem.

With your motor idling... d/c the small rubber hose that runs from the top of your rocker cover (the crankcase breather hose) and place the end into a glass jar or onto some paper towel and see how much oil is spraying out, and what kind of noise... if it sounds like a steam train (chuff chuff chuff) then this would indicate highish levels of blow by. Tis not scientific, a compression test will give you a better indication of the situation inside the combustion chambers.

Yeah I've done this and the answer is alot.. And yes it does sound something like a steam train.[/b]

[+dj_hansen+]

See if u can by a long motor... and bolt your ancilleries on.

Halls 4x4 here in vic sell them, maybe see if somewhere in perth does the same. Would be cheaper than buying complete new motor, and probbaly less heartaches than a complete rebuild.