Guest Spencyg Posted November 6, 2006 Share Posted November 6, 2006 I'm new here, but have been around A/C's forum for many years. My R50 is going through a major refit for an 18 month 4x4 expedition through North and Central America. One of the biggest modifications is the installation of a Nissan TD27T 4 Cyl Turbodiesel. We're going this route for the fuel economy and "running even underwater" durability of a diesel. The trip will cover more than 15k Miles, and fully loaded, fuel consumption in the order of 25+ MPG is expected. The TD27T will drop in very close to the stock VG33 mounts, and we don't expect much trouble adapting the anticillary components. There will be an ongoing log of the build, as well as the trip on my company website for those interested. Spence www.gpe-machine.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted November 6, 2006 Share Posted November 6, 2006 Sounds awesome! Welcome to NPORA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bear claw Posted November 6, 2006 Share Posted November 6, 2006 Wow 18 months with the Pathy *drool* take lots of pictures and maybe have a few showing in the picture forum, always goes good with those of us who feel that they are not giving their own Pathys enough attention Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Spencyg Posted November 6, 2006 Share Posted November 6, 2006 (edited) One of the biggest issues with this project is going to be just bringing the old girl back up to snuff. All bearings, seals, bushings, etc will be replaced prior to the journey to avoid any unnecessary headaches along the way. Combine that with a custom 4" lift, a diesel conversion, and all of the other necessary modifications, revisions, and additions, and it turns into a serious project both in terms of time and money. Spence Edited November 6, 2006 by Spencyg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey.T Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 I am looking forward to this project What are you going to do with the 3.3 and the ecu???? I know someone that might be interested in it***Whistles quietly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Spencyg Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 The VG33E, transmission, T-Case, and ECU will be going on the auction block as soon as its out of the truck. The timeline for this will probably be just after the new year. I can post its sale availability on here before it gets listed on ebay. Spence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geordie4x4 Posted November 9, 2006 Share Posted November 9, 2006 Hi Spencyg, I am a TD27T owner in West Australia and have done extensive bush touring in my 1992 Terrano (WD21 Pathfinder ). Its interesting to hear that you are going back the other way from the V6 to the diesel. Good on you for taking a leap of faith. I have found my TD27T motor to be extremely reliable over the 8 years and 220, 000km that I have had it. It is not as powerful as the V6 but plenty good enough to get through some pretty tough country and towing a camper trailer. I have covered almost all of Australia except for the furthers north, this will be my next trip. The only comments that I would add: I have added an intercooler, snorkel, K&N air filter and larger exhaust to boost power and torque a little. Also an extra thermo fan on the radiator and one on the intercooler for hot Australian conditions. It loves cold days. If you can get hold of a newer ZD30 turbo motor it is far more powerful and better economy but may be quite a bit heavier. The auto gearbox is less reliable than the manual. I have rebuilt mine after 85,000km and it has hung in there for a further 135,000 km so I suppose that is OK. I don't think the first owner exer changed the Auto trans fluid. I have added an oil cooler to the trans for hot work towing a trailer. Suspension for travelling may not need to be as extreme in the lift as for rock-hopping. Check out some of the threads on suspension and in particular on steering problems from lifting too high. I have only a 2.5" lift but the steering tends to wear tie-rods out. Have fun on your trip. Geordie Maybee you can then bring it over to Australia for a tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Spencyg Posted November 9, 2006 Share Posted November 9, 2006 Thanks for the tips and hints. I have been planning to add an intercooler to the installation, and there isn't any reason the output of the 2.7L can't be bumped up to at least 150-175hp/275ft-lbs with more boost and fuel. I like the size of the 2.7L and the simplicity of the fuel system. I do question the ability of the stock radiator to bleed off the heat from the engine...I may upgrade to a 3 core custom unit. Also planned is the snorkel and upgraded cooling fans, though honestly I hope to be able to use a mechanical fan for the primary cooling, as electric fans fry when they get wet. As for the lift...I won't be doing a "spring" lift....I'm going to be fabricating spacers which will drop down the front subframe, as well as the strut mounts. This will keep all suspension alignment stock, while allowing clearance for 33x10.50 tires. I'm upgrading the differential gears to 4.63 to offset the tire height difference. I'm hoping the automatic transmission will be acceptable for the truck. I may go in there and replace clutch plates as a preventative measure...with enough cooling, it should be ok. What kind of milage do you experience with your current setup? I'm hoping to get around 25 MPG... Spence www.gpe-machine.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geordie4x4 Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 (edited) Spencyg, The auto box on the V6 I think is the same or stronger than the Terrano TD27 box so you may be ahead with your original one. The auto is very good on the diesel offroad as it allows you to keep it in the right rev range to keep the turbo boost up and the power at peak. Power mods: Exhaust of 2 to 2.5" is good any bigger and it starts to only gain high end power but loose power and torque at the low end of the rev range. If you can modify the turbo dump pipe to flow more freely or replace it with a 3" pipe from the back of the turbo to the exhaust. Turbo boost: this is an indirect injection diesel with a pre-combustion chamber don't go too high with the boost or the life of the engine could be reduced by detonation in the pre-combustion chamber. I have seen several TD27 running at about 12psi and that is adequate. I heard of one guy who runs over 20psi. but I would not trust that sort of boost on a hot day or towing a heavy load. Also if you run high boost and more fuel you get lower economy. Intercooler has made more improvement than any other mod I have done. Fuel economy: sorry I am not in MPG anymore here in Australia. I can get about 9.5L per 100km (on road) to 10.5L/100km (on hard dirt tracks) towing a light camper trailer IF I keep it down to between 80 to 90km/hour. I think that is about 30MPG at the best and driving gently. On road with foot to the floor 110 to 120 km/h and fully loaded vehicle with camper trailer I use about 13L /100km on a cool day and flat road and up to 16 or 17L/100km on a hot day 35 to 45 C, hilly terrain with the motor working hard and aircon on full. I have 31 x 10.5 R15 Cooper ST tyres and they do reduce the economy from the standard 30 x 9 R 15 HT tyres. I would be realy interested to see photos of your front suspension drop brackets when you do them. Have a look at the L&P steering that 88 has on his Pathfinder. Cheers Geordie Edited November 23, 2006 by geordie4x4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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