97 Pathfinder Conversion To Diesel Or Biodiesel

[merlinx]

Has anyone ever converted or attempted to convert their pathy to a Diesel or Biodiesel to use PVO? I get 14 MPG and I'm tired of paying up the **s for gas. I figured it might be time to buy a new car but them I thought why not just invest in a new engine. Anyone have any ideas? I saw an episode of Pimp your ride where they converted some old American car with a turbo charged bio diesel engine that had over 825 HP and still got 25mpg. I am not looking for that kind of power but a little more than what I have stock and better gas mileage. Any ideas?

 

Also, do you get bad mileage with diesel engines on the street? I heard the greatest benefit is on the freeway.

[88pathoffroad]

The problem is finding a Nissan diesel and then finding parts for it. They're not sold in the US, you'll have to order every part you need from Japan or Canada or Australia or something.

 

Other than that, you could try to find any diesel engine and tranny and put it in yourself. It'll be innovative but expensive. I highly doubt you'll recoup the costs through fuel savings any time soon. You'd be better off to sell the Pathy and buy a VW Rabbit.

[merlinx]

The problem is finding a Nissan diesel and then finding parts for it. They're not sold in the US, you'll have to order every part you need from Japan or Canada or Australia or something.

 

Other than that, you could try to find any diesel engine and tranny and put it in yourself. It'll be innovative but expensive. I highly doubt you'll recoup the costs through fuel savings any time soon. You'd be better off to sell the Pathy and buy a VW Rabbit.

 

I was afraid of that

[vengeful]

Or, keep the Pathy and buy a Rabbit - they're pretty cheap.

[Trainman]

Here is an article from todays Vancouver Province newspaper, Driving section. Talks about the merits of gas vs diesel:

 

 

 

Diesel or gas? It all depends on your plans

 

Ian Harwood

The Province

 

Friday, May 18, 2007

 

Ten years ago, light-truck diesel engines were noisy, smelly, vibrated a lot and were more costly to build than a gasoline engine.

 

Today's diesels are much more advanced, but are they any better than a gasoline engine?

 

It's a question frequently asked, especially in relation to three-quarter and one-ton pickups.

 

To answer fairly, you must understand the positive and negative attributes of each engine and the purpose of the vehicle to be powered.

 

Power/Torque

 

Winner: Split decision

 

Typically, gas engines make more horsepower, while diesels produce more torque. If you are looking for off-the-line acceleration or you use your truck around town, where quick starts are important, and you do not often tow a trailer or haul a load, then you will want a gas engine.

 

By design, gas engines rev faster and are able to reach higher r.p.m. peaks than diesels.

 

However, if towing capacity and brute pulling force are your game, a diesel is for you.

 

The torque advantage of diesels is perfectly suited for pulling heavy loads up steep grades.

 

Fuel Economy

 

Winner: Diesel

 

Diesel fuel has a higher energy density than gasoline. One gallon of diesel contains approximately 147,000 BTUs of energy, while a gallon of gasoline has only 125,000 BTUs.

 

This means it takes more gasoline to equal the power output of

 

diesel, making diesel engines more

 

efficient per gallon of fuel burned.

 

Also, because diesel engines use the more efficient direct fuel-injection method (fuel injected

 

directly into cylinder) compared to the port fuel-injection setup

 

in gas engines, where gas is

 

mixed with incoming air in the intake manifold, the diesel

 

system has little wasted or unburned fuel.

 

Diesels also use about a third as much fuel at idle as gasoline units. Over the life of the truck, this advantage could be significant, especially if you drive many kilometres.

 

Noise/Vibration

 

Winner: Gasoline

 

Despite huge improvements in noise isolation and engine-noise technology in pickup trucks in the past 10 years, diesels are still louder and shake more than gasoline-powered trucks.

 

Cold Weather

 

Winner: Gasoline

 

Anyone who has tried to start a diesel engine on a cold winter morning knows the winner in this category. Diesels don't have spark plugs like gasoline engines do. The fuel is ignited spontaneously once it is injected into the cylinder and is pressurized. When it's cold, the air doesn't get hot enough to ignite the diesel fuel.

 

Conclusion

 

Winner: Both

 

Choosing between a gas and a diesel engine comes down to what you will do with the truck and where you live.

 

If you use your truck as a car, desire quick, quiet acceleration, and rarely haul a heavy load, you may want to consider a gas engine.

 

They run smoother, fuel is easier to find, and they are easier to start in cold weather. However, if you use your truck for towing, want good fuel economy (who doesn't?), and plan on racking up loads of kilometres, diesel is for you.

 

In the end, the leading disappointment with diesels is that the price to add a diesel to a pickup is still quite high versus a more powerful gas engine. But you'll make this back in fuel savings over time.

 

Ian Harwood is the manager of Custom Truck Parts in Port Kells, Surrey. Watch the Truck Guy on Driving Television, on Global TV.

 

truckguy@customtruckpartsinc.com

[SKR]

Has anyone ever converted or attempted to convert their pathy to a Diesel or Biodiesel to use PVO?

 

Also, do you get bad mileage with diesel engines on the street? I heard the greatest benefit is on the freeway.

 

I think, from a layman's perspective (ie. I'm no diesel motor mechanic!!), you really only have to change the seals as the bio-diesel rots them. Obviously that's no small feat. Have a quick google on bio-diesel.

 

Also, why are there no diesel Pathfinders in the US???

I'm from New Zealand and have a 96' R3m with a 2.7 tdi and love it!!! :tonguefinger: I wouldn't contemplate buying a petrol/gas. They're not that common over here.

 

I average 550km per 60-65ltrs with a mixture of driving conditions, sorry don't know the converse to imperial.

 

Cheers Shannon

[Trainman]

I think, from a layman's perspective (ie. I'm no diesel motor mechanic!!), you really only have to change the seals as the bio-diesel rots them. Obviously that's no small feat. Have a quick google on bio-diesel.

 

Also, why are there no diesel Pathfinders in the US???

I'm from New Zealand and have a 96' R3m with a 2.7 tdi and love it!!! :tonguefinger: I wouldn't contemplate buying a petrol/gas. They're not that common over here.

 

I average 550km per 60-65ltrs with a mixture of driving conditions, sorry don't know the converse to imperial.

 

Cheers Shannon

 

 

550 per 60l = 26 mpg (imperial gallons). I can average 24-25 mpg on the highway with my 2002 but it takes patience to learn to drive in a fuel conserving fashion.

 

As to why the lack of diesels in North America? Not sure, may be the quality of the fuel we have (that is now changing though) and market perception. Perception here is diesels are only in 3/4 ton or bigger trucks; they are smelly; they are noisy; they smoke. The XTerra, Pathfinder, 4Runner, FJ Crusier etc are only with gas motors. Very few SUV's have diesel as an option. One that did was the Jeep Liberty but is was canned after only a few years.

 

With the change to better diesel fuel, that may change, lets hope it does.

[xdvious]

I am not sure where your from, but do you guys have LPG, liquified petroleum gas for your cars

 

in australia, most of the petrol 4wd owners convert them to lpg. cost alot less than changing an engine to diesel

 

uses slightly more than petrol , but is less than half the price per litre.

 

i will put some figures up , but have to convert them from litres/kilometre to miles per gallon for you

 

on petrol i get at worst 5.5 km/litre in the city ,, which i beleive is 13 miles per gallon( this is a with some bigger tyres i have put on)

so for 100 miles need 7.69 gallons,,,, we pay Australian $1.25 to $1.35 for the good stuff per litre which is $4.73 per gallon so

 

to do the 100 miles would cost $36.38 AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS

 

 

now gas conversions the older style they lose 15% on your mileage ( new direct gas injection can get better mileage but costs more)

 

now i get 3.6km/litre in the city ( worst case full traffic city driving)

 

which is 8.52 miles per gallon. pretty bad other engines and other types of lpg conversions do alot better

 

to travel 100 miles i need 11.73 gallons of LPG

 

it costs us $0.48 per litre here which is $1.81 australian dollars per gallon,,

 

 

therefore to travel 100 miles on LPG would cost $21.28 australian dollars

 

thats a saving of 42%

 

and its a cleaner fuel

better for environment

it has a higher octane raiting,it will never ping or knock

 

 

some bad points

 

if you want to retain petrol as well

which is reccomended as some areas dont have LPG yet,

you must put the gas tank where the spare goes

 

so you need to put spare on a gate on the back door or inside the cabin

or on the roof, or leave it at home when your in the city

 

you do loose a little bit of power down low

but you gain power up top,

 

only small tanks can fit where the spare goes,, 62 litres ( 16 gallons of usable gas) ,, have to put it insidethe cabin if you want a larger tank

 

 

 

with the new systems which have come out, they use a lot less gas they have a cpu running the gas injection

 

less emmisions for the environment,, more power throughout rev range,, but they cost alot more and i dont havemuch info on them yet, only seen two so far

 

I have an everage system costs around AU$3500 the new injection systems cost around $5000

 

 

 

thats probably a better option than diesel if LPG is available where you are

Edited May 19, 2007 by xdvious

[88pathoffroad]

Propane runs $2.09 a pound/gallon here right now. I think the biggest detraction is the fuel tank that has to be stored inside the vehicle....nobody wants an explosion in case of a wreck.

[88pathoffroad]

A quick Google of "propane conversion kit" comes up with about two US companies that even offer kits, one of which is off-road only and will not sell kits to the general public with stock vehicles because it's not smog certified. Basically, we have no manufacturers of kits available here unless you drive an older carbureted vehicle exempt from smog.

 

I did, however, find this...

 

http://www.technocarb.com/

[Trainman]

Another forum I am on, there was a recent topic about propane conversion. Up here in Canada, if you can get a kit, the conversions run from $1,500 - $3,000. It takes a pretty big fuel savings to pay that off. And if the motor is an older one, it will need work done on the valve guide seals (may only be an issue if a GM motor?) as the higher heat generated can make a mess of them.

[daftpup]

The problem is finding a Nissan diesel and then finding parts for it. They're not sold in the US, you'll have to order every part you need from Japan or Canada or Australia or something.

 

Other than that, you could try to find any diesel engine and tranny and put it in yourself. It'll be innovative but expensive. I highly doubt you'll recoup the costs through fuel savings any time soon. You'd be better off to sell the Pathy and buy a VW Rabbit.

AYE get the rabbit!!!

[daftpup]

Has anyone ever converted or attempted to convert their pathy to a Diesel or Biodiesel to use PVO? I get 14 MPG and I'm tired of paying up the **s for gas. I figured it might be time to buy a new car but them I thought why not just invest in a new engine. Anyone have any ideas? I saw an episode of Pimp your ride where they converted some old American car with a turbo charged bio diesel engine that had over 825 HP and still got 25mpg. I am not looking for that kind of power but a little more than what I have stock and better gas mileage. Any ideas?

 

Also, do you get bad mileage with diesel engines on the street? I heard the greatest benefit is on the freeway.

I used to drive a converted Chevy 6.2 diesel with duel tanks mainly on the highway and I could go weeks between fills.