2.8l duramax in a tj?

[rickcdewitt]

So i was pumped up about the cummins r2.8 when the crate swap kits came out.but then i learned they have lots of issues and the block and possibly other parts are made in China!

Then i got to thinking about the lwn duramax. I found a company that does a stand alone harness and tuning for it but am i stuck with an auto?

Anyone know what bellhousing pattern they have?

Seems like it could be comparable to the cummins price wise and not be chinese!

 

[LCAC_Man]

why not stick with the auto? They are a hellavu lot better on the trail than a manual, particularly if you're running anything serious/technical..

 

[rickcdewitt]

I'm not familiar with the trans length in those little trucks but it could be an issue without a rear stretch. Jeeps have always been limited there. Besides when you grow up with granny trans and always owned a third pedal its a tough sell!preference?

That said my little brother has a 5.2/auto combo in his tj on 36's and it really is fun to point and shoot!

 

[LCAC_Man]

I'm not familiar with the trans length in those little trucks but it could be an issue without a rear stretch. Jeeps have always been limited there. Besides when you grow up with granny trans and always owned a third pedal its a tough sell!preference?

That said my little brother has a 5.2/auto combo in his tj on 36's and it really is fun to point and shoot!

plenty of automatic tj's with the 4.0 which is a long I-6, the I-4 mini-duramax wouldn't be any longer than that. If you are really wanting to wheel it the modern auto's are a better fit..

 

[TheBac]

Anything is possible if you have the gumption, creativity and resources.

 

[rickcdewitt]

True.cad drawings and a friend with a cnc mill. I'm being lazy i guess.

Few other projects to finish before it gets real cold but when its time to dump the 4.0l it'll happen in a hurry wether its a 4.8 ls or 2.8 on running on #2:thumb:

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

plenty of automatic tj's with the 4.0 which is a long I-6, the I-4 mini-duramax wouldn't be any longer than that. If you are really wanting to wheel it the modern auto's are a better fit..

Almost all those 4.0l auto jeeps had a 3 speed auto because no OD unit at the time could be fit. They did eventually put an OD trans in them, but it was highly failure prone because of how it was designed to be so short.

 

[Chevy1925]

The 2.8 Dmax should be the standard Chevy bellhousing pattern. Plenty of conversion kits for gm to jeep trans

Jeep guys have put AW4’s in TJ and YJ standard wheel base. Just don’t lift it to the moon. Or get creative with a DC joint at both ends like some company’s sell.

I’d just do the typical 6” rearward stretch, poison spyder rear fenders and the gas tank that matches. Good to go.

Or stick with the 727 that comes in the Jeep, build it some and don’t gear the Jeep real deep. That will keep you in a decent highway rpm and still use engine torque for slow crawling

 

[rickcdewitt]

Heres the specs a little late guys sorry. 97 tj,4.0l,ax15 manual.

The one pic i saw of an lwn on ebay had an odd non symmetrical rear pattern. Don't know if its like the 6.6 in that theres an adapter plate to the good ol chebby pattern?

While i get the auto argument i have always been just fine so long as the axle and low range gearing has been suited for the job at hand be it rocks,hill climbs etc.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

The 2.8 Dmax should be the standard Chevy bellhousing pattern. Plenty of conversion kits for gm to jeep trans

Jeep guys have put AW4’s in TJ and YJ standard wheel base. Just don’t lift it to the moon. Or get creative with a DC joint at both ends like some company’s sell.

I’d just do the typical 6” rearward stretch, poison spyder rear fenders and the gas tank that matches. Good to go.

Or stick with the 727 that comes in the Jeep, build it some and don’t gear the Jeep real deep. That will keep you in a decent highway rpm and still use engine torque for slow crawling

From the pics I found it is some oddball bellhousing pattern.

Most go with a Mercedes diesel simply because that is what is out there and available. If you can get an oil pan and oil pump(rear sump) from overseas off of a jeep grand cherokee that had the 5 cylinder Merc engine, then you can get a Sprinter engine fairly cheap, and swap in. Others have gone with the om606 straight 6(very similar dimensions to the 4.0l), swap in an om648 pan and pump(rear sump), and then put an om603 injection pump on it for mechanical injection. Or a guy who goes by Baldur makes a controller for the om606 electronic pump and is working on one for common rail mercedes as well. And there's adapters galore for the Mercedes diesel's.

 

[rickcdewitt]

This is the jeep in question. Nothing fancy but fun to hunt and fish and go adventuring in. I also fixed up a stock 98 4.0l auto tj that i gave to my dad for a hunting/fun rig. I could trade him out drivetrains since he'd prefer a manual but so do i

Edit: i guess all i really need would be an auto shifter and console from somewhere since the 32rh wouldn't get used.

The sprinter 2.7 will have to get researched as well!

 

[Chevy1925]

Well that’s dumb, stupid on gm’s part to do that.

Why do you wanna ditch the 4.0? That thing is damn near bullet proof and torquey

 

[LBZ]

My buddy bought a template and had a machine shop make him a rear engine housing to bolt his 5speed ranger trans to a TDI engine so maybe there’s something out there already?

 

[rickcdewitt]

Well that’s dumb, stupid on gm’s part to do that.

Why do you wanna ditch the 4.0? That thing is damn near bullet proof and torquey

I've always liked the amc 6's. Unfortunately this one is showing signs of head gasket troubles and lifter problems(good oil pressure at least). Distributor shaft bushings worn out from muddy water getting in it and some other stuff too.

I know it would run another 10 years if I'm careful and also that the issues are a pretty cheap fix but I'm getting a little itchy to do a cool swap! having the boost come in from a good tune is super addictive!

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

A semi popular swap in the Jeeps is the 2.0l TDI from the early 00's Passat. In stock form the cams are bound to fail, but it has driven the resale down on them, and they make improved cams to fix them. They say they can make in the 200-240hp range with an improved turbo, injectors, and tuning.

 

[gmc502]

A semi popular swap in the Jeeps is the 2.0l TDI from the early 00's Passat. In stock form the cams are bound to fail, but it has driven the resale down on them, and they make improved cams to fix them. They say they can make in the 200-240hp range with an improved turbo, injectors, and tuning.

you need to port the head or get a head from europe.still need to use the right oil still w/ the cam.

 

[LCAC_Man]

Almost all those 4.0l auto jeeps had a 3 speed auto because no OD unit at the time could be fit. They did eventually put an OD trans in them, but it was highly failure prone because of how it was designed to be so short.

small wheelbase stretch in the rear would solve that and most guys with built TJs do that anyways.