I finally finished my turbo diesel project on my Samurai; so here’s a quick write up on all that I did.

I was running a modified 1.3L carbed motor…probably in the 75-80 HP range.  It was OK, but I sacrificed some low end torque for the high end HP.  And it would still only do 65 on flat ground.  I wasn’t getting very good mileage either, and the carb gave me fits every time I went wheeling.  I thought about the 1.6L tracker/sidekick swap, but decided that I wanted something more unique. 
I decided to swap in a VW diesel engine.  I looked for a 1.9 or 1.6 TD engine, but the ones I found were in the $2k range and that wasn’t in my budget.  I searched for about 2 months but gave up the search when I found a normally aspirated engine out of a rabbit.  It was in a farmer’s field and it was free, provided I could remove the car from the swamp it was in.  It was literally under water and nutria had moved into the cab.  I used some forks on the front of a tractor to extract it from the swamp and move it onto my trailer.  I wasn’t really sure what I was getting; the car had been sitting for 9 years and nobody knew why it had been parked there in the first place.  But, a few hours after I got it home I had it running.  The only thing wrong was a blown head gasket which I replaced for about $80. 
I sold the 1.3 in my Samurai for $500 and a spare 1.3 long block I had in my shop for another $250, and had my budget of $750.  I ordered a bellhousing adapter and flywheel from Acme Adapters and started the swap.  It took me about 20 hours to swap in the VW motor; most of that time was spent making brackets for my Toyota power steering pump, the VW radiator and electric fan, motor mounts, the GM alternator, and my welder power supply.  I had the motor in and running in less than a week and made a few hundred $$ on the swap. 
I’ve been running the NA diesel for about 6 months (some of you saw this setup at Powerfest); here’s what I noticed:

Downside:  The 1.6 is 52 HP and 71 ft-lbs torque.  You notice in on the highway; my zuk on 33’s with a ragtop and a bunch of extra weight was SLOW.  55MPH was only possible downhill with the wind at my back.  Usually I was doing about 50 on flat ground, and any kind of hill was a 3rd gear 40mph event with pissed off people lining up behind me.

Upside: I was getting 30-40MPG, which was nice when the cost of fuel was $3.00/gal.  The engine is incredibly torquey at low RPM, which was great off road.  It was a whole new vehicle in the rocks.  And, it runs just fine at any angle. 

I installed an EGT pyrometer and cranked up on the fuel pump a little bit; there was a little power gain (maybe 5HP and 10 ft-lbs torque), but it was barely noticeable and hurt my mileage a little.  I was wanting more…

Last month I decided to try my hand at building a custom turbo setup.  I looked at buying a KKK turbo and manifold because it was pretty much bolt-on, but I was turned off because the turbos and manifolds were hard to find and relatively expensive.  I ended up deciding to use a Mitsubishi TE04H turbo and build my own manifolds.  The TE04H seems to be inexpensive, really easy to find, is small (no turbo lag) and has an integral wastegate; just what I was looking for.  Here’s how I accomplished it:

I purchased a TE04H turbo for $99 (see picture), and found another one locally on a wrecked car that I got for free (spare).  I also purchased some silicone elbows, oil cooler, 0-15psi boost gauge, boost controller, misc. fittings and steel braided hoses, and a hood scoop.
I made the flanges for the downpipe and exhaust manifold simply by tracing around the turbo with a piece of limestone on ¼� plate steel and following the lines with my plasma cutter.  I used the old exhaust manifold as a pattern for the head flange and cut it out the same way (see picture).  I bought a bunch of 1-1/4� schedule 40 steel elbows and welded together the exhaust manifold.  I kept the flanges bolted to the original manifold to prevent warping, but I still had to drop it on the belt sander when I was finished to straighten it up.
I took the turbo apart and clocked it to keep the oil supply and drain ports in the right place.  It took some time, but really wasn’t very complicated.  I’ve never had a turbo apart so I took my time to make sure I didn’t screw anything up; but it wasn’t too difficult.
I tapped out the oil filter adapter to supply the oil for the turbo, and then installed the oil cooler in the scoop on the hood (see picture).  I was worried about the scoop looking stupid, but it was the only place I could mount the cooler where it would be safe and have adequate airflow.  I think it turned out OK…not exactly my kind of thing but I don’t dislike it either.  The oil gets cooled before it enters the turbo (I hope this will reduce coking and help the turbo live longer).  I tapped a drain line into the oil pan and hooked it up to the turbo.
The TE04H is water cooled, so I just installed it in my heater line, before the heater core.  An unexpected benefit is that the heater works better now…
I had the local exhaust guy bend up some 2-1/2� tubing for the turbo supply and air filter lines.  I’m planning on powdercoating them at a later time…
I installed the boost gauge next to the pyrometer in the dash (see picture) and plumbed it into the intake manifold.  I also used the same port on the intake manifold to supply the boost controller and wastegate (see picture).
I started it up last week and did a little tuning.  I was able to turn up the fuel pump quite a bit without a big increase in EGT’s; the turbo allows the engine to burn a lot more fuel than when it was naturally aspirated.  I set the boost controller for 7-8psi of boost.  It reaches full boost around 1000-1500RPM (I don’t have a tach installed).  I have put about 500 miles on it since I got everything set up; here are my impressions:

•   I gained a LOT of low end torque; I’m guessing about 40 ft-lbs.  I also got some high-end power, though it isn’t as dramatic as the low-end.  The seat of the pants feel is amazing…I’m guessing that the sami accelerates more than twice as fast as it did without the turbo.  Top speed is now 65-70 in 5th gear on flat ground.  Still no race car, but pretty darn good for a little tiny diesel motor. 
•   There is very little turbo lag; it reaches full boost right away even at low RPM’s. 
•   Climbing the hills out here is no problem; it holds 55 just fine as long as I care to hold the pedal on the floor.  Unfortunately, if the climb is too long, my EGT hits 1200 degrees after a mile or so and I’m forced to back off and let it slow down to about 45MPH.
•   The turbo sounds cool; with no insulation in the engine compartment it is quite audible at all speeds.  I don’t mind one bit and intend to keep it that way.
•   The engine runs at the same temperature it did before I added the turbo; no problems with overheating
•   Except for a puff of smoke while the turbo is spooling up, the exhaust haze that the motor had without the turbo is completely gone. 
•   I don’t have good mileage numbers yet, but I am getting about the same as I did before the turbo.
•   My opinion is that this is a better swap for a trail rig than the 1.6L Suzuki because of the amount of low end torque the diesel makes.  For a rig that sees mostly highway, the Suzuki engine may be better because of the higher HP numbers.  I have driven a few samurais with 1.6 8v and one with a 16v and can honestly say that I personally like this turbodiesel better.

This project took a huge amount of time.  I hate to admit it, but it really probably wasn’t worth the time I put into it.  If you figure my time at $10/hour I could have almost bought two 1.9TD engines.  The biggest problem was that I had never done a custom turbo project before (and had never done any major work on any turbo engine).  I ended up backtracking a lot and making a few mistakes that cost me some time. 
Would I do it again?  Yep.  I have the only Suzuki samurai with a VW diesel engine with a Mitsubishi turbo out of a Chrysler car with Toyota steering with a GM alternator with a corvette scoop on the hood.  But, it works quite well and I am happy with it. 

I’ll try to post up a video in the next few days…for now here are some pictures.

My NA diesel swap before the turbo:


A pic of the turbo before I modified it:


Some pictures of the oil cooler and the scoop:









My exhaust manifold flange before assembling the manifold:


Intake manifold plumbing and boost controller:


My pyrometer and boost gauges:

Something you might like to know,
Remove your wastegate, Diesels
don't need it, and actually run lower
EGT with more air, unlike gas engines
which will blow up without one, might
get a little more power and mileage
and turn up the pump more.

Diesels get high EGT out of over fueling
not by running lean like gas engines

Enjoy
Wild

Very cool.

Has anyone done a swap like this into a sidekick?

Something you might like to know,
Remove your wastegate, Diesels
don't need it, and actually run lower
EGT with more air, unlike gas engines
which will blow up without one, might
get a little more power and mileage
and turn up the pump more.

Diesels get high EGT out of over fueling
not by running lean like gas engines

Enjoy
Wild

I can effectively disable the wastegate with my boost controller...the reason I'm running one is to keep my head gasket alive.  I'm worried that it will blow at higher boost levels. 
I'll probaby try it anyway in a few weeks...I can never leave well enough alone.  Somebody told me that mine should hold up to about 12psi of boost.  I'm not sure how reliable that information is...
Thanks for the info!

It's not the boost that will blow the head gasket,
it's the power output of the engine, the fuel you
add is what is increasing the pressure, not the air.

What kind of head gasket is it, composite like a gas
engine or a more solid kind like solid copper?

I have a source for custom solid copper head gaskets,
supposed to be about $100 for a thin one, but I haven't
ordered any head gaskets from them yet.

I would start by doing some research, someone out there
has probably done this, and knows the limit of output for
that engine and head gasket, but I would be comfortable
with a 100% increase in output with the stock gasket.

I have a book you should read, it's also listed on my web
page about my turbo swap into the SideKick, it's
Turbochargers, By Hugh Macinnes  it's an old book, but very
usefull, published by HP books in Az.  602-888-2150  I don't
know if it's still available, might be in your local bigger library

I LOVE DIESELS! Nice write up on your swap. Thanks.

I am surprised that your Zuk was that slow prior to the turbo addition. Alot of variables there though. I recently bought a VW Vanagon diesel for 50 bucks and drove it home. It was a N/A 1.6. The tires were real low on it (like 15 PSI) and both front brake calipers were stuck and dragging on the rotors. It smoked it's back tires and clutch to get it moving. The Vanagon weighs about a 1000 pounds more than a Samurai. On the way home I drove about 12 miles of rural interstate at about 60 MPH. I had it floored but because of the weight, brake drag and low tires I figured I should easily be able to do 70 with it in my Tracker. I will keep hoping. Could always turbo it if need it needs more I guess.

Has anyone done a swap like this into a sidekick?

I am currently searching for a clean body SWB TracKick to install my VW 1.6 NA diesel into. Hope to find one soon. The engine is sitting on an engine stand all cleaned up and waiting for its new home. I will post details of the swap as I do it.

I think my sami was slow with the NA for a few reasons:

1.  My NA diesel is tired...it has low compression in cyl#3 (it was about 200psi and the other three were over 300)
2.  My sami weighs a lot.  I have a bunch of extra stuff on it.  Guessing about 2700lbs.
3.  I'm running 33's, a sizeable lift, and a ragtop.  I'm betting I have quite a bit more wind resistance than the vanagon.


Shredder:  I look forward to seeing your swap into a tracker...I think these engines have a lot of potential and they are PERFECT for off-road vehicles.  Great mileage, great torque, lightweight, run at any angle, and they are cheap and easy to find.
I have another 1.6NA on an engine stand and I'm planning on doing a similar swap in the near future...

What kind of head gasket is it, composite like a gas
engine or a more solid kind like solid copper?

It is a composite gasket.  I actually briefly looked for head studs and a copper gasket when I put the new gasket in; didn't find any readily available so I didn't try looking harder.  At that time the turbo was just a dream. 
I'm not sure if anybody CAN make a solid gasket for this engine...there are actually a few different thicknesses head gaskets, depending on the piston protrusion above deck height.  They come in 0.1mm increments.

It's not the boost that will blow the head gasket,
it's the power output of the engine, the fuel you
add is what is increasing the pressure, not the air.

I chose my boost level based on the advice from somebody I know who is a VW diesel tech; it is a good place to start, anyway.  I turned up my fuel pump until I noticed a sharp rise in EGT's, then turned it down just a bit.  If I disable my wastegate, I may get 14 psi of boost...then I'll go ahead and turn the fuel pump up more (putting my head gasket more at risk).  That was what I meant...
edit:  guess I can always crank up the boost and see how much it lowers my EGT...

Very nice! I will be starting my TD swap into a 4 door sidekick very soon 

A diesel is a little different than a gasser in things like boost levels, head gaskets, waste gates etc.

Keep the wastegate it adds good insurance should something go wrong. Stock VW TD had a BOV as well which is not required.

Your boost level is around what a stock TD VW produces. you can easily go up to 12-13 psi and not have a problem but without a boost compensator (LDA) on the top of the injection pump you will not be adding anymore fuel with that boost so it will be all for nothing.

You really need to check out www.vwdiesel.net and go to the idi section and do some reading. You will easily be able to surpass any lack of power if done right.

Also you NA block will not have piston squirters like a turbo block so melting a piston may be a possibilty.

Dude, You should work for NASA.  I am very impressed --especially your acknowledgment of the man hour cost against the price of 1.9td.

I have a line on a 3b toyota engine, are they hard to turbo?   It's a 3.4 L 4 cyl diesel making a WHOPPING 90 HP AND 159LB/FT TORQUE.   Being an 85, I think it's a mechanical injecor

that is a stock motor in a landcruiser. We have lots of them up here. Have you looked at that engine yet? Its friggin huge! And heavy! I highly doubt it will fit under a sidekick hood without a scoop. Yes you can junkyard turbo them or bu a kit from Australia. for more on that engine go to www.ih8mud.com board. they have a diesel cruiser section.