Ok, i have three months and the funds to do a diesel swap and have an engine sourced(not in my possession, but just has to be shipped to me)  Only issue there is that the adapter kit/miscellaneous parts will be funded by a car i'm selling, so i will have to wait until car is sold.  I have three months because school starts then.

So here are the issues, i'm looking to move.. cross country preferably but at least out of state, so i wanted something i could pull a small trailer with (which i know any car could do) and get good mileage as well as be dependable for the long haul.  My trackick has 100k on it, but at some point some one decided to not change the oil, so it has a knock (rod bearing)  but it also smokes a little on startup... which could be a number of things, but its probably a combination of dieing rings and scoring on the cylinder walls.  Taking the engine out and having it completely rebuild and getting oversized pistons wold be just as much as a hassle as swapping in a diesel. (not really, but darn near)  It also has some weird electrical gremlins... relating the ECU, so that would also need to be addressed.  I estimate around $3k for everything for the diesel swap, and 2 to 3 weeks for the swap.

SO, that is what i'm thinking, but it also needs some rust repair, being that i live in a salting state...  One rocker panel(which i have) lower door, small areas in rear fender, whole in front fender(wheel well) body under rear tailgate(terminology?) and a few spots on the frame.  I figure that would take about 2 weeks to complete, 1 if everything goes smoothly.

The thing about selling the trackick is i don't expect to get much from it, obviously the engine noise, but it got it for 400 and the interior is completely stripped which worked for me as i wanted to bedline it and planned a diesel swap from the beginning.

So, there are my options, new engine, diesel, or just find something cheap to drive?  thanks for your input guys.

Which diesel are you considering? Do you have a 16 or 8 valve right now. If you include labor costs I had a 16v completely rebuilt, New everything, for about 2,000.

i found a 1.6TD and i have a 16v, all the labor will be done by me.  The only thing about rebuilding the 16v is i worry that i'll get it all apart and find that the cylinder walls are all marred, which be a huge pain to try to deal with.  (as in take out the block and take it to a machine shop)

If you think an engine rebuild, machine shop work included, is a pain, I can't wait to hear your opinion on swapping a diesel in.

Just my opinion - but - installing an engine in a vehicle that was not designed to take it has much greater challenges than an engine rebuild, unless of course, someone else has "pioneered" the swap and has put together a bolt in kit, with all the adapters, engine mounts, plumbing (intake, exhaust, fuel, cooling), etc., that's required.

i found a 1.6TD and i have a 16v, all the labor will be done by me.  The only thing about rebuilding the 16v is i worry that i'll get it all apart and find that the cylinder walls are all marred, which be a huge pain to try to deal with.  (as in take out the block and take it to a machine shop)

The diesel swap isn't impossible, but more difficult than the 16v rebuild.  I did a 1.6LTD swap into a Samurai a few years back using parts from Acme Adapters.  My opinion is that you'll be disappointed with the power of the stock 1.6TD.  Unless you add an intercooler, fuel pump mods, propane injection, water/meth injection etc. you'll be giving up quite a few HP and just breaking even on the torque (although I don't have the exact numbers for the TD and the 16v in front of me).  
The other thing to consider is that after the swap is over you'll be working out bugs for a few months afterward.  Less bugs to work out with the engine rebuild.
Also, I noticed that the top speed of my sami dropped by about 15mph after the diesel swap.  The reason is that the stock 4 bangers make their torque at a very high RPM.  The diesel drops off pretty sharply after about 3000 RPM.  At freeway speeds my 1.6TD was running way above its power band.
My opinion, sell your rusty rig and spend $2k on a less rusty one that runs well.  That is basically no work at all, costs less $$, and lets you enjoy the summer out on the trail instead of in the shop.  
With all that being said, if you do the power mods to the diesel, and be patient with the bugs inherent to an engine swap, you'll have a rig that has good HP awesome torque and killer fuel mileage.  I ended up with a Mitsubishi turbo, modified injection pump and injectors, and propane injection in mine.  I loved it in my zuk; amazing torque in the rocks, and unbelievable fuel mileage off road. 

Don't discount the (probably cheaper) 2.0L and V6 (2.5 or 2.7L) Suzuki engines. The 2.0L is around 130 HP/Tq (or about 30% more power), and the V6 is more powerful still: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_H_engine. There's always a JDM replacement to what you have if you're okay with the power of the 16V.

unless of course, someone else has "pioneered" the swap and has put together a bolt in kit, with all the adapters, engine mounts, plumbing (intake, exhaust, fuel, cooling), etc., that's required.

Such a kit is available from Acme. They'll sell you the kit complete, or in piece parts - whatever you may need. They have a good reputation for helping before & after the sale. Diesel is nice, but don't expect too much from a 1.6L. It'll tow better than the 16V, because it's a torque monster at low RPM (for it's size). It's a great way to go if you want bigger tires - since diesel loves to work at low RPM, and gearing for big tires (on a gasser) is difficult / expensive on a tracker.

If you discount the labor, I have about 1200 into my 16v. Including a new block and a welded head. I had the block bored,decked, and a complete valve job. the head had a little damage on it that required some welding and machining.

From the information i have read, 1.6TDs have same HP as the suzuki 1.6 only a good deal more torque.  I don't care about speed, its not a quick vehicle, and its not a car, it doesn't matter to me.  I am only thinking long term right now.  I honestly just do not like the 1.6s, they just have so many issues and seem to only last about 200,000.  I wanted to find a trackick with a 1.3 just for the reliability.  So, i was apposed to rebuilding the 1.6 in the first place, but i dunno.  Honestly, i want a diesel badly, they are just so much better than gassers.  On the rebuild, if i was going to have to the engine out anyways, that would already be half the battle.  From the rebuild estimates given, it would cost around twice as much to do a swap, but would pay off in the end, especially running on veggie oil.  Thanks for your input guys, i'm going to think about it a bit and ask a few more people for some advice.  At this point though, its unlikely i'll do a rebuild, as with all the body work needed, it wouldn't be very reasonable... i might just end up putting all this on hold until life is a little more settled.  I'll report back on what i decide on doing.

If you think an engine rebuild, machine shop work included, is a pain, I can't wait to hear your opinion on swapping a diesel in.

re-read my post

From the information i have read, 1.6TDs have same HP as the suzuki 1.6 only a good deal more torque.  I don't care about speed, its not a quick vehicle, and its not a car, it doesn't matter to me.  I am only thinking long term right now.  I honestly just do not like the 1.6s, they just have so many issues and seem to only last about 200,000. 

It's amazing! You get first hand accounts on how much slower, how expensive, and un-enjoyable the VW diesel swap is and people still want to do it! Incredible!

By the way, I happen to have two 1.6 VW diesel engines for sale in the garage sale forum!

 

-Eric

My opinion is that you'll be disappointed with the power of the stock 1.6TD.  Unless you add an intercooler, fuel pump mods, propane injection, water/meth injection etc. you'll be giving up quite a few HP and just breaking even on the torque (although I don't have the exact numbers for the TD and the 16v in front of me).  

Just FYI; in my prior post I had stated that the 1.6TD was lower on HP and about the same on torque as the 1.6 16V...that was a guess based on my past experience with the few 1.6's I have owned.  I took a minute to look up the numbers, so here they are:

(Edit HP numbers...thanks for catching my error Jereimiah):
The 1.6 TD has 68 HP and 98 ft lbs torque (peak TQ at 2800RPM)
The 1.6 16v 95HP at 5,600rpm and 98 ft lbs torque at 3,500rpm

While I'm a HUGE advocate of diesel power, I think you're over estimating how the 1.6TD will perform.  You really need the HP and torque curves to tell the whole story, but the numbers tell a lot.  The 16v feels like a much more powerful motor.  I'm certain that you will be disappointed unless you do some power mods to the TD.

8V = 80 HP
16V = 96 HP
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geo_Tracker


Some things to consider....
1.6L = aluminum block & heads... in fact, virtually everything Suzuki makes is aluminum (1.3, 1.6, 2.0, 2.5, 2.7....). I'd venture a guess that the 2.7L v6 (costing about as much as diesel swap) 181 HP 184 ft/lbs weight about what a 1.6L TD does. The 1.6L will get better mileage (but cost more at the pump). The 1.6L can be run on cheap (not free) fry oil (if you can find it). Diesel may live longher, but it's not difficult to source a 1.6L 16V or 2.0L on-the-cheap with low miles. Good luck finding an affordable 1.6L TD that's not at the end of it's life. A 22RE can be stuffed in on the CHEAP - I see them going for under $500 with alarming regularity. But, it's heavy & challenging to shoe horn in.

The point is, everything's a compromise when it comes to engines. What you need to do is make a list, and prioritize. On a scale of 1 to 5, what's important to you in each of the areas: cost, reliability, weight, ease of insteall etc. Then find the engine that best matches what's important to YOU. Or, just buy on emotion because you really really want [insert engine type here]. It matters not to me.

It's amazing! You get first hand accounts on how much slower, how expensive, and un-enjoyable the VW diesel swap is and people still want to do it! Incredible!

I want to swap a diesel in so I match my tow rig.  Of course, I want to go with an Isuzu diesel instead of the VW.  And it's a bit easier to match the stock 45 hp, 49lbs torque of my little 970cc then the 1.6 of the Tracker. 

Now a 2.2L Isuzu Turbo diesel... now that would be fun.  If only people didn't want 3-4K for them...

Now a 2.2L Isuzu Turbo diesel... now that would be fun.  If only people didn't want 3-4K for them...

There's a lot of good diesel engines out there!  The VW 1.9TD and TDI, cummins 4BT are a few of my favorites for swaps.  Heard good things about the isuzu motors as well.  My thought is just that, if somebody is going to the trouble of doing an engine swap, at least swap in an engine that gives you a significant power boost.  Because after the novelty of owning a diesel suzuki wears off, you're left wanting more.  I know.  I was there.  I probably spent an extra $1k and about 200 hours building a custom turbo and propane injection setup for my 1.6.
I've been trying to talk a friend out of swapping in a mercedes 5 cyl NA diesel into his wagoneer for a month now for the same reasons.

I like the Isuzu diesels due to their lighter weight due to the aluminum blocks.  But I would have to re-gear in order to get my gearing back in line with the new engine.  Moot point really though, I'll be running my engine until it finally blows up. 

4BT's a great engine, but I don't know if it's a good choice for Suzuki's. It's notoriously heavy & large. It's my understanding a Jeep is about the smallest vehicle it'll fit in  Note: the swaps I've seen them in = LOUD... both at the muffler, and the mechanical fuel pumps (the diesel's distinct "clacking"). I've always wanted to see it's smaller cousin (B3.3) in a Samurai / Tracker.

Good diesel discussions here: http://www.4btswaps.com/forum/index.php
I know it's called "4btswaps", but they cover most the common diesel swaps.