engine swap

[motocrazy82]

I have a 1978 scout 2 with 345 auto trans . i found a good used nissan diesel out of a 80 scout. is it worth changing out will it bolt up to the auto. how much trouble go put in.

[lindstromjd]

Not to discourage you at all from doing it, but my rule of thumb with Scouts is that if the engine works, leave it alone. If you're looking for great gas mileage, then I'd say go for it. You'll have to clean out your gas tank and probably run new fuel lines, and some of the wiring will be different, but less inclusive so it won't be a problem.

Also, swapping a diesel in will require you to get a diesel transmission. The bell housings are different on the gas engines, so your automatic won't bolt up to it.

[Backcountry]

I did that swap - it was fairly easy. You'll need to fabricate a new tranny crossmember and you'll need the correct bellhousing, drivelines, engine mounts, engine wiring harness, etc.

You'll also need an engine schematic to do a little rewiring.

With that said, I have developed an unfavorable opinion of the SD33T. It is excessively underpowered. If I were to swap another diesel into a Scout, it would be an engine with enough power to get me down the highway mated to an overdrive tranny.

[otiscohillbilly]

Newbie here and have been kicking this idea around for a while. I have recently found a 1971 800A I think it has the 345. Are the motor mounts the same? Will it bolt in with the exception of the tranny cross member and having to use the diesel tranny?

Thanks,
Hillbilly

[lindstromjd]

I'm going to have to admit that I don't know that much about the 80/800 models. I do know that the frame is different, but if you've got a v-8 in there already then you might be able to mount a diesel right up to it. I'd say that the perches coming from the frame are shorter but the same width apart to support the engine without having to have different mounts. And I'm going to say that since some 800's came with inline 6's in them, you shouldn't have a problem with front-to-back spacing.

As it goes with any swap, you'll find yourself investing time and money into parts that need replacing as you go. But personally I don't forsee any problems with the swap; I assume it'll go in an 800a just as easily as it would go into a Scout II because they're already set up for v-8 models.

[Allan E.]

The SD33 can be sold fairly easily due to the cost of rebuild kits.

I would go with a cummins 4BT and a transmission that was already designed to attach to it, but I'm also not a fan of the SD33. The turbo'd models are okay, but not great. I would never deliberately put one in that was NA, though.

[lindstromjd]

Yeah, they're not exactly power houses, no matter how you look at them or what you do to them. I suppose you'd get slightly better performance out of them in an 800 though, because they weigh less than a Scout II. If you go with a 4BT with it's mated transmission though, you'll likely end up switching the front axle because the transfer case is a driver's side mount, not passenger's side like the Scout. It's because the exhaust for the 4BT is on the passenger side. I'm sure there's a way to get away with it, but it's the easier way to do it. There's a great write-up on how to do the swap on one of the other sites... don't remember which one it was though.

[specialk]

Find a junked diesel Scout II and do a swap... You'll save money. The 4Bt conversion is $$$.

Kevin
1980 Scout II 4x4 Cummins 6AT3.4 4 Wheel Popup Camper
1972 Scout II 4x4 258 I6 Traveltop

[Abignampjania]

sounds like a diesel engine louder and clunking.
the pcdm code is p0420.
related to catalytic converter effeciency with oxygen?