Probably been asked Conversion Petrol to Diesel

[charlotte001]

Hi again This has probably been asked

I have the BX19 TSZ Auto 1989 and am thinking I'd like a Diesel Auto, as I can't find a Diesel Auto to buy what about an engine swap? I'm pretty handy with the Torque wrench and Hammer (he won't let me loose with the gas axe ).

Other than the following what else would I need to change

Engine
Tank
all Pipes
Filters
ECU (if any)
Eletrics
Mounts (unless it's a straight swap)
adding Glow plug electronics
Alternator
Battery (unless the battery is ok)
Starter motor (unless the petrol on is ok)

Charlotte001

[DavidRutherford]

Absolutely not worth it. Sell the petrol auto and buy a diesel auto. They pop up from time to time on eBay.

Also, the auto box is NOT the same for petrol and diesel models.

Even if you did manage the swap (which I don't think you would, as there are some parts that are specific to the diesel auto model) You'd still have a modified car, and hence it will be expensive to insure.

Also...the diesel auto is horrifically slow, and not that economic. Stuart_hedges of this forum had one.. it managed 38mpg (fairly rubbish) and had performance that could only be described as pedestrian*.

*that's an asthmatic pedestrian... with some heavy shopping.

[citroen7]

beg to differ david but my meteor diesel auto has been fine in fact of all the diesels i have owned it has been the most responsive and have been getting 40 plus mpg plus i only do a 10 mile round trip a day
I am sure there have been one or two gtis converted to diesel on ebay over the years and i cant see there being to many serious problems ,but as you say david better to buy what you want in the first place .
You never know Charlotte once mt 4x4 arrives "over here" i might be persueded to sell the meteor and combine it with a trip to see the old man!!

[DavidRutherford]

my meteor diesel auto has been fine in fact of all the diesels i have owned it has been the most responsive and have been getting 40 plus mpg

That could be the difference between a square-port Diesel auto (65hp) and an oval-port Diesel Auto (71hp). The oval port head is a much better design, so is more economic as well as being more torquey and powerful. Stuart's one was a square-port.

40+mpg still isn't the 55-60 that's possible from a diesel manual though. Strikes me as a very big price to pay for not having a clutch pedal. (unless you are only able to drive an auto for physical or licensing reasons of course)

I think the point is that converting one car to make it into another model that already exists is a lot of work for nothing.

[charlotte001]

beg to differ david but my meteor diesel auto has been fine in fact of all the diesels i have owned it has been the most responsive and have been getting 40 plus mpg plus i only do a 10 mile round trip a day
I am sure there have been one or two gtis converted to diesel on ebay over the years and i cant see there being to many serious problems ,but as you say david better to buy what you want in the first place .
You never know Charlotte once mt 4x4 arrives "over here" i might be persueded to sell the meteor and combine it with a trip to see the old man!!

Ok Ill give that some thought.

Charlotte001

[MULLEY]

Got to agree with David, why spend loads of money converting, when it would be miles cheaper to buy the right car anyway?? Do you need an auto? some swear they arent that bad, others just swear . Never driven one myself.

There will be a massive gap in performance compared to your 19 petrol to a n/a diesel auto, i suggest you have a spin in one, then you can make a decision on whether you can live with it or not.

If you dont need an auto, the n/a manual's are reasonable regarding performance, got to remember its a 1100kg car with 70bhp, so modern vans & some lorries do sprint away.

Thats why both my other cars feel quite a bit quicker. Every horsepower does make quite a difference in acceleration. The turbo only has 20bhp more, but it does make a noticeable difference, especially when its fully loaded up with 5 people & their suitcases. My gti has an extra 55bhp, it feels like grease lightening in comparison, & a valver well you can guess.

I dont want to put you off with your plan as its your car & your decision, so good luck with whichever route you decide to take.

[charlotte001]

Got to agree with David, why spend loads of money converting, when it would be miles cheaper to buy the right car anyway?? Do you need an auto? some swear they arent that bad, others just swear . Never driven one myself.

There will be a massive gap in performance compared to your 19 petrol to a n/a diesel auto, i suggest you have a spin in one, then you can make a decision on whether you can live with it or not.

If you dont need an auto, the n/a manual's are reasonable regarding performance, got to remember its a 1100kg car with 70bhp, so modern vans & some lorries do sprint away.

Thats why both my other cars feel quite a bit quicker. Every horsepower does make quite a difference in acceleration. The turbo only has 20bhp more, but it does make a noticeable difference, especially when its fully loaded up with 5 people & their suitcases. My gti has an extra 55bhp, it feels like grease lightening in comparison, & a valver well you can guess.

I dont want to put you off with your plan as its your car & your decision, so good luck with whichever route you decide to take.

Yes I have to drive auto as I use hand controls (£400 for ones on an auto, a manual gearbox fluid box conversion is around £3500) I'll wait to see if a Diesel comes up at a good price or go LPG conversion. I also do 40k++ a year in a good year I can do anywhere upto 90k so LPG will save some money.

[jeremy]

If you want to convert the best (and easiest) way is to have the donor car besides the car you are converting so that you can transfer the bits straight across - and start knowing that you have all the bits you will need.

Many years ago I put a BMC 2.2 diesel in a Land Rover and my recollections are of it being an immensely frustrating process as it looked as though progress was being made you'd find something that didn't fit and had to be made or found.

However BX are essentially the same but there are still loads of different bits. You do at least have all the gearchange mechanism which will help.

Diesel BX have the hydraulic pump over the gearbox driven from the camshaft - so there is a bit of re-piping but I think that's only the reservoir feed and the first pipe - pump to FDV.

If you get a lateish engine with a black plastic filter over the thermostat - fine - otherwise you will need the separate filter fitted over the hydraulic reservoir.

Your fuel tank is probably fine - I think the return pipe goes into the top of the tank through the same fitting as the outlet pipe. If your car does not already have a return pipe (fuel injected ones do - I'm not sure about yours) you will need the appropriate fitting.

There is no ECU on any XUD before 1996 (and probably a bit later)

Mounts are the same.

Glowplugs will need the appropriate controller (varies a bit with engine age - think the change is the black plastic fuel filter)

Alternator - mounts may be different but examination will reveal. What I can tell you is that a ZX one is bigger and won't fit the mounts on a TD BX. A look at an after market replacement catalogue may help with interchangeability.

Battery - diesels need big batteries - again someone's catalogue may help but most petrol batteries are around 54 amp hr and diesels probably need at least 55.

Starter - again have a look at a catalogue but I'd have thought the diesel is heavier duty. Later diesels (starting with the BX TD and the others catching up later) have a geared motor which allows the motor to rotate faster - and so turn the engine more efficiently.

The radiator may be different. Some of the rubber pipework is expensive (but not as expensive as TD heater pipes!)

Its possible - but to be honest - ****** hard work - and something that will probably end up costing loads of time and money as you will seem to spend most of your time finding obscure bits.

There are other things to be checked - speedo gearing (doesn't matter that you'll never use the top bit - but will it read correctly and you should fit a temperature gauge. (you may have one - in which case its only a matter of fitting the sensor to your diesel engine.)

The other problem is - is the engine and gearbox you are buying and good? If you're not careful you won't know till you've fitted it and start it up!

[artic-steel]

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/ww ... x_mileage=

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/ww ... x_mileage=

Theres 2 for you young lady

[charlotte001]

thanks seems something as previous post say may run into costs outwaying the price of a diesel auto. I twin turbo'd a Volvo 760 2 years ago that was fun didn't cost too much

[DavidRutherford]

I twin turbo'd a Volvo 760 2 years ago that was fun didn't cost too much

Hang on, you've twin-turboed a Lolvo 760, but haven't experienced Torx screw before, and are asking fundamentally basic questions about the BX.

I'm not trying to be rude, but something isn't right here. Twin-turboing anything would need a fair level of engineering experience over and above that of a basic mechanic, but the questions you're asking point to someone who, although interested to learn, doesn't have that level of experience or expertise.

I'll take that all back if I'm proven wrong, but so far something doesn't add up.

[velosolex50]

I put an auto box from a 19 trs into a 19 tgd a couple of years ago. It went from reasonable performance & excellent economy to poor economy (40mpg) and very poor performance. Pleasant car, but very slow. Perhaps a turbo diesel would have been ok.

[velosolex50]

I put an auto box from a 19 trs into a 19 tgd a couple of years ago. It went from reasonable performance & excellent economy (up to 60mpg) to poor economy (up to 40mpg) and very poor performance. Pleasant car, but very slow. Perhaps a turbo diesel would have been ok.

[Vanny]

not a surprise since petrols and diesels are geared differently!

[DLM]

I suspect it'd be asking a great deal for any BX to do a completely fault-free 40k or even 90k a year now - even in a relatively low-stress auto. I'm not suggesting that a BX wouldn't do it, but it sounds like a more appropriate mileage for a younger car. I'd be happy to be proved wrong though.

If doing those miles in an BX19 petrol, LPGed or not, I'd budget for a valve-stem seals job sooner rather than later, judging by my personal experience with XU petrol engines.