Samurai Diesel advice please

[ChrisV8]

Having some thoughts on a replacement vehicle for SWMBO and she has always liked the Samurai for size and ability, but they don't make a diesel which is a requirement. Her present road vehicle is a superb Fiat Panda Multijet diesel but again Fiat do not let us have the 4x4 version in a diesel form here, stupid or what !

So any one got any experience of dieseling a Samurai, no real issue for me have done a few including a Nissan in a Lada apart form my Land Rovers so prepared for the work.

Advice, costs extent of work and is it really worth doing ?

Thanks

[andyb]

The most popular diesel to put into an SJ at the moment seems to be the VW 1.9 engine. Found in Passat, Golf, Transporter van.

Watch out for smokey or difficult starting, this can be a number of things but I encounter 3 in one year that all had the same problem; the keyway in the crank sprocket for the cam belt had worn and so the timing can 'float'. The VW/Audi parts people I spoke to are aware and the replacement sprocket is harder wearing.

Just a thought really. Would seem a good idea to do the cam belt on an unknown engine before fitting anyway.

Also Rhino Ray does a kit to put a 2ltr Peugeot engine into an SJ http://www.rhinorays.co.uk/engines.htm

HTH