Nissan LD and RD 2.8 6 cylinder Diesel
- 67 Kw Rpm ?
- 170 Nm Rpm ?
-
These engines came into the market with a bang and due to several failed
conversions they quickly
got a bad name.
- There are however some conversions that turned
out for the better, engine runs very smoothly and revs nicely.
- More useful at higher revs
than lower revs, with a turbo fitted the engine is really great with a lot of power.
- Imported engine not used in SA at all.
-
Parts are near impossible to get hold of. Some bits are compatible with the Nissan Skyline
2.8 petrol.
Nissan
RD 28 by Douglas Pierre
1. First I had to decide which power source would be
the best option. I had a couple of options namely Chevy V8, Land Rover Diesel, Ford V6,
and then the Japanese makes, Toyota 2.4 Diesel, Nissan RD28 diesel, Nissan LD 28 diesel
and Isuzu Diesel. I opted for the Nissan RD28 diesel for the following reasons:
- I wanted something similar to my current engine
both in physical size as well as in power output.( I don't want to cut into the chassis
and I want the option to convert back to original, so no major modifications allowed!)
- The Ford and Chevy engines are notorious for
breaking drive train goodies on a Series Land Rover and I did not want to change diffs
etc. Sometimes they also have cooling problems.
- The Toyota Diesel would probably work but it is
not a very powerful engine.
- The Isuzu option would most definitely work as
Land Rover themselves has proven over a couple of years, but the cost was way too much!
- The Nissan LD28 engine has been used in
conversions but I heard somewhere that it is an older engine design.
So, I chose the Nissan RD28, only time will tell if
I made a good choice!
I bought a second-hand RD28 from somebody who had it
in his Toyota Hilux. He advised me to rebuilt the engine as the engine had a knock and
didn't want to start without "quick start".
I paid R1 500-00 for the engine and thought it reasonable as long as the rebuilt costs
isn't too much.
Once I got the engine at my house it sat there for about two months before I started her.
Before I started her, I took the Timing belt cover off, replaced the timing belt with a
RAM 30/49T belt. (When I took the original belt as a sample to RAM they said I would not
find such a belt in SA and I have to import the belt. I then searched for a belt at a junk
yard and got one much thinner but with the same pitch. Took this "SA" belt to
RAM and said I want one with same pitch, 49 teeth and 30mm wide. Guess what? They had one
which I bought).
I filled the engine with oil, set the valve timing (which was out by about 2 teeth) and
turned the motor a couple of times with glow plugs removed. As I didn't have a radiator
connected to the engine, I just closed of the bottom water inlet on the engine, put the
hose pipe at the top outlet and open the water supply, just to make sure the engine cannot
overheat.
I then saw that the glow plugs were all blown and were 6.5 volt rated. (I think that's why
he replaced the engine, couldn't start it without "quick start".) I went to a
company that rebuilds diesel pumps and bought NISSAN 11.5 volt glow-plugs.
Once inserted I connected the glow plugs to a battery for about 20 seconds and then
engaged the starter. The engine started after just half a turn and she ran very smooth.
Lots of sparks initially coming out of the exhaust manifold, guess it was built-up carbon,
but after about 5 minutes and reaching operating temperature she ran without breathing,
burning oil or leaking oil or water. I then decided that a rebuilt was not necessary and
that I can proceed with buying the other goodies that will be needed to do the conversion.
1. I got a flywheel and adapter plate made by an
engineering shop. (For all those in SA it was Gilo Engineering) First the flywheel did not
fit, it caught the bottom of the sump at the back of the RD28, so I had to take it back to
Gilo's. They cut the middle section of the flywheel deeper and then it fitted. Everything
else seemed fine and I waited for the following weekend to pull the 2.6l petrol out of the
Landy.
2. The following weekend I pulled the 2.6l petrol
but I had to remove the wings as well, my tri-pod wasn't high enough for the legs to clear
the wings. This didn't take long, I started at 08:00 and the engine was completely loose
at 09:15. The removing of the wings and other auxiliary parts took another hour or so and
out came the engine!
3. It was evident that the clutch was shot and had
to be replaced. (I would have considered it in any event as I was in there and might as
well do a good job.) Well at least now I knew which clutch is fitted on the Landy and off
I went to the local Clutch and Brake guys. Once there they had the pressure plate but not
the clutch plate. The owner of the business was very helpful, got on the phone and then
asked me to wait about 30 minutes and a driver will deliver the correct plate. Well
I got the plate 30 minutes later and went of home under the impression that I can put the
Diesel engine in and at least start the Landy. Got home, had a glass of refreshment and
tried to fit the pressure plate and flywheel. Guess what! .. The pressure plate did not
work, tried to phone the Brake & Clutch shop but they were already closed, so I packed
up for the weekend.
4. Monday morning arrived and I took an hour of work
to change the pressure plate.
5. Monday afternoon after work I got home and tried
to fit the engine. It then transpired that the adapter plate is pushing against the clutch
slave cylinder and thus doesn't fit. Next morning I phoned the engineering shop and he
told me that it does happen on some Landy's and I must just grind the offending portion on
the adapter off!
6. Well the next weekend I was off to Sodwana for a
relaxing weekend diving and I didn't do any further work on the Landy. I got a lift with
one of my friends/students)
7. Now comes the fun part. The 3rd weekend was on
hand and I was armed with a bag of 10mm, 8mm and 6mm bolts, nuts and spring/split washers.
I also bought a 10mm tap as I was sure I will cross thread at least one bolt in the
aluminium adapter plate. (I do such things on occasion.) Also I bought a couple of
off-cuts from the local steel supplier. I fitted the clutch, pressure plate and adapter
plate (after grinding a fair amount of the one corner of the adapter plate).
Here is the method I used to align the clutch plate:
One broom handle. (It fitted very snug and tight in the bush that's in the center
of the
flywheel) and one roll of insulation tape.
Roll the insulation tape on the broom handle till it fits very tight into the spines
of
the clutch plate. Put clutch plate in, use "home made spline shaft", align
clutch and fit.
It was not as easy to fit the engine to the gearbox
as the adapter plate fits very tight over the rim of the bell housing. Used a couple of
bolts to "pull" the two together. (Walla! cross threaded a couple of bolts!) At
least the engine was in, clutch worked and all that remained was for the mounting brackets
to be made. Remember those pieces of off-cuts bought? Well that's where the brackets came
from.
I tapped 10mm holes in the adapter plate (remember
those that I cross threaded while using the bolts to pull the engine closer to the box?)
Well I inserted the bolts and proceeded to tighten the remaining. Unfortunately I found
out that the holes tapped by the engineering shop is not as deep as it should be! I had to
cut 5mm of each bolt which did waist an hour or so of the weekend. Also the bracket
holding the slave cylinder to the bell housing was about 5mm set too far back. (Because I
couldn't take any more "meat" off the corner of the adapter plate as I was
afraid of weakening the plate too much.) I undid the clutch slave cylinder from the
bracket, undid the bracket from the release mechanism on the gear box and then took it
outside. I took the grinder and cut the portion of the bracket attaching it to the
bell housing off from the portion of the bracket that housed the slave cylinder. I then
fixed everything back, connected the slave cylinder to the fluid pipe, fastened the bolts
on both the slave cylinder to bracket and bracket to bell housing. After all that I took
the welder and spot welded the two portions of brackets together again. Took everything
apart again and once outside the vehicle commenced a full and thorough weld on the
bracket. I bled the clutch and everything seemed to work correctly. Next I dropped the
fuel tank to clean it up and prepare it for the Diesel. (Another couple of surprises
awaited me!)
I had a radiator made to ensure that the Diesel (That runs much
warmer than petrol) never overheats, and to follow the increased radiator I fitted an
electrical fan and a smaller fan to the water pump.
Other bits and pieces that was needed for completion of this
project:
- Donaldson air filter
- Accelerator linkage
- Fuel filters
- Vacuum tank
- New exhaust
- Alternator
Conclusion:
It was a lot of hard work, some very UN-budgeted
expenses and a couple of mishaps and feeling of despair. I have to drive a couple of
thousand kilometers before I can claim this conversion to be worth while, but I think it
just might be. She has got a lot more oomph compared to the 2.6l side valve and the fuel
consumption is a lot better. Starting is a lot easier as well, especially in the mornings.
I have to budget for an additional 30 - 60 seconds before driving though, as the glow
plugs need to be warmed up before she starts.
As far as costs are concerned this is what it cost
me:
| Engine |
1 500 |
| Adapter Plate |
695 |
| Flywheel |
750 |
| Radiator |
1 549 |
| Fuel line, mountings and other bits |
700 |
| Alternator |
839 |
| Instruments |
350 |
| Water Pipes |
250 |
| Timing Belt |
360 |
| Donaldson Filter |
150 |
| Exhaust |
1 250 |
| Clutch and Pressure Plate |
230 |
| TOTAL |
8 623 |
My original budget was R4 000-00, clearly not
enough, so if you want to do a conversion (any conversion) sit down and make the
calculations and then add a couple of extra. You probably will still fall short. Remember,
there is always something that breaks, you cross thread some bolts, etc. etc. Think
careful about what your intention with the conversion is, whether you have the necessary
skill and knowledge but also remember, the car was made by a human, so another human can
work on it, make alterations and probably make it even better.
Is it worth it ?
At the current fuel prices and if I drive on average
10 000km per year the following applies:
On the 2.6l side valve at the consumption of 4km/l it would cost me R7 050-00 for petrol.
(R2.82/l)
On the RD28 at the consumption of 7.5km/l (hope I will get better) it would cost me R3
266.67 for diesel. (R2.45/l). That is an approximate saving of R3 783.33 per year so even
with the additional cost of the conversion I should save on fuel expenses over a period of
2.28 years enough to warrant the costs. (Provided that the engine will last the 22
792.09km.)
Initial test show that I will get 9+km/l which will
reduce the total kilometers to approximately 20 000km before I have recuperated the cost
of the conversion.
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