1993 LJ78 Engine Transplant to 4.2 auto

[bigmac]

Looking for advise & guidance on converting my Lj78 2.4lte auto engine... Im looking to put in the landcrusier 4.2 engine... looking to pick all your brains on this, as the 2.4 engine is just not up for the job... Can it be done & pros n cons ?

 

[wobbly]

Ive never seen it done, I think the engine and gearbox is too big for the 78.

What was popular a couple of years back were the 4.0 V6 petrol engines from the Lexus !

Pete

 

[stumog]

Good luck. I would suggest a tape measure and the car the enine is in parked next to yours and spend a long time looking and measuring before you start chopping. Might be easier if you put your body on a 80 chassis and be done. Lots easier making some body mounts. Check the wheel base first and see.

Keep us posted.
Stu

 

[bigmac]

As much as I would love to put that 4 litre lexus engine in... hmmm would be sweet tune ,I have my heart set on a amazon engine & box. Im finding it a alittle hard to locate a suitable donor. keep your eyes peeled for low millage for us. this 2.4 is only a micky mouse of yoke, so prone to over heating when im towing or just up on the hills... as the jeep has 3 inch lift and winch n bumper plus heavy duty roof rack in the making shortly. the 4.2 transplant would be great to get it in before the middle summer if possible.

 

[stumog]

Speak to karl on here or look in the suppliers section. He has all the parts you need. Dont forget that yours is the light duty 70 series i am not sure if the axles will cope with the extra power. Toyota put the hd running gear with these engines for a reason.
Stu

 

[Iwan]

The engine bay on a lj70 \ 78 is about 200mm of 8" shorter when comparing it to the 80 under bonnet space. When you have the heavy duty 70 series the bonnet area is longer and that's why you have a 6 cylinder engine in them.

You could cut the bulkhead out and remove the heater and it might fit. Then have the radiator in the back of the truck! The light duty suspension will suffer with the extra weight too!

Hope this helps!

 

[stumog]

Interesting that i didnt realise the front panels were that different. I do know they have different lights and that.
Stu

 

[Iwan]

I think the geezer called Crusher made a lj78 into a heavy duty by extending the chassis at the front and fitted the longer wings bonnet and the hd front panel. To fit a 6 cylinder. . It was a lenghty thread on ih8mud. .. big job but interesting!

 

[stumog]

When i go to SA i want to do a 70 pickup on a 80 chassis with a blower or big v8. They get lots of the real cruisers there...... Sorry

 

[Jimbo4x4]

Yeah Iwan's pretty much said it. I had a quick look to see how much it'd take to do mine. TBH I quite like the look of the light duty front end so was put off. I learned to live with my 2.4. It never baulked at anything off road, it was only overtaking power that it lacked and I soon settled into life in the slow lane instead. I didn't build Rex to go fast, I built him to go anywhere Even fully loaded with 4 up in the Pyrenees and the High Atlas he kept up with Rob's 80 well enough..

 

[Duvs]

glad to report Rex's 2.4 still going strong and happy. Been my daily driver too for last 6mnths and I'm very pleased like Jim was.
I had my early concerns, I read too much online about 2.4s overheating, had some unrelated niggles, and had to learn to drive it properly.
Considering swap options, as well as usual units I investigated the 300TD merc engine. It'll fit and has loads of merits. Might do it when i have cash to burn...

 

[Iwan]

glad to report Rex's 2.4 still going strong and happy. Been my daily driver too for last 6mnths and I'm very pleased like Jim was.
I had my early concerns, I read too much online about 2.4s overheating, had some unrelated niggles, and had to learn to drive it properly.
Considering swap options, as well as usual units I investigated the 300TD merc engine. It'll fit and has loads of merits. Might do it when i have cash to burn...

Yes the OM617 mercedes 5 cylinder turbo diesel engine... built to last! Good choice Duvs! I had done the same research many moons ago... Been done a lot in 70's

 

[bigmac]

Ohhhhhh sweet.. I actually have 0M602 Merc engine... very low millage & runs lovely... I put an OM602 engine in the the Gwagon on my Avatar pic... great result...

I came back down to earth regarding the amazon engine, hard to source, plus reading on here I do like the smooth lines on the front of the lwb ... I don't like to mess with the look, but as ye just mentioned the 5 cylinder merc engine, would be some job under there, plus I have already converted Merc OM602 engine to mechanical pump so no ECU needed (thank GOD) so guys any more infor regarding Merc engines in Toyota Lj78, would be great help

 

[Crushers]

I have done this swap a few times now.
Email me direct and I will point you in the right direction.
You are going to love the results.

 

[bigmac]

I have done this swap a few times now.
Email me direct and I will point you in the right direction.
You are going to love the results.

Happy to update... I have Found & have purchased a 01 amazon 4.2 FTE auto only 180,000 miles, with all my searching online all over the country & in uk for the last few months, I picked the amazon up only 4 miles from my location... currently in the process of pulling out FULL wiring loom, the engine ,box & tranny ready to be dropped out, will have this out on the floor middle of next week.

Will post some photos of the project over the weekend.

And it starts... this will FIT... with alittle brute force & tears.

 

[Ash Awbery]

looking forward to this!
As said before would it not be easier to fit the 78 body on the 80 chassis?
it's something i would like to do as you then essentially get a HD76 but with a coil sprung rear axle. then import some vdj wings bonnet and slam panel

 

[bigmac]

Sorry, I've been alittle busy the last few weekends... but I have a lot to report here engine & box out plus FULL wiring loom. hmmm just incase I get any silly limp home mode issues, so here is a few up to date photos of this build. this 100 series got a head crash with a steel piller slap bang in the center so the main impact drove the rad deep inside the pulley crank and pushed the engine half inch into the bulkhead so the deal I made with the owner was that we check that engine is working 100% before we take it away as the crank got a good smack. after a few hours of cutting and peeling away the metal,we started it and it ran sweat hmmm pure beast

 

[bigmac]

Nearly have it out just removing the autobox cross member as it might become handy for the install in the 70 series. alittle while later with a few F...'s & pulling it let go... I tell ye what lads, it is a heavy bit of kit, I have heavy duty springs in the 70 series... but I'm sure I will need to put this No 1 on the Christmas list for the new year project.

 

[bigmac]

Just one or two more wires left to pull out and it should be a wiresless shell.

 

[bigmac]

So I just started to do a full service of the 4.2 FTE & auto gearbox... Timing belt with pulley, twin alto belts, fuel, oil filters & transmission filter.

Note. to anyone out there servicing the auto box A442F models there is 2 types single port filter & twin port filter... I made the mistake of just ordering a A442F filter as the filters look the same from underneath same bolt holes... so the single port filter arrived and when I pulled the autobox sump I noticed that the filter was twin port ( as in the photo)

So as I have read somewhere that the twin port filter is for 4.2 FTE models with electronic autobox valve chest. not sure of years I guess 1998 to 2007 ish is twin port filter --- pre 1998 is single port filter.

Timing belt is pretty easy to do when the engine is on a stand and no jeep to get in your way, 10 minute job, tensioner is a little tricky fello need to take him off and in the vice to push the piston back and made a trigger pin in the slotted holes to allow the new pulley in place on the block...

Just need some info regarding the transmission fluid for the 2001 model electronic version A442F 4 speed box

Dextron 2
or
Dextron 3

I cant seem to source the right info online myself.