Jeep Performance may offer diesel engine swap kit for Wrangler
Chrysler LLC should be credited with making a strong push for diesels in the U.S., having sold oil burners like the last-gen Jeep Liberty CRD and current Grand Cherokee CRD for the past few years already. People who prefer crawling rocks to carrying kids, however, are clamoring for a diesel motor in the Wrangler. Though Jeep has no plans of which we're aware on offering a diesel Wrangler in showrooms, Jeep Performance, a division of Mopar, is reportedly working on an engine swap kit that would allow owners to install the 2.8L diesel four-cylinder from the last-gen Liberty CRD in their Wranglers. The 2.8L four-cylinder produces 160 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, and while it was good for 21 mpg city/26 mpg highway in the Liberty, Wrangler owners are probably more interested in its prodigious torque that's well-suited for off-road excursions than its frugality with fuel. Jeep is throwing an excursion of its own for the media in Moab, Utah while we'll be covering the New York Auto Show next week, but more information is promised by the source of this info, 4Wheel Drive & Sport Utility Magazine, afterwards. Thanks for the tip, Robert!
[Source: 4wdandsportutility via JeepNewsNow]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
MD Drew 4:38PM (3/13/2008)
Sweet! If it's affordable I'm there.
I'm guessing it will be highly not-legal in several states, though...
And I, for one, want torgue AND frugality in my Jeep (I also want to brew my own biodiesel, which I think would be safer in the last-gen diesels than the more refined current ones.)
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jim 5:05PM (3/13/2008)
Most diesel swaps that I'm familiar with that include a crate engine are in the $15K-$25K range including labor.
TORR 4:43PM (3/13/2008)
I would like to see them offer the 4.7L V8 as an option with a 6 spd. That should still get good mpg as it wont be working that hard.
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jim 5:07PM (3/13/2008)
How about a hemi
http://www.aev-conversions.com/
TORR 5:11PM (3/13/2008)
I really like the 4.7. I had a dakota crew with AWD and still got 20 mpg with it. I think the hemi would be a gas hog.
TJeeper 5:08PM (3/13/2008)
Hey- my kids love rockcrawling. :)
The price being thrown around the rumor mills for this kit is $13k. Not exactly affordable, it would be cheaper throwing in a V8, and more torque also.
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Seoultrain 5:33PM (3/13/2008)
so let me get this straight. Instead of it being a factory option, they let you buy a perfectly good wrangler with gas motor, then let you pay for another whole engine, then let you pay someone to remove your old engine and put the new one in, and then you have to sell the old engine.
And people wonder what Chrysler's problems are...
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danny 5:37PM (3/13/2008)
In Europe we get to buy the wrangler with a diesel engine.... 2.8 crd 177 hp
http://www.jeep.es/wrangler/modelos.html
eliot mcdonald 5:40PM (3/13/2008)
lol, typical comment from someone, rag on chrysler all you want, but they are turning things around, btw, you dont have to buy a new jeep, just use the one you already own
Sean Morris 6:05PM (3/13/2008)
Emissions legalities. According to the EPA, you can not just do what you want.
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snakesausage 5:58PM (3/13/2008)
The 5.7 hemi crate engine is $8800 direct from Mopar... It should not be much more than that for a 4cyl diesel "kit".
http://www.mopar.com/muscle/whatshot1002.htm
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Reuben 6:50PM (3/13/2008)
If you want a vehicle and are concerned about fuel mileage more than capability (or cost), by all means buy a diesel wrangler...
But frankly, people who own wranglers shouldn't concern themselves with fuel economy...or else they should buy a hybrid...not a wrangler. That and with modern requirements diesel has become less efficient than gas.
The 4.0L gas I6 can handle a level of punishment that would blow almost any other engine out of the water . That's the engine that belongs in the JK, not a 3.8L Pacifica engine, and not a diesel that is unproven.
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MD Drew 7:20PM (3/13/2008)
1, the diesel has been more than proven, just not on our continent.
2, "People who own wrangler's shouldn't concern themselves with fuel economy."
What? Really? I must be the only person that owns a jeep, uses it daily, and isn't so insanely rich or stupid that I care how much gas it uses...
3. I want my Jeep simple, which makes diesel v. hybrid easy. A hybrid computer malfunction 30 miles from the nearest road is not a good thing. A diesel is oodles more reliable and tested than any hybrid.
3, hybrid offer best savings in stop-and-go (in their current "tested" iterations). The beauty of diesel is the offroad prowess combined with good mileage cruising to and from the off-road. If you want stop-and-go optimization, buy a bike and ride to work- save the Jeep for weekends!
Jason 10:49AM (3/14/2008)
"That and with modern requirements diesel has become less efficient than gas."
REALLY? Show me a diesel vehicle that gets WORSE fuel economy than it's gasoline counterpart...
Reuben 12:16PM (3/15/2008)
Less efficient due to the rise in diesel fuel cost and the initial price to buy. It takes a very VERY long time to recoop those costs, so for your general person who drives a car 80k miles (I suppose), diesel is LESS efficient dollar per mile.
superdart 11:40PM (3/13/2008)
There are chances that the kit will just be the hardware and such to install a CRD in a non-CRD vehicle. In other words..you need to acquire your own engine.
They NEED to release the friggin CRD in the US...they offer it everywhere else, and they are even building heavy duty (read: REALLY cool looking) CRD Wranglers with Dana axles for the Egyptian military.
We aren't asking for much...just give us what you give the rest of the world!!!
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SLVR6 7:59AM (3/14/2008)
The VM 2.8L motor offered in the previous gen Liberty is not emissions legal in the US anymore.
superdart 12:18PM (3/14/2008)
They could make it work if they wanted. Pisses me off that JUST as diesel becomes viable in passenger vehicles in the US they make pretty much all diesels illegal.....God forbid we are able to buy something that gets real fuel economy AND is useful.
purecoda 5:20PM (3/14/2008)
I've wanted a Wrangler with a CRD for years now. Plenty of torque, great gas mileage, fun turbo sounds... what's not to like?
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jim gray 11:13PM (3/17/2008)
As a european I cant beleive how this stupid crooked administration allows the big three to keep producing these gas hogging monster pickup trucks,even subsidising their blind stupidity in the face of very obvious rising fuel prices.Toyota got in the race because
there is a market in the us for obese people and their obese familys who cant get into the vehicles that the rest of the world drives.But toyota is cutting back production of the tundra,pitty the big three arent so smart.WAKE UP people of america,did you really beleive that you could all continue driving your v-10,& v-8 monster trucks through the drive thru,s supersizing your junk food because the oil companies puppets decided to invade Iraq?.
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