Diesel????

Down Under - Australia

See:

-- D.A.M. - Mothers Against Dyslexia

see

for my contact info. jack - Grapevine/Richardson

1) Putting a diesel engine into a truck requires re-engineering the truck and engine and transmission so the truck can carry the extra weight and handle the extra torque. This takes time and million$. 2) A diesel engine light enough for a 1/2-ton truck is likely to be too low in power to sell well.

I'd like to see light, powerful diesel engines in Toyota Tundras and maybe in Tacomas if the power to weight ratio is satisfactory. I'd really like to see a 1-ton Tundra with a diesel engine putting out

350+ hp and 650+ lbs-ft of torque.

Ken

Right where you'd expect - under the bonnet, just like the gasoline engine. If you want one you'll have to buy a model somewhere other than the United States. Go to

and click on "Hilux" for details. N.B. if you happen to buy one, remember that they're dyslexic over there about what side of the road is for tailgaiting and which side is for head-on collisions. Your passenger will have to do all of the driving as the wheel and all the pedals are on that side of the truck.

Be thankful you don't order one from Australia which has all that and must be driven upside down as well.

-- Mike Harris Austin, TX

As to point one, not true. Most components are taken from a suite of "off the shelf" items rather than engineered individually for each application. I would imagine that the diesel Toyotas sold overseas have exactly the same drivetrain and suspension components as the equvalent gasoline powered model. Where components need to be heavier they are likely "borrowed" from a heavier truck line.

Your expectations in the second paragraph prove point two in your first paragraph. Buyers of most light trucks don't need the HP and torque you state, especially not with the weight penalty. This is well understood overseas but American buyers expect their diesel engines to be able to haul... well, just about anything.

-- Mike Harris Austin, TX

Why has the HiLux never been available in the US?

Damn fine question. I hope someone has the answer.

I suspect it might be because Toyota pays close attention to the way diesel vehicles are being viewed nowadays. Cities are turning to buses powered by natural gas. Before that, they began ordering diesel buses with their exhaust pipes at the roofline instead of at ground level. And, diesel exhaust appears to carry more immediate health risks than gasoline.

Hmm, my last deisel was a Turboed 3.0 litre Toyota and that was plenty powerful enough. In fact that was as fast as my 3.0litre VZE petrol.

Yeah but we have installed every componant upside down to combat that. You could export one to USA but you would have to strip it down and reinstall every componant the right way up.

Umm dont you can em Tundras? or Tacomas or somthing like that.

For Toyota deisel questions try AUS.CARS.OFFROAD newsgroup. Or for non 4x4 AUS.CARS but take info from that NG with a pinch of salt. Some of the posters there wouldnt know a petrol from a deisel engine.

The links below have everything you ever wanted to know about Toyota diesel & biodiesel pickups:

The way the price of gasoline (petrol for Australians) is going I suggest that everyone convert their Toyotas to diesel as they are more:

fuel efficient higher torque waterproof simpler reliable safer can idle all day long less overheat episodes can burn bio diesel or vegetable oil (without glycerin)

Well to help everyone dismiss the myth that Toyota diesel pickups & SUV's are rare in USA & Canada I have included below a list of very resourcefull links that contain places to buy diesel engines/parts and complete rigs.

Toyota diesel engines models: 2L's, 2L-T's, 3L's and 5L 's for sale in the greater Los Angeles area:

Engine Trend Inc George

4515 S.Soto Street Los Angeles,CA 90058 USA Ph:1-800-939-3295 Ph:(323) 589-2844 Spector Offroad Marv 21600 Nordhoff St Chatsworth,CA 91311 USA Ph:(818) 882-1238

Reseda Engines in Northridge Danny

8644 Darby Ave Northridge,CA 91325 USA Ph:(818) 349-7472

Jarco USA

194 Gateway Dr Canton,Georgia 30115 USA Ph:(770) 479-4942 Fax:(770) 479-4948 Operator:James Stettler E-mail: snipped-for-privacy@jarcoinc.com E-mail: snipped-for-privacy@jarcoinc.com E-mail: snipped-for-privacy@jarcoinc.com E-mail: snipped-for-privacy@jarcoinc.com [url] For Japanese imported diesel Toyota SUV's & pickup trucks:

These are 11 Toyota DIESEL 4-Runner/pickup discussion sites:

?id=3D8 This is a great video from Top Gear featuring a 1985 Toyota 2L Hilux diesel that is put through some astonishing torture tests in an attempt to "break it".

Windows Media

51.3mb - 20mins 28secs running time

Sidney=AE =99 Repairs tv's,vcr's,home/car audio out of my home E-mail: snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com Dartmouth,Nova Scotia Canada

1985 Toyota 4-Runner,solid front straight axle,factory cruise control,sunroof,22R-E,W56,RN60LV-MSEK,rusted rear step/towing chrome bumper with 250 000 KM

Was posted here some time ago, but bears re-posting:

Enjoy.

Stew

The links below have everything you ever wanted to know about Toyota diesel & biodiesel pickups:

The way the price of gasoline (petrol for Australians) is going I suggest that everyone convert their Toyotas to diesel as they are more:

fuel efficient higher torque waterproof simpler reliable safer can idle all day long less overheat episodes can burn bio diesel or vegetable oil (without glycerin)

Well to help everyone dismiss the myth that Toyota diesel pickups & SUV's are rare in USA & Canada I have included below a list of very resourcefull links that contain places to buy diesel engines/parts and complete rigs.

Toyota diesel engines models: 2L's, 2L-T's, 3L's and 5L 's for sale in the greater Los Angeles area:

Engine Trend Inc George

4515 S.Soto Street Los Angeles,CA 90058 USA Ph:1-800-939-3295 Ph:(323) 589-2844 Spector Offroad Marv 21600 Nordhoff St Chatsworth,CA 91311 USA Ph:(818) 882-1238

Reseda Engines in Northridge Danny

8644 Darby Ave Northridge,CA 91325 USA Ph:(818) 349-7472

Jarco USA

194 Gateway Dr Canton,Georgia 30115 USA Ph:(770) 479-4942 Fax:(770) 479-4948 Operator:James Stettler E-mail: snipped-for-privacy@jarcoinc.com E-mail: snipped-for-privacy@jarcoinc.com E-mail: snipped-for-privacy@jarcoinc.com E-mail: snipped-for-privacy@jarcoinc.com [url] For Japanese imported diesel Toyota SUV's & pickup trucks:

These are 11 Toyota DIESEL 4-Runner/pickup discussion sites:

?id=8 This is a great video from Top Gear featuring a 1985 Toyota 2L Hilux diesel that is put through some astonishing torture tests in an attempt to "break it".

Windows Media

51.3mb - 20mins 28secs running time

Sidney® T Repairs tv's,vcr's,home/car audio out of my home E-mail: snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com Dartmouth,Nova Scotia Canada

1985 Toyota 4-Runner,solid front straight axle,factory cruise control,sunroof,22R-E,W56,RN60LV-MSEK,rusted rear step/towing chrome bumper with 250 000 KM

And the final test of destruction:

Thanks for the post, Sidney - that's a keeper.

-- Mike Harris Austin, TX

The links below have everything you ever wanted to know about Toyota diesel & biodiesel pickups:

The way the price of gasoline (petrol for Australians) is going I suggest that everyone convert their Toyotas to diesel as they are more:

fuel efficient higher torque waterproof simpler reliable safer can idle all day long less overheat episodes can burn bio diesel or vegetable oil (without glycerin)

Well to help everyone dismiss the myth that Toyota diesel pickups & SUV's are rare in USA & Canada I have included below a list of very resourcefull links that contain places to buy diesel engines/parts and complete rigs.

Toyota diesel engines models: 2L's, 2L-T's, 3L's and 5L 's for sale in the greater Los Angeles area:

Engine Trend Inc George

4515 S.Soto Street Los Angeles,CA 90058 USA Ph:1-800-939-3295 Ph:(323) 589-2844 Spector Offroad Marv 21600 Nordhoff St Chatsworth,CA 91311 USA Ph:(818) 882-1238

Reseda Engines in Northridge Danny

8644 Darby Ave Northridge,CA 91325 USA Ph:(818) 349-7472

Jarco USA

194 Gateway Dr Canton,Georgia 30115 USA Ph:(770) 479-4942 Fax:(770) 479-4948 Operator:James Stettler E-mail: snipped-for-privacy@jarcoinc.com E-mail: snipped-for-privacy@jarcoinc.com E-mail: snipped-for-privacy@jarcoinc.com E-mail: snipped-for-privacy@jarcoinc.com [url] For Japanese imported diesel Toyota SUV's & pickup trucks:

These are 11 Toyota DIESEL 4-Runner/pickup discussion sites:

?id=8 This is a great video from Top Gear featuring a 1985 Toyota 2L Hilux diesel that is put through some astonishing torture tests in an attempt to "break it".

Windows Media

51.3mb - 20mins 28secs running time

Sidney® T Repairs tv's,vcr's,home/car audio out of my home E-mail: snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com Dartmouth,Nova Scotia Canada

1985 Toyota 4-Runner,solid front straight axle,factory cruise control,sunroof,22R-E,W56,RN60LV-MSEK,rusted rear step/towing chrome bumper with 250 000 KM

Yes, but you're in Oz where there aren't any Emissions Nannies screaming that 'the particulates from diesel smoke are going to kill us all'. The USA has to put up with legislators "helping" us...

We have lots of these things called mountains, some of them get quite tall, and lots of people live on one side and work on the other. Getting up and over on the same day becomes important... ;-)

And even with a Turbo, a 3.0 diesel is a touch on the light side for the USA'n tastes for "powerful" - remember the muscle-car craze of the

60's? Dodge sticking a 440cid 6-pack in a midsize Dart?. We might not use it all every day, but we want a healthy reserve for passing and accident avoidance. (And for cutting off idiots trying to pass on the right shoulder...)

Hopefully the ultra-low sulfur diesel reformulation they are doing this year will get some more diesel car and truck choices on the market in the next few.

-->--

If your quantity of "not rare" in the USA is a few hundred in the entire country, you're fine. My quantity of "not rare" would be above the 10,000 to 25,000 vehicle range, and there isn't anywhere near that.

They are not as rare in Canada, since their emissions and safety regulations were less stringent. They were sold new at the dealers up until the 1990's, from what I can tell - my search at toyota.ca found absolutely no mention of any new diesel models.

But they ARE very rare in the US if you want to buy a new car, SUV or light truck at a Toyota dealer. At the moment, they offer none, and they haven't for probably 20 years.

The interesting part about this one: If Diesel is a significant incremental step more efficient on a 'Well to Wheel' basis, why aren't they building a Prius Hybrid Diesel? With all that sophisticated electronic engine management trickery (DMNR) and squeezing a gallon of #2 till it screams for mercy?

And converting a vehicle over from gasoline to diesel certainly can be done, and the parts are available (in modest quantities). But it is by no means either an easy or simple job, and it's best left to those with a lot of experience wrenching on cars. If you have to pay that person to change your car over, it will quickly eat up your fuel savings for many years ahead.

It's a bare minimum of 100 man-hours of solid work to do a car conversion right, and that's after you've tracked down all the myriad bits and pieces you will need. Major modifications have to be made to almost every system on the car - fuel tanks changed, fuel lines changed, emissions systems, motor mounts, transmission, driveshafts shortened or lengthened, third-member changed (if the final drive ratio is wrong for the application) electrical (two batteries not optional), HVAC (the hoses won't reach if the compressor mounts on the opposite side) Instrument Cluster and wiring harness, etc. You will need heavier front springs or torsion bars.

Even stupid stuff like the throttle pedal needs to be changed, because you need the one with the 'THROTTLE' (fast idle) pull knob if you don't have electronic engine management for idle regulation.

No, it makes much more economic sense to have the factory design and mass-produce the vehicles /as/ diesels, and that keeps the costs in line. And you don't have to worry about legalities, the car manufacturer got that all worked out before they sold it to you.

Plus, if they are sold new they will establish a parts cache at the regional warehouses, and train and equip mechanics at the dealerships.

Right now, if your home conversion or Gray-market vehicle breaks you have to search out a diesel mechanic that may or may not be familiar with that engine, and all but the simplest repairs will involve a long wait for parts. And even 2 days waiting for air-freight will seem like an eternity if your vacation is being interrupted...

Used, Gray Market import vehicles from Canada, Europe and Asia. The older ones are no problem, but anything newer than about 20 years are supposed to be retrofitted with all the side intrusion door beams, heavier bumpers, 3-point seatbelts, and other safety stuff the USA requires.

Now if you buy the car in good faith that the work was done, but the Feds decide to check and find out that the importer lied on all the paperwork that said all this expensive reinforcement and retrofit work had been done, they might insist you get the work done yourself, export the vehicle back out of the USA - or turn over the vehicle for crushing...

No, there are WAY too many worms in that can for my taste.

-->--

It was, in the '70's...

Toyota diesel trucks are abundant everywhere throughout the world except in the US. They are well designed efficient vehicles as is the Toyota standard.

Bubba

The EPA will not let you have one. End of Story.

If you want a Diesel truck >>