Jp Trails

We have been teased and teased about a diesel Jeep Wrangler for quite some time. Concept after concept emerging teasing us diesel freaks that someday our beloved Jeeps will have diesels in them. A tuner company by the name of Green Diesel Engineering may soon offer us jeep guys something we have longed for….A diesel wrangler. Yes, GDE has been working on a complete diesel swap into your Jeep or rock buggy that may be available by the 4th quarter this year. After some forum rumors we decided to ask GED about the possible diesel swap.

Here is their response in a snippet:

We are working on importing a new version of the 2.8l VM engine in the states for “kit” cars and “off-road” rock crawlers.  When the engine is finalized, our objective is to allow it to be mated to any customer requested transmission (with custom adapter plate) and to have it designed to fit any Jeep product or other custom rock crawler.  The kit would come with engine ECU, wiring harness and custom engine calibration.  We are hoping to have something available by the 3^rd or 4^th quarter this year.

www.greendieselengineering.com

UPDATE

“Thanks for your inquiry; I appreciate your interest in all things diesel. Your request for a 50-state (Tier 2, BIN 5) emission legal diesel powertrain swap kit is a long term goal of GDE. Unfortunately, the first application we are trying to import will be for “off-road” competitive use only. The engine must be used in a non licensed vehicle that is registered with a sanctioned racing organization (W.E.ROCK, XRRA, SCORE, Dakar , etc.). These first engines will be marketed to hardcore off-roaders that want the diesel low-end torque, engine braking and precise throttle control for rock crawling. The objective is to build awareness for the diesel capabilities at a grass roots level. We are still working on finalizing the final build spec of the engine, but it will be based on the next generation VM 2.8l engine. The price is not set yet, but a kit including: engine, wire harness, engine controller and calibration could be between $10,000 and $15,000 depending on which transmission is used. This would not include the cost of tranny, cooling pack, exhaust, etc. A conversion is very expensive and not appealing to the masses.

To actually have an emission legal kit, we need some massive investment, which does not exist at the present time. The diesel powertrain would need a urea injection system in the exhaust to lower the NOx emissions, this requires a new engine ECU from Bosch or another stand alone ECU to manage the after treatment. A diesel particulate filter would also be a must. An endeavor of this kind will cost ~5-10 million to sell on a small scale, under 5,000 units per year.

What’s left of the Big 3 does not seem to want to invest in diesel for the US market. I think they do not talk with people on the street or see the marketing potential if done right. The Jeep Wrangler, Liberty and Chrysler minivan diesels could all be on US soil in less than two years if Chrysler wanted to be innovative, take a risk and sell up to 100,000 diesels per year. I am not confident they want to make a profit.

As GDE grows, we will be offering other products to the diesel community and a hope to broaden the use of clean diesel in the US . If there is anything else I can do or answer, just let me know. AEV’s J8 is a good starting point and a very solid product. I will start checking out their forum.”

Thanks,
Keith
GDE Calibrator

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