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cummins 3.3 should I buy?

9K views 15 replies 6 participants last post by  95Z28A4 
#1 ·
I was just in the thinking stage of maybe putting a 3.3 in a toyota 4runner. As I was thinking I mentioned to a friend who had a friend that had one sitting in his garage. it only has 100 hrs on it and looks brand new. Came out of a forklift governed to 2000 rpms. He is only asking $1200 for it. Seem like a good buy to me. Comes with wiring harness and computer. The two red flags I'm worried about is the computer part and the 2000 rpm governor. Is the governor and easy thing to change in these motors and how? The computer part also scares me a little too. I'd much prefer the older mechanical version instead of the newer computer models. Not sure if I can make that work. Like I said I'm still in the thinking about it stage but $1200 sounds like too good of a deal to pass up.

Anyone successfully putting them in a toyota? How do they mate up the transmission? What kind of MPG are you getting? I have a lot to learn and $1200 is a lot to spend without knowing anything about them.
 
#2 ·
if it has a computer it must be the QSB 3.3 version
I haven't seen any being put into a toyota yet although that would make for a killer rig
I do know the older B3.3's have been put into jeeps and cruiser's and that the owners are reporting mid 30's for mpg's..
As for the governors, i believe it is a plate and a spring set-up....
Is your pump an inline or rotary pump?
still, 1200 buckaroos for a running 3.3 is a steal of a buy...
oh and a group called phoenix castings makes adapters for the sae4 housing on the cummins to just about any transmission/bellhousing...
hope this helps
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the feedback. I guess I'm having a little trouble visualizing the conversion. I get the bell housing adapter concept. What I'm not sure about is how the clutch is going to mate up to the engine and transmission. It was to be a clutch for the transmission I'm sure so it fits on the flywheel. So how does it bolt to the engine flywheel it's it's not made for the size of the flywheel? How does it fit the engine? Sorry if I have my info incorrect. I don't have a lot of experience with this stuff so just some bit and pieces here and there. Is there any other complicated issue with the computer design? Making sure your blank sensors is working right with the blank blank so the computer knows to blank? I would much prefer the mechanical design. But more efficient, more power, and the fact my friend has one readily available is hard to beat.

You ask if it's rotary or inline? Isn't the QSB common rail so it's an injector design?
 
#5 ·
There should be a bellhousing adapter and a flywheel adapter. The flywheel adapter adapts it to your flywheel, so it's stock from there back. I'm not sure if they make toyota adapters, but if yours is a manual I seem to recall that it is very similar to the Dodge ax15, which they do make adapters for...

Is this a turbo engine?

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#6 ·
Yes this is a turbo engine. 2008 common rail. He just said the governor has been reflashed to factory levels. He also said it's at 85 horsepower currently but he would reflash it to 115 horse if I bought it. The adapters don't seem to complicated. Now I'm just a little worried about the computer, all the wires, all the sensors, and making that all work right. I'm going to make sure I can find a wiring diagram for it before I buy it.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Click the link in my signature. You'll find photos of a Phoenix Castings adapter set. It consists a SAE 4 flywheel housing to small block Dodge bellhousing adapter and a SAE 10 flywheel to small block Dodge flywheel adapter. My flywheel adapter is sized for a "shallow" SAE 4 flywheel housing. The flywheel adaper for the standard depth SAE 4 flywheel housing is cone shaped.

http://www.phxgrp.com/transmission.htm


I'm using a Jeep AX15 transmission bolted to a Dodge Dakota Bellhousing. The Jeep AX15 and the Toyota transmission are both Asin Warners and are basically the same tranny. See the link I've pasted below for an explanation.

http://www.jeeps-offroad.com/showthread.php?t=4740


Peak Mechanical uses the QSB3.3T in its mine certified Toyota Tacomas. (Notice the solid axle conversion.)

http://www.peakmechanical.com/mine truck.html
.
 
#8 ·
The Jeep AX15 and the Toyota transmission are both Asin Warners and are basically the same tranny.
that might ease the swap... fuel-efficiency might be greater than with the stock IDI 5L-T 3.0L turbocharged from the toyota hilux (overseas tacoma)...
 
#9 ·
IDI get better mileage than a direct injection? I don't know much specifically about that toyota motors but traditionally IDI's don't get the mileage direct injections get. Plus I've already done the motor from outside the US thing with my old land cruiser and a 3b toyota diesel. You wait a month for a part to come from austrailia, shipping is super expensive, exchange rate isn't good, and the rare part is marked up 3 times over. Then once you get it, you figure out they shipped you the wrong part. Toyota told me I bought the last 24 volt glow plugs in the entire US! They were $62 a pop! I even had to rewire around the glow plug controller because that was $850. It was a great motor in ever sense of the word, but not very fuel efficient, and expensive to work on.

The wide ratio of power to torque tells me the cummins 3.3 is a very low revving motor. Which also tells me it could really benefit from a wide selection of gears. With a big overdrive, low resistance tires. Thanks for those links. If I decide to do this swap those will become very helpful. Right now I'm second in line for that engine so hopefully it comes through. It is a big undertaking however. Mr. 95z28a4, how did this swap turn out for you? Was it a lot of work making all the computer stuff work right? Pedals and all that fun stuff? What kind of a mileage are you getting in yours?
 
#10 ·
IDI get better mileage than a direct injection?
definitely NO... for this reason i said the fuel-efficiency with the b3.3 would be greater than if you slapped a toyota IDI 3.0L 5L-E despite its lower displacement...

direct injection is usually about 20% more efficient
 
#16 ·
Keep reading. As stated above, he eventually got 35+ mpg after tuning and tweaking. The thread contains at least 2 more builds to completion. One of those builds is also a wrangler by a Cummins employee getting 35 mpg. The other is a newer S10 getting 40 mpg. The guy with the S10 has also built a 4BT f150 and is a member of this forum. I think his username is 4BTSonoma.
 
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