2LTE Questions

[sirsicnarf]

Hi All,

I recently bought a surplus 2LTE engine to replace my aging 2LT. I own a 4x4 toyota hilux, single cab (Don't know the exact year of it).I know the problems of the 2LT series and the cylinder head problem. In fact, I did replace the head on my 2LT, but after years of service to the farm I don't think overhauling it would give it more power and bang for the buck. It's consuming oil like free beer, I have to top it with a liter every 2 weeks or so and power has waned over the years.

I bought the surplus 2LTE engine because it's the only one available for my budget(a 3L would have have been better). With this, I have some questions I'd like to hear answers from:

1. Are all 2LTE heads cast iron? I read from another forum that it is. How can I verify if it's cast iron?

2. I'm going to put it in my pickup next week. What are some of the things that I need to check on the engine before putting it in the pickup? I mean aside from belts and oil.

3. Is is recommended to put semi-synthetic oils on 2LTE engines?

Thanks much in advance.

[NiftyNev]

All 2L engines have cast iron heads. If you want to put the 2L-TE engine in you will require a complete wiring loom and ECU along with other bits. Sell the 2L-TE to someone who needs it and look for a another 2L-T.

Nev

[sirsicnarf]

All 2L engines have cast iron heads. If you want to put the 2L-TE engine in you will require a complete wiring loom and ECU along with other bits. Sell the 2L-TE to someone who needs it and look for a another 2L-T.

Nev

Hi Nev,

Thanks for the reply. It's fitted with a mechanical injection pump and I don't really need the ECU for going to the farm. The 2L-T has worked without the proper wirings and the 2L-TE that I bought will work fine even without the ECU. One thing I like about the 2L-TE, is that it doesn't use a roller rocker arm for lifting the camshaft lift valves but a tuppet. From my experience with our LN106 toyota Hilux with a 3L engine, these things are a-lot more reliable and gives more power too. This is a debatable conclusion though, and I'm welcome to any comment with this.

One last thing, why would you recommend the 2L-T instead of the 2L-TE? I mean except for the wiring and ECU, I found a site which has details on swapping a petrol engine with a 2L-T. It's just basically replacing the EFI injection pump with the mechanical one and it's basically a 2L-T.

This is the site by the way.

http://vpizza.org/~jmeehan/toyotadiesel/

[NiftyNev]

Latter 2L-T and the 2L-TE engines are bucket and shim. If the 2L-TE is fitted with a mechanical pump then it's really just a 2L-T and will be fine to use. Your original question asked about a 2L-TE which is why I suggested the 2L-T rather that the huge effort required to fit a 2L-TE. I would be checking the condition of the head though.

Nev

[sirsicnarf]

Latter 2L-T and the 2L-TE engines are bucket and shim. If the 2L-TE is fitted with a mechanical pump then it's really just a 2L-T and will be fine to use. Your original question asked about a 2L-TE which is why I suggested the 2L-T rather that the huge effort required to fit a 2L-TE. I would be checking the condition of the head though.

Nev

Thanks again Nev. Any suggestions on how to proceed about checking the head without taking it off? One test we did was to start the engine with water and see if at start, the water will blow out of the water pump filling hole. So far, this did not happen on our test. My old 2L-T(roller rocker type) somewhat does this, and maybe this explains the soot on the water tank. I also read somewhere that you can add some chemicals on the radiator and it turns to a certain color if it's busted. Heard or seen anything about these two?

[NiftyNev]

If the engine is not in a vehicle that can be driven to get the engine really hot and under load, such as tackling a steep hill or two then there is no other way of checking the head unless you take it off.

Nev