I have a 2002 Jeep Liberty which has 105,000 miles on it. The Jeep now needs a new engine. I was thinking that if I am going to put money into a new engine - I was wondering is it possible to put in a diesel engine so that I could then convert to bio-diesel?
If it is possible does anyone think it is worth it?
Not a chance. The cost of the engine will trump the marginal fuel savings and won’t pay for itself by the time the rest of the chassis is rusted junk. Not unless we’re in some Road Warrior scenario.
Our government is protecting us from diesels that we can’t buy anyway. We even manufacture jeeps with diesels for export …or did anyway. The Liberty diesel was only put in the most expensive package …just expensive enough to make the diesel a costly choice over gasoline engines.
Detroit can’t tolerate diesels. They last too long. We need throw away cars to keep the bills paid.
Nevermind that compared to comparable gas engine, they are slower, more expensive to produce, more expensive to service and often produce more emissions. It’s not like it’s a major feat to get 200k miles out of a gas engine these days either. Sure the diesel may last even longer than that, but the rest of the car won’t.
Anything is possible, but gas-to-diesel conversions are not worth it. The diesel will require a different fuel system, different exhaust, different electronics, the front suspension will need to be modified to handle the additional weight, cooling system will need to be increased, transmission will need to be replaced, and a few other things that may be discovered along the way. Cost will far exceed any savings you may think you’ll get.
If you want a diesel to may be later converted to bio-diesel, it’s best to start with a diesel. It would be far cheaper to buy a used diesel than to convert your truck.
I don’t think it worth it.
However if bio diesel is your dream and Jeep Liberty is your car, they did have in 2005ish a Liberty diesel from the factory. There also was a Grand Cherokee diesel a far nicer vehicle. The easy solution is to buy that one working. However a remote possibility is a used motor although these are rare birds.