Transmission questions on Diesel conversion

[jrose609]

Hi guys. I'm pretty new here. About a month ago I picked up a cherry 1997 Discovery. This is my 2nd LR. I had a Discovery II a couple years ago. We had to part ways to get a mini-van.

I'm doing some research on a diesel conversion for my Disco. I've read all the posts here about pros and cons. I'm gonna do the conversion. It's a matter of when.

I'm looking at a 300Tdi. My question is: do I need to get a different transmission? I have an automatic right now with the stock v8. It works perfect.

A couple guys I've talked to refuse to put a Tdi in with an automatic. Said you HAVE to use the 5-speed.

Other guys said the Tdi has a different tranny all together.

What is the difference between a v8 auto and a tdi auto?

From the posts I've read on LR Only, sounds like the 300 Tdi is the easiest and most straight forward conversion. Any thoughts?

Thanks so much for your help.

Jason

[adcomp]

Hi Jason,

My guess is that the guys you have talked to are worried that the tranny ratios and torque converter lockup rpm are different for a V8 than the diesel. This is true, but the rover V8 doesn't rev very high either. I put an isuzu 3.1 turbo diesel in my rover about 2 years ago - adapted the bellhousing of the isuzu and the ZF 4-seep auto tranny and actually used the same torque converter. The ratios are just fine, and if you adjust the kick-down cable to get the tranny to shift when you want it then you shouldn't have any problems. My rover is an 89 range rover and had the 3.9lV8 with the 4-speed auto. From what I have read the auto tranny was stronger than the 5 speed at the time anyway, so torque capacity wasn't an issue. I have about 25k on my setup so far (ranging from off-road trips through the sierras to towing a trailer for hours on end on the hwy). Hope that helps.

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[gordo]

I would consider doing the 5spd while youre at it, but I think the auto would work, just not as well. Should be easy enough to find a 5 spd from a D1 anyway. Im putting a Nissan diesel LD28 (6 cylinder non turbo version) in my current hybrid build and no way I would consider putting an auto behind it. Of course it has much much less horsepower to boot. I got a good deal on an LT85 so that is what Im using. If youre going to the expense to do the TDI why not do it right the first time...Gordo