Navara Terrano 2.7TD conversion

Hello, my Navara has blown up one too many times and now I am going to do what I should have done in the first place. That is fit a Terrano II  2.7TD engine.

I bought this truck knowing they had a sword of Damocles hanging over them, but this one had a recently reconditioned engine which I assumed would last over 100,000 miles that the original engine had. 3 months later the engine started making a dreadful noise, so we stopped and were recovered home. I removed the engine and stripped it down but could find no obvious fault, just a bit of wear on the big ends. Nowhere near enough to cause so much noise.

I had been researching these trucks for a while and the consensus of opinion seemed to be that upgrading the YD engine would be the better option over a conversion. £500 later I had fitted the upgrade parts from Billcar. Shells, con rod bolts, oil pipe conversion and a new oil pump.

A couple of thousand miles later more noise this time definitely from the top of the engine. On inspection all I could find wrong was a tooth missing on the timing chain sprocket which caused the chain to tighten and go slack. So two new sprockets and its running quite and smooth loads of power, great...

Now a month later its gone bang again,this time I haven't the will or energy to look but there is no compression so I suspect there are some nice round holes in the pistons. I am not wasting any more time or money on this engine, when I have finished the conversion I will strip it and sell the good parts in as many different places I can so there is no way it could ever get back together again.

I have been looking allover the internet for advice or information about this conversion I know it can be done because everything  is possible with a bit of determination. The advice that I could find was contradictory and dispersed, a bit here a bit there and not always relevant. So I am going to record how I get on, maybe that will help someone.

The Plan

I have acquired a Nissan Terrano II, this should supply me with all the parts I need. I have read that you need to fit an older mechanical injector pump to the Terrano engine so that the ECU and other tiresome electrics are not a problem.

My thinking is, that this mismatch, although it will work will give less power and poor fuel consumption.

The Terrarno engine runs perfectly in the Terrano as it is. What if when I fit the 2.7TD in the Navara I make the engine think its still in the Terrano. I have an idea how to do this but we will have to see how hard it is to achieve and even if its possible.

First job is to get the engines out and see the differences when they are side by side for myself.I will the decide whether to make a hybrid gearbox or use the Terrano box  as is.

Navara prep

Preparation of Navara ready to take out the engine and gearbox as one unit.

 As you can see a bit of modification to the bodywork by cutting out the slam panel.The loom and other parts will tie down out the way. As I remove the electrical connections I am labeling and photographing them.I will pull the Navara engine loom to one side for study when the engine is out.

Its fascinating to find that the bumper is only held on by 4, 8mm bolts some rust and a lump of good hard mud. I took the headlight out thinking there would be some fixings underneath. Looks the biz though. Theoretically the engine and gearbox should come out together which as I am on my own will make life a lot easier. Ok next job underneath to remove the front axle, drive shafts and lower the front suspension torsion bars and cross beam.

Donor Maverick

My donor vehicle has now arrived and is awaiting my attention, it's a Ford Maverick and is in surprisingly good condition.The front wings are rusted but the rest seems fine. I know this car was retired due to a faulty clutch, which is a major job on these as I am finding out. As I am dismantling all the engine and drive train anyway its no problem now.

Its a terrible shame the Navara wasn't made as well as this. There is loads of rust starting to eat away at the Navara the bumper back support is just rust and dust.

Navara YD25 engine out

So, decided to take the engine out without the gearbox, mainly because I was worried about the combined weight and possible balance problems. I have learnt from my first battle with the Navara  to remove the engine mounting blocks which allows you to lower the engine sufficiently to get at the top bell-housing bolts which are fiddly especially when you are on your own.

Removing the slam panel made removing the engine much easier. I unbolted the turbo at the manifold and left it in the engine bay, the rest of the exhaust down pipe looks pretty rusted. It will be easier to deal with when the engine is out of the way. I think I will use the Maverick down pipe so doesn't really matter at the moment.

Looks sweet enough, but this engine has cost me a small fortune in time and money. I will dismantle it later and see what parts are still OK. The lower engine is fine, I think the top has destroyed itself, the temptation to look is very strong but as I have said, enough time has been wasted on this already.

Maverick prep

I am pleased to see how many similarities there are between the two, so far the Maverick seems to be the better built. I started her up just so that I know she is a good runner before starting the strip down, now it will be my fault if she doesn't start when in the Navara. The Maverick has air-con so a few more bits to remove and annoyingly no radiator drain plug.

Dismantling a Maverick

I take back everything bad I have said about the Navara, after 3 hours the engine was out. 6 hours spent on the Maverick and still not ready to lift out. The front axle and diff was a real struggle, every bolt was tight to the end and hard to get at. The torsion bars are further forward and closer together than on the Navara which make the front axle a tight fit.I read the workshop manual when I got home to find you should lift the engine to make more room, a case of. "If at first you don't succeed, read the instructions."  On the Navara this job was a doddle.

The 4 wheel drive selector is being a pain it's completely rusted and looks as if it came off the Titanic last week. I hope the selector from the Navara fits which has been modified and is much better, no rubber boots to hold any water.