PICS! Econo Car conversion to Kubota Diesel. 1997 Geo Metro, Kubota D1005 3 cylinder

[planejob]

Originally Posted by kimer6

darned generator engine is set to 1800 RPM. I messed with governor springs to get 3600. The injection timing is fixed...by shims...and has no advance mechanism like in car diesels.

I was looking at perhaps borrowing an injector pump from a tractor... you think that would be an improvement? I dunno yet.

[planejob]

Update time.

I re-qualified on the tests at work! Still gainfully employed!

A few weeks ago I went and bought a manual transaxle, the shifter, and the flywheel/clutch assembly. It was raining, my neighbor and I were worn out after pulling these parts from the Atomic Cowboy Pick-N-Pull's "way back" field. As the name suggests, it's way in the back.






I had been doing a little work on the aluminum adapter. I didn't have the right tools to grind it. I ended up being the proud owner of a 6" hole saw...


I had lots of help. I love the help.


I remembered that I needed to go back and get the pedal cluster. Before they crush the donor car. So this morning I went back to visit the Atomic junk yard. I scored this for 17 bucks:


I came home and set to work on the adapter plate some more. It's a *****. It has to be accurate. It's not fun. I worked on it anyway and ended up having fun.

[changzuki]

Looks like you're moving right along! Keep your spirits up and be safe. Great pics!
~CrazyJerry

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by Xist

Five quarts for such a tiny engine?

I work Kubota diesels as small as 660cc and they take about 5 quarts too.

[planejob]

Originally Posted by changzuki

Looks like you're moving right along! Keep your spirits up and be safe. Great pics!
~CrazyJerry

Thanks! I frequently visit your thread to look at pictures and comments!


Right now I am plotting the move of the Dipstick and oil filter. The current dipstick is going to be positioned on the "back side" of the block, as it will be installed. You can see that position in the picture above.

Luckily, Kubota casts in several bosses for the dipstick on this particular engine. I just have to drill one of the undrilled ones. I'll probably snag a longer dipstick, too; there are several to choose from based on the various equipment that this 05 series block has been installed into.

The oil filter, as Kimer6 has said, must be moved in order to allow the drive axle to reach the wheel. Kubota has 2 installation locations for the oil filter, but I am unsure if I can just swap the plug and the filter, or if I must relocate some internal components and check balls, etc. I'll be sure to snag some pictures.

[crashnzuk]

Kubota sells a diesel powered side by side, you might see if they use the same series engine as it might have automotive style timing control. They are probably turbo'd too, so they may have boost referenced fueling if a turbo is something you're thinking about.
Travis..

[planejob]

Originally Posted by crashnzuk

Kubota sells a diesel powered side by side, you might see if they use the same series engine as it might have automotive style timing control.

Cool thanks for the idea. I had been limiting my searches to tractors.

[oil pan 4]

I put my DC amp clamp on a 905cc diesel generator this weekend and intentionally cranked it with out firing it.
The starter was drawing just under 200 amps on a cool 60'F morning.
So if you live some where you would never need the glow plugs a battery as small as 300 to 350 CCA would be plenty.

[planejob]

Well, it's been a long time with no update! Work has been busy. I'm home ill from the turkey day festivities so I thought I'd bring you all up to speed.

The Flywheel:
The generator flywheel that came with the engine will not work. It weighs 35 pounds, has too large of a diameter to fit inside the transmission case, is too thick to allow the transmission to mate to the adapter, and has no surface that a friction plate could push against - it's machined for a bolt on hub.
So I got to thinking, ordered a new flywheel for a D905, one that's fitted to a tractor. The diameter is perfect, the depth can be dealt with... but the friction face is HUGE, and oriented differently than expected in relation to the edge.
The touch decision was made to use the 3cyl flywheel from Suzuki and bore out the mounting counter bore to fit the Kubota. The Geo/suzuki crankshaft end measure 68.00mm on my broken gas engine. the crankshaft end of the Kubota measures a tight 72mm. I found a machine shop that would take my job and not laugh. I pick the part up Monday!
Yes, I'll have to "adjust" a few of the bolt holes but that's a small expense for preserving all of the other dimensions and being able to use stock Geo clutch parts instead of Kubota parts ($$$$$$).

The adapter plate is .470 inches thick, and that spacing puts it right were it needs to be with relation to the engine block and tranny mounting face Problem is, the bolt heads that hold on the adapter plate interfere with the flywheel once it it mounted at the proper depth. I'm going to have to countersink the bolt heads by about 1/8th of an inch. I refuse to take it to the machine shop, so I'll see what I can do with a mill bit and a drill press. any advice?

Once the COunterbore on the flywheel is done the rest is planned out:
1) Flip the engine up on the front (braced appropriately)
2) mate the tranny's input shaft into the (new) pilot bearing and allow the tranny to rest on the plate.
3) attach dial indicators on the x and Y axis of this balanced contraption.
4) measure the distance I can slide the tranny in X, same for Y.
5) Split the differences of the measurements and hope that's good enough. Clamp everything together and drill tranny mounting holes in the plate.
6) cross finger, hope, etc.

[ME_Andy]

Sounds interesting. Maybe you could order some low-profile bolts instead of drilling a counterbore.

McMaster-Carr

Or you could grind down the bolt heads on the existing bolts. That wold be the ghetto approach (and my preferred one)