Driving experience 2.5td vs 2.6 petrol

[fabo]

Hi guys, can i have some input from someone who has driven both engines in comparable condition etc... Power differences between the two etc...
Thanks
Fabo
WA

[Blutak]

Hi guys, can i have some input from someone who has driven both engines in comparable condition etc... Power differences between the two etc...
Thanks
Fabo
WA

I've driven both and have the 2.6. The 4g54 has nearly the same torque as the diesel with nearly the same power as the V6. It pulls like a freight train down low and keeps pulling all the way to the 6k redline.

There are negatives. They drink fuel like mad but this is offset by how cheap they are. The factory carb is a piece of s**t but can easily be replaced by a Weber from a Falcon. And the balance shafts are better in a bin than in the engine. There is no great benefit to having them and they just stretch the hell out of the oil pump chain.

As for the diesel, they are a good thing. Just keep the cooling system in pristine condition. If you overheat them, they love to crack heads.

Personally, I love my 2.6. It won't die and it does so many insane things that it really has no right to do.

The biggest and most important thing to know when buying any old 4x4 is how to turn spanners. If you can't fix things yourself, you will go broke paying someone else to do it. Parts are cheap on old Pajeros. Labour is insanely expensive.

Also, when you have a really cheap old truck, you will have more fun than all your mates in expensive ones. If you put a cheap truck on it's roof, you go and buy a new one then do it all over again. It's a hoot.

If you out a Cruiser on its roof, you will weep for months as you mourn the destruction of many thousands of dollars.

[fabo]

I ended up buying a lwb high roof nb with the 2.6 40,000 on new engine and 132,000 geniune kms on car itself.... It goes ok but doesnt pull that well below 3000 rpm, maybe it needs that 34 weber upgrade... It has 4-2-1 headers with stock exhaust after that... So think ill make a 2.5" exhaust and get the webber upgrade...

[Ryan175]

Hey Blutak,
I've got a 2.6 as well, it's currently got a 2.25" exhaust and I was thinking about redoing the exhaust system cause there are a couple of holes and worn out part. Did it affect the performance much moving up to a 2.5" with a straight through muffler and no cat? I assume it would help but I've heard the petrols need some backpressure so not sure how beneficial it would be?

[nj swb]

I've heard the petrols need some backpressure so not sure how beneficial it would be?

The theory I read (that also makes sense to me) is that less backpressure helps the exhaust gases exit the cylinder, so it's effectively like slightly increasing overlap on the valve timing.

This is generally better for power, but at the expense of torque immediately above idle.

For general use, I don't think the reduction in low rpm torque would matter too much, but if you do a lot of low speed off-road work you might notice a difference.

From when I had a 2.6 Sigma (that I could never get to rev ), research led me to conclude that 2.5 was about as big as you'd want to go without a serious performance re-build of the engine (all the typical boy-racer stuff - high compression pistons, flowed head, lumpy camshaft, blueprint, balance etc...)

Depending on what you use your Paj for, your other mods, and what you want to achieve, I'm not sure that going larger than 2.25 is likely to achieve much.

[fabo]

2.5" does sound tad big for such a low performing engine....

[Blutak]

2.5" does sound tad big for such a low performing engine....

Low performing? Get a 2.6 running reasonably well and it will run rings around the V6 and the diesel.

As for the 2.5" pipe, when you take into account the bends to get the pipe over the diff, the gas flow is about the same as a 2.25" pipe. Only go 2.25" if you are doing mandrel bends.

The performance increase is significant. There isn't a big increase in numbers but the torque curve flattens out beautifully. It will pull like a diesel from idle and continue to build all the way to redline if your carb is reasonable.

If you have a stock carb, throw it away. Get a 34adm off a Falcon, jet it properly (check out the Aussie magna forum) and you will have a weapon of a rig. Especially on sand.

Seriously, the 2.6 is the best motor of the three. Especially the NG. It is the big block version that was originally put in canter trucks and was then homologated for Dakar. The internals are bullet proof. Mine is dead stock, never been rebuilt and it has 485,000km on it. The only issue it has is a leak from the rocker cover gasket. And I do not drive it softly either.

If you have a fresh rebuild, look after it!!! Unless you are on the highway every day, change the oil every 5000. Filter every 10,000. Use the best quality oil you can. I usually use penrite but if the budget allows, I put liqui moly oil in it.

The only negatives to the 2.6 is getting water in the distributor (which I fixed by using RTV to silicone the cap and leads into everything and regularly squirt silicone spray inside the cap through the breather) and the nastiest issue, a low mount alternator. Just had to do mine after playing in the mud last weekend.

[fabo]

Only just seen this, my bad..... Im planning on the weber upgrade... But was going to get that mob in ossy park to do it as im a bit time poor atm have to finish camper trailer off befor 16th August.... Rpw mods the intake manifold??.... The only thing im dubious about is them telling me they need to dyno jet it after, really? Its a bog dtock 2.6,they should know the jetting already...

[Blutak]

Only just seen this, my bad..... Im planning on the weber upgrade... But was going to get that mob in ossy park to do it as im a bit time poor atm have to finish camper trailer off befor 16th August.... Rpw mods the intake manifold??.... The only thing im dubious about is them telling me they need to dyno jet it after, really? Its a bog dtock 2.6,they should know the jetting already...

You can get the jetting ok-ish but the only way they can jet a carb that is not for your motor is on a dyno. There are so many variables. People have different exhausts, extractors, intakes. The jetting for 4-2-1 extractors is different to 4-2 headers. How big is your exhaust? How much gas does your muffler flow?

They also need to make sure that the timing is correct. If it isn't, they have a warranty obligation. If you get a shop to do it, especially someone as good as RPW, let them do it properly. It will cost money but you won't regret it.

On the other hand, if you like fiddling with a Weber for weeks and weeks until you get it feeling right, do it yourself. That is what I do. Not because I like beating my head against a brick wall trying to juggle emulsion tubes and jets. No, I do it the hard way because I don't have the money to get it done properly.

[fabo]

Mine has 4-2-1 headers.... Stock after that... Im running short of time to whip up a exhaust befor our gnaraloo holidays for mid aug.. I wanted to get the weber and exh done fore that trip... We are towing prolly 500kg+...

Ive been playing with idf webers for many years so im familar with them, but thats it... Ill leave it for pwr in this case....

Is it a significant difference doing the weber upgrade???
My engine feels doughy, almost like its attached to a lacky band sort of so... Make sense??? Just revs/makes power in its own time haha...

[Ratbago]

Hi guys, can i have some input from someone who has driven both engines in comparable condition etc... Power differences between the two etc...
Thanks
Fabo
WA

Have driven both , have to say the 2.6 is far more enjoyable to drive on the road , the diesel does perform better offroad but not by much , the fuel economy is probably the biggest difference , im happy to pay more for fuel for a better driving experience , that said if you are planning on doing any towing i would stay away from petrols all together

[fabo]

We towed prolly 700+kg,was slow but the old girl didnt seem to care, unless a hill or strong head wind came our way, well she didnt care but just got slower haha... Temps stayed low too..
Put 235/85 16's on it so i could tow in 4th at 90+ kms.... Was a good speed and rev combo.make sense?? Also had the carb upgrade and a 21/4" exhaust done.. U can feel the gain but its not a wow factor at all.. Its just not as much of a painfully gutless drive, dont get me wrong shes still gutless, just a wee bit less painful, bahaha... Exhaust first had a straight through muffler but was way too loud, it was hidous.. Put a tri mill on it, now alot quiter but a step back in power from the straight through... I think two straight through mufflers would be the go.. Id like to try something else just st to gain that poof tenth of a hp back....

Laters
Fabo