Hey Deezelweazel

How prevalent is VM 2.5TD failure .... over on your side of the world ??? .... and

Is it more common in XJ cherokees than other vehicles fitted with the same engine ???

Yep ... the little toyo motors were never the best ... 2.2l / 2.4l hiluxes ... all pathetic .... quite ridiculous when toyota had access to daihatsu engines that were much better.

Best thing ARB ever did was offer the V6 dunneydore conversion.

Mind you .... most hilux drivers had issues with the little rattlers coz they they thought they should perform under load like a 2H landcruiser motor.

Unbreakable my ass ....... :lol::lol:

Took a 2.4 ltr 4-runner TD for a test drive back when we thought that was going to be the go -- great little truck -- just as long as you never ever want to drive on a freeway! God knows what they're like in the heavier auto Surfs...

But back on the transplants -- how about an Isuzu 2.8 or 3 ltr, like out of a Rodeo? They drive pretty well, in my (limited) experience (which is to say, I've never owned one, but got to borrow one a few times)

Cough cough 2jz cough cough.

90% of all Jeep TD VM owners over here have already had head failure.

It does not matter in which make it was used. I have taken the time and asked a lot of shops and dealers about it.
They all claim difficulties - but also different causes.
This engine has a very bad engine coolant layout in the Jeep.
It is stupid to locate the waterpump at the same side as the outlet.
The slight inclination of the engine towards the front is another nail into te coffin.
In that moment the engine develops overheat - caused by a lot of cirumstances: like water loss, bad radiator, waterpump fail etc. Air bubbles will develop on the upperside of each head and cause a hot spot.
This hot spot is the start of the engine crack.
This also explains why head damage can occur on all 4 heads- they all have the same tilt.

It likes to crack at the precombustion chamber and the water tunnels ( I already opened 6 or 7 of cracked heads to find the causes)and also likes to crack between the intake- and exhaust valve.
This crack is also caused by overheating it due to huge fullload rides.

What can be done against it?
- Avoid cheap rebuild heads- they will fail quickly!
- Keep your coolant circuit in top shape.
- Proper cool down is mandatory.
- keep the coolant hoses clean and not lower than 50/50 antifreeze
- Do not use alloy radiators heat dissipation is way less than copper /brass.( I know they are expensive, but you have to bite it)
did you know that a black radiator can be kept smaller by 0.9? So a black radiator offers bigger heat dissipation.
- When you refill the coolant make sure the rear tires are higer than the front. You won't get rid of the air enclosure. And the next fail is built in!

How about the 3.0 TD from the Mazda BT50 or Ford equivalent?

Have towed a car trailer with one and they go very well, much better then the common rail 3.0 Toyo, even though on paper they have less torque, in the real world their torque works better.

just my 2 bobs worth

4.0 litre petrol.....

Don't forget that over here it is warmer for longer than in Europe....

My vote would be the 3.0V6 Td from the Grand Cherokee/Commander but way too many $$$$