Petrol or Diesel?

[G.man]

Hey,

I guess I should have asked this first.

Should I be looking for a diesel JKU or petrol?

If I get a petrol, then upgrades like a 5.7 or 6.1Hemi v8 are an option. A diesel has no v8 option because the cummins diesel from what I have read is as heavy as the jeep and wont fit either.

Putting those things aside...

I heard that the 2.8 CRD is not going to last the kms. 300,000 is about all you will get out of it reliably. Basically diesels were known for lasting longer than petrols but not anymore.

Any imput on this?

Lastly - It seems the petrols can go anywhere a diesel can so it just comes down to how much km you drive whether buying a diesel is worth it. Diesel wont accelerate on street like petrol, they pull loads like petrol wont. I do not plan to pull loads (caravans etc).

So the question is, why would I want a Diesel over petrol... what advantage does a diesel offer over the petrol that would make me want a diesel over petrol - besides fuel consumption?

Just trying to get an idea of the 'depends what you use the car for' between the two.

Thanks

[KJ75]

Seems there are a few 2.8 reaching the 200,000 miles.
Plus the 2.8 uses wet sleeves and can be rebuilt. It is also a little torque monster at low revs.

A few basic mods like disabling EGR and fitting Provent should help with longetivity.

In terms of acceleration, the 2.8 (VGT Turbo) is responsive and revs nicely smoothly.
I have blown away many BT50 and Rangers with the 3.2L Diesel (yes it does make me smile).

http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB...9316ecd60c85af

[NTRubicon]

Diesel variants lack aftermarket support in some ways compared to the petrol variants (bash plates in particular but some european/african groups are venturing into this) though for what I've seen of them, they are a decent little engine with plenty of power where its needed. From memory there is a nasty exhaust crossover on the diesel that is the lowest point on the vehicle (this may have improved with younger models)

Fuel range is the hurdle for petrol. Aftermarket fuel range extension can come with addition of a long ranger tank (or LRA etc.) but this does not substantially increase the range on a petrol engine, and there is the disadvantage of pushing the vehicle ever closer to the dismal GVM it holds once bar work and adequate touring gear is added.

Service intervals and costs are 'much of a muchness' these days, though the diesel does have some particularly high costs at major intervals.

I am inclined to do more short trips, living in a small town, and am personally loathe to running a diesel for less than 30minutes on a regular basis, whereas the petrol will cope with shorter trips easier.

[Paul-JK]

The CRD's seem to be like/need to be driven hard from what I can gather. Examples that have easy lives and lots of freeway km's seem to run into trouble around 150000km with oil getting through the engine/turbo and needing rebuilds. Apparently common on those that have an easy life, but drive them harder and it's not so much of an issue. That being the case it would negate a lot of the fuel economy savings of the CRD if you basically want to flog it a lot to get better longevity of it.

Having driven my old MY10 CRD auto (with the old chrysler auto) and a new 3.6l petrol auto as well (so with the new engine and new transmission), I still preferred the way my CRD drove. The petrol is without doubt faster, but that's not what I bought a Wrangler for. The power delivery on the petrol was more peaky, so it needed to be revved to get much out of it, which then means you seem to always be waiting for the auto to kick down before it'll really move. My old CRD delivered the power in a much more linear fashion which I preferred. How much of that is the motor and how much is the transmission I'm not sure. Loaded up or towing I'd guess the differences in power delivery would be seen even more. I had my CRD fully loaded with camping gear frequently, and towed a camper trailer with it later on as well and it handled it well. I often thought the transmission worked better when loaded up than it did empty and the engine still had more than enough grunt.

If I was going to buy another JK I'd probably get a CRD if I was buying new. I preferred the CRD and most don't see any major issues until 150000km mark and that is likely all I'd keep it for anyway. If I was looking at second hand then getting the CRD increases the risk that you'll need to spend reasonable $ on an engine rebuild at some point. For me, if I was buying second hadn't I'd probably go the petrol.

[RLT]

Coincidence this thread has just come up.
Got a 2.8CRD 2007 build Sahara JKU manual (came with 4.10 ratio)
Now got 83,000 miles (133,000km)
Its just been in for air bag recall so they gave me a 2 door V6 Overland with 1800 miles on it for the day.
V6 auto .. nice.. as may be my next engine.
Seemed OK .... nothing starting considering its a 3.6L
Got my 2.8 back and instantly noticed the power I had up hill heading back home in comparison ... was quite surprised.
Now just wondering what the VM V6 CRD would be like if they put it in the new JL

[SnakeDoctor]

Originally Posted by RLT

Now just wondering what the VM V6 CRD would be like if they put it in the new JL

The 3.0 V6 Diesel / 8 speed is light years ahead of any previous Wrangler drivetrain.

It will absolutely transform the driving if they end up doing it.

[G.man]

Thanks for the feedback.

Just to give an idea of the driving intended...

To drive from Sydney to Cape York, Sydney to Victorian High Country, Sydney to Northern Territory, East/West Mcdonald ranges, natural springs, out to Kimberleys etc...?

Also Camping with a full load (Tent, mattress, fridge, 80L of water in drums, etc) and touring with off road ability (Big Red etc)... No caravan... maybe a 4x4 trailer at most if all the stuff I want to carry camping don't fit in the back with seats down around regular places, like Bridal Track, Sofala, Watagan Mountains, Warren Bungles out past Dubbo NSW etc... (like a weekend toy/camp vehicle)

Would you recommend a Diesel or Petrol?

Which performs better in the rough stuff?

From what I have heard, Injectors on DIesel (1600-2000 cost) every 80,000km... that is every 2 years.... that pretty much negates all fuel savings...

So I am trying to understand how does a diesel perform better/worse in off road situations. If both are stuck in mud, which will get out easier? Trying to climb steep sand (loose dirt/clay) type ground... which?

If for example the Diesel would be the better choice (all costs - maintenance breakdowns etc aside) - what would it cost to say replace the 2.8 CRD (with its 2k injector price every 2 years and a rebuild not long after) with say a 3.0L Diesel... the conversion might cost 2 rebuilds up front but at least no hassles then...

thanks