MEP-003a motor conversion to vehicle use?

[minigunmike]

Hey guys fairly new here but been lurking a bit I am hoping I started this in the correct section but if not feel free to correct! I purchased a onan from a buddy a while back and fell in love with the engine seems pretty simple and durable and heavy as ****, after I purchased it I figured it would need to be cleaned out so I dumped a good bit of diesel in and started getting the gelled ouil cleaned out. The engine had been sitting a while and so oil gelled up but that's as far as I got, recently I was inspired to build a mini truck and decided I wanted to use the onan for it. I have scoured the web and looked for information on how to convert it over to be useable in a vehicular application but haven't come up with much of anything.

What I had thought about was using a jeep ax 5 or something but realized that the transmission was built for gas engines so higher rpm yada yada... So at this point there are only a few things I have/know: I have the engine and I figure with a bit of elbow grease this winter can get it running, I am going to reroute the oil cooler through a coolant tube system like they use on boats except I will be using antifreeze instead of seawater this will allow me to keep the oil cool and have a heater in the truck and also run a smaller radiator in the front so there is more space for a intercooler or whatever. I am also going to keep it 24 volt so I can use the military style lights and markers. And lastly I have a TD04 turbo charger I would like to run with this motor, I like the TD04 because it fits just right with the displacement and if the engine responds well to turbo charging I can always upgrade it to a sort of stage 2 of sorts with different vanes.

I have been throwing around the idea of using a vw torque converter or something and the automatic transmission but I don't think I could hook that to a t-case to easily so at a standstill on that front... So ideas or technical knowledge would be greatly appreciated and if anyone knows if it is possible to set these up with a pedal throttle that d be awesome too!

And some pics just to prove I'm not just imagining the engine:






I have seen these with a alternate bellhousing/flywheel which I think might be better for something like a manual clutch but the alternate flywheel is aluminum which seems like it'd be to light for a diesel?

 

[Keith_J]

Forget it, that engine is designed for single speed use, it has fixed timing and being indirect injection, is only good for about 30 Hp. Yes, 140 cubic inches but only 30 Hp. You might make it work but without a governor, over speed is a problem. You won't want to run it under the flyball governor, restricting you to 1800 rpm.

 

[minigunmike]

Ouch that's not good 1800 rp might work for something hydraulic but defiantly not what I was hoping...

 

[Isaac-1]

You might want to check over on the Smokstak Onan Generator board, one of the regulars (Gunny) was just talking about someone that had added a turbocharger to a J series engine like this one the other day.

Ike

 

[minigunmike]

I'll have a look see what I can find!

 

[Keith_J]

Adding a turbo will do nothing to the low, fixed speed of these engines. Sure, they will run up to 2200 RPM but that is about it. The little 1.9 liter turbo diesel in my VW is just getting on its power curve there.

These engines have very long pistons with additional compression rings, another issue keeping the speed down.

Now ow as a tractor engine? Yeah, it will work. Or a hydraulic pump driver? Excellent application.

 

[minigunmike]

Yeah thinking I will use this on a log splitter and get a cummins lol

 

[Triple Jim]

It should make a great splitter engine. The splitter I use has a Briggs and Stratton engine with a reduction gear to the output shaft. A direct drive at 1800 RPM might make a nice fast split cycle. It won't be light though.

 

[minigunmike]

Yeah in the words of one of my old coworkers "it'll turn a full pickup into a vw"

 

[CDR]

Don't do it!!!

 

[minigunmike]

But it'd look cool! Gmc beetle

 

[CDR]

It weights more then a beetle

 

[minigunmike]

That wouldn't suprise me actually lol

 

[Jimc]

somehow i imagined jim having a log splitter powered by a 3 cylinder engine

 

[minigunmike]

Just need a lift cylinder off a big loader now

 

[Triple Jim]

somehow i imagined jim having a log splitter powered by a 3 cylinder engine

Interesting idea! Actually the one I use is my neighbor's. I help him keep his Ford NAA tractor running and he doesn't mind when I use his splitter. I wonder if he'd notice...