Kubota V2203 Diesel Subaru Swap
 

I have been doing research for the past year or so regarding small Diesel swaps. My end goal is a small AWD standard shift Diesel station wagon, which was never produced for the North American market by any manufacturer. Sure, they are available elsewhere in the world (VW, Audi, Subaru) but at the cost of importing, and the unavailability of parts stateside, I have opted to adapt some other small diesel to an existing AWD wagon platform. I was originally considering just swapping in a VW tdi engine into an Audi Quattro wagon, but I hate the complexity and high cost of VW/Audi parts. Subaru's are MUCH simpler and cheaper to own and maintain

After much research, I have found that the V2203 or V2403 will just fit in the subaru engine bay. Width is no problem, length is close but within, depth from crank to oil pan looks right, but the height is an issue as these cars have low profile boxer engines.

I have already drawn up an adapter plate (thanks to redveloce for the dimensions that he posted) but will need to procure a kubota engine for the build to take more measurements from as far as depths, etc to calculate adapter thickness. I plan on mating it to the subaru trans with an adapter of appropriate thickness, and either redrilling the subaru flywheel with the kubota crank pattern, or turning a new flywheel to match the subaru dimensions with the kubota crank pattern (if there is not enough meat left to redrill). That way I can use a stock style subaru clutch, flywheel, pressure plate, and input shaft bearing, right off the shelf. I will also be using the subaru starter, in its stock location on the backside of the trans, and completely get rid of the kubota starter. There are high torque gear reduction starters available for high compression subaru engines which should work for this application.

My plan is to get it in the car and running in stock form, then modify as I go as far as governor spring, turbo, etc as I know first hand that doing any major swap can (WILL) turn into a nightmare if other parameters are modified before getting the engine swap proven as stock.

The main issue that I will be facing seems to be engine height, as it looks like it will be a good 6 inches or so through the hood. Has anyone leaned one of these engines over at a certain angle for more clearance?

There is a V2403 local to me that ingested some water and bent a rod. It is a non-turbo version, from a kubota tractor (48HP if I recall). Can anyone enlighten me on rebuild costs on these, or what catastrophic failures can result from hydrolock on these models? I was told that the engine won't turn currently. I am just concerned that once I tear it down, it will have significant cylinder, crank, and head damage. It is complete and has not been disassembled yet. What is a fair price for a v2403 in this condition?

I am getting married in 2 weeks and closing on a new house at the end of October, so things will be crazy for the rest of the year. I plan on starting to find the necessary parts over the winter, and going from there.

Thanks!

Austin

I also wanted to mention that here in CT, I must remain emissions compliant. I will be using a Subaru Impreza 2002-2007 as the base for this swap. I have software that I can use to download the stock subaru ECU ROM onto my laptop, permanently disable any chronic CEL faults, and even "force readiness" so when it comes time for the emissions test, the ECU should show no faults of any kind and be in the state of readiness for testing. For this reason, I will keep the ECU hooked up, and adapt the associated sensors to the new engine to keep the gauges functional. I'll have to adapter the crank sensor (and possibly cam sensor too) to a trigger wheel to maintain the tachometer, but the vehicle speed sensor is on the transmission itself so I should not have to worry about the ABS brakes or speedometer. The real hurdle will be appropriate gearing. I may just lift this car and put larger tires on it which would help the gearing a bit. I drive 95% of the time no interstate, with no speed over 50mph anyway

Just curious why not a 1.9 tdi. Smaller lighter and way more rev happy. And the can lean pretty far. Look at the vanagon conversions near sideways.Attachment 31974

I had initially considered it but decided against it in favor of a more industrial duty engine. It may still be in the cards if the kubota idea doesnt pan out.

Initially, I was hoping to find a 3 cylinder diesel and turbo that. Any idea what the largest displacement 3 cylinder kubota made is?

I think the 1703 is the biggest 3 cyl but I may be mistaken.