azdiesel

I am owner of 1986 Comanche diesel for sale in Phoenix. It has been extensively gone through , engine removed and gone through. trans is fresh, new clutch/flywheel new steering box, new a/c compressor, pwr steering pump. Repaired exhaust manifold, stress re-leaved and ceramic coated inside and out, new turbo. Wiring harness was removed and gone through. Fresh adjustable Koni shock up front, new brakes. Spent last five years working on this Comanche. Needs interior and paint. So, where else are you going to find one of these Arizona rust free Comanche diesels for sale. I am guessing it is the only one in Arizona.

I'm in Phx, need radiator fan shroud for Comanche 2.1 diesel

i have been working on my 86 diesel since September. I have gone thru the motor and rebuilt everything on the truck exept the trans and diff. i need a cam and some rockers and possibly a good head. Let me know if you need anything as i have gone throught rebuilding much of my MJ including making many parts.

I own a white 86 comanche 2.1 and have been working on it since last September. doing an engine is a real bear finding parts. I have looked world wide for parts and still haven't found new pistons or liners. they can be lmade to order in China but they require minimum of 600 pieces. There are new heads avaail in China. so far, no one in USA can make custom pistons except to machine them out of a solid piece of Aluminum. You will probably fine your exhaust manifold cracked in the middle. I have made up replaceable cam belt idlers s the OEM ones are rediculously expensive because of how they are made. Also, i had to machine up a special puller to remove the piston liners. It took about 20,000 lbs of tension to pull the liners out as they were stuck in the block. i also had to EDM out a broken off head bolt---cost was $160.00 and I could go on and on. Many parts ordered that were coaimed to fit the diesel--didn't fit such as hoses, motor mounts etc,

i believe I bought one from Rock Auto. I could not find the wicks that go along side the rear main cap so i tried using silicone. so--- i have a leak and might have to pull the trans to try resealing it.

Need battery tray for 86 comanche diesel. Also interested in engine parts , Head, cam, cam followers etc. Anything for 2.1 turbo diesel may be of interest.

I have been working on my 2.1 turbo diesel enging now for a few months and have learned a lot about it. I have two engines and will be getting another. I have also found new parts out of China like heads/ blocks etc. You should consider a MB 5 cylinder turbo diesel and I know where someone has one for sale from an abandoned jeep project. There is also a jeep 2.1 engine trans and xfer case in Tuajana on craigs list now for $1500.00. Any Renault is likely to need work unless you can hee it run and drive it. What kind of budjet do you have for your diesel project?

With THAT STOGIE, has anyone ever told you, you look like a famous movie star? Rin- tin- tin taking a dump.

Where can i get a firewall insulation panel? 1986 comanche Diesel.

Do you have any diesel engine parts? Still need a good diesel tach?

Is this the panel on the fire wall in the engine compartment? if so, where might I find a new one? i have the engine out of my 86 Diesel and would like to replae it while the engine is out. Also, a hood pane would be nice.

The 2.1 Renault is all apart, cam is bad, crank needs grinding, block appears to have a head bolt broken off with a mickey mouse half assed repair. Looks like the head has been welded on . because of the problems so far, i expect it will need pistons and liners. Bottom line, engine is warn out! so I'm lookjng at engines out of Europe as it may be the more economical way to go. What is surprizing is how well this thing ran in this condidion.

As a suggestion, look for a 225 aluminum block & save some weight. I used to drag race a valiant Hyper-pak. 4 barrel afb carter on a long ram manifold cam, cast exhaust headers. Any knowledgable engine remanufacturer will tell you it is one of the best engines ever built. Build yourself a Mega-squirt EFI system/ignition and you would have a sweet package. In the earily 60s there was a compact car race at daytona, Valiant---driven by Lee Petty, Ford Falcon & Corvair. The Valiant was a hyper -pak and won the race with I believe was 37 laps ahead of the Falcon . The Corvair DNFt. (didn't finish)

Pinto engine in a Rolls Royce--- possibly and inprovement. Make shure it is a German 2.0 & not the 2.3.

How about buying a Mopar wreck with a SRT-8 and put the whole works in a comanche. My brother is putting one of these drive trains into a 64 Satalite . Should be interesting! Regarding Mopar junk, My 98 Intrepid has 320k miles on it. Engine & trans have had regular maintenance/ oil changes and have never been apart for repairs. By the way, i drive the hell out of my vehilces! The materials all come from the same hole in the ground and the engineers more than likely worked for various different companies. So every car company is going to have good components and then some not so good. A 2.7 engine in an Intrepid (to me) is bad news. Mine is a 3.2 and it is probably the best car i have ever owned considering price, fuel mileage and component failures. An eco-boost Ford in a Comanche would also be a killer package! If you have never had a turbo engine, its the only way to fly in the mountians and still have some economy.

Check out Delco aftermarket new alternators. I was offered one for my comanche for $89.00 outright. There is a model with single wire output and they exciting. I was told they also have roller bearings, not ball bearings. They have several different configurations and up to 200amps. Perhaps you can find one that works for you.

Thanks for the feedback. I understand the intercooler and oil cooler. Someone else mentioned a connection of the radiator having oil cooling coils internally. You are correct in that there is no direct way for the oil to enter the cooling system except as you mentioned, a cracked head/ leaking head gasket or the like. There is a poduct that claims it will seal up this kind of crack leak. I might give it a try and remain quite sceptical especially with a diesel. it has been establishe that the oil is diesel fuel. it doesn't use water overheat here in Phoenix and it runs great. So, time will tell. I learned of a 7.3 ford that ate through a cylinder liner due to cavitation which accelerates the process when the coolant has an unhealthy ph level. I was informed that cavitation in diesel cooling systems is common due to the high frequency flexing of the block due to operational stresses. I am familiar with cavitation but in a diesel engine block is new to me. There is an rpm on the older Lamborghini engines where the block starts vibrating (ringing) as the natural resonant frquency of the block is passed. I suspect many engines experience something like this. By the way, My tach was inop and found the rectifier plate in the Paris Rhone alt to be bad. Found the parts locally after 2hrs on the phone.

Interesting comments----- 1) a turbo comanche needs vacuum to operate the power brakes, heater/a/c controls & cruise control. They have two seperate vacuum reserviors, one is just for cruise control---according to the factory manual. BUT---they are not located in the same place as the gasoline powered vehicles & the shop manual does not tell where they are! The 2.1 renault has a diaphram vacuum pump on the engine. Same manufacturer as a MB 240 or 300D. The diesel also uses vacuum to control fuel mixture based on atmospheric pressure & possibly temperature. regarding parts, there is a new short block and head on ebay for $160.00. Unfortunately, it is pickup only, no shipping & it's in England. Parts are hard to find & you have to be patient . I have driven a few 300 sd turbo Mercedes and was quite surprized at how fast they were! I would say that a 300mb turbo diesel in cherokee would out perform a 4.0 gas engine hands down. With a few mods, It would start breaking driveline components/transmissions. 250 to 300 hp would be relativly easy to come by not to mention gobs of torque. The newer VWs use an electric vacuum pump operated by the ecu. I was going to install one until I found the rebuild kit for my oem vacuum pump.

fyo If you need to rebuild your vacuum pump---as i did, you can buy two vacuum pump service kits for a 240 to 300d Mercedes. Bought mine a BAP auto parts. one kit includes the two one way check valves & the other is the diaphram.

Vacuum reservior is not in front behind bumper. the 2.1 diesel is different! My Comanche is a 5speed manual, No cooler lines of any kind in the radiator. as of this afternoon, smells to be diesel fuel in the water---blown headgasket? No water in oil nor does it use water! ( and it runs great, no sign of blown head gasket. so, it's coming apart because of oil leaks. Engine oil cooler is oil to air mounted just behind the grill next to intercooler.

No speka da francheze, un pokode italiano & Espinolski

Sounds like you are not a diesel Comanche fan! Have you ever driven one or for that matter seen one? Some say that only a diesel is a real truck, all others are wannabees. For sure, this will be an education---parlevue frenchie or something like that. So far, the Comanche is just the right size for me as I just sold my Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel. Years ago, i bought a 66 dodge with a 426 street hemi. it took over a year to figure that one out. the front licence plate said excedrin headache # 426. This was telling me something!! Nothing could be as bad as that one was! Best it ever did was 11mpg with a quart of 50w oil every tank of gas. Your reply is appreciated. Thanks

Those GM diesels were a pice of garbage!! Consider a mid to late 80s MB five cylinder turbo diesel. Parts are available engines are available and reliable with plenty of power. There is a jeep on craigs list in San Diago with MB diesel for sale if interested.

Just bought 86 Comanche diesel 2.1 and could use some help. 1) Could use any technical publiations with details on motor.Already have factory shop manual which isn't very complete. 2) Have oil in radiator. Where is it coming from? is this a common problem? 3) Where is vacuum reservior? 4) Details on vacuum lines as all of mine were disconnected. 5) Would like to hear another one run as a comparison.I live in Phoenix,AZ 6) Will probably pull the engine due to many oil leaks. front & rear crank seals. 7) Had diesel mechanic drive it. He stated it ran quite well but smoked quite a lot. 8) Injectorer were bench checked and found to have bad nozzles---being rebuilt. 9) Major concern at this time is oil in water. No water in oil, truck doesn't use water, doesn't over heat or show sighns of a bad head gasket. 10) Is cooling system on this engine prone to cavitation causing possible oil in water? Any help, conference phone calls or any other communications would be appreciated. Richard in Phoenix

I just bought a 1986 Comanche 2.1 diesel in Arizona with no rust. I am findng parts for the Renault are almost impossible to find. i was going to install a 4bt into a dodge dakota until i found this truck. I stil have a nice 4bt ready to go and my only concern is the weight of the 4bt. I have a friend here with a 4bt in a Bronco that puts out 320 hp ! In a little more time, I should have a better handle on the Renault as I continue restoring it to a reliable daily driver. You might look for a dodge sprinter engine package out of a wreck. i have seen a complete sprinter for $4k which would give you all the electronices to make the swap. how about a VW diesel?