Santa Fe Bob Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 We have an 18 ft 1983 Toyota Sunrader with 23,700 original miles on a 1L Diesel Engine. VERY slow on the highway. Does anyone know of a cost-effective way to increase the horsepower? Turbo? Different engine? Any references or recommendations are welcome. Thanks much for your help, Santa Fe Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 Cute Sunrader. There is a CT20 turbo kit that fits your engine. According to online reports it makes a big difference in power. I know there can be some heat issues with a turbo but not much else or how hard it is to install. Maybe the mechanics here can chime in. By the way everyone, this turbo kit fits the gas engine too. ct20 turbo - Google Search Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 It's not a job for the faint of heart but diesels take to turbo's like ducks to water. It still will not be a blazing performer but every little bit helps. That by the way is a great little diesel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john*thomas Posted June 28, 2021 Share Posted June 28, 2021 Do NOT swap out the diesel. You will have people lined up around the block to buy it as is. If you want a gas unit, sell that and buy a gas one. IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdt5058 Posted July 21, 2022 Share Posted July 21, 2022 On 6/27/2021 at 1:38 PM, linda s said: Cute Sunrader. There is a CT20 turbo kit that fits your engine. According to online reports it makes a big difference in power. I know there can be some heat issues with a turbo but not much else or how hard it is to install. Maybe the mechanics here can chime in. By the way everyone, this turbo kit fits the gas engine too. ct20 turbo - Google Search Linda S Apologies for bumping up an old thread. @linda s - been awhile since we last chatted and you gave me tons of advice. Do you know if these CT20 Turbo Kits are compatible with my 1981 Diesel? I'm finding conflicting information online that the CT20 kits are only good for 1984 Sunraders... Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted July 21, 2022 Share Posted July 21, 2022 Sunrader has nothing to do with it. It's a Toyota. So your engine is a 1L-2.2 or 2 L-2.4. From what I'm reading there are no turbo kits for the 2.2 engine. Only the 2.4. I can't find any definitive answers on real world use. The general consensus seems to be that the 1L engine can't get enough of a boost to make it worth it. Read through this thread Small 2.2L diesel turbo choice question | IH8MUD Forum Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ambos Mundos Posted December 22, 2022 Share Posted December 22, 2022 The bottom line is that diesel engine is too underpowered for a Sunrader. I test drove that vehicle and was able to get it to 55-60 mph on flat ground on the highway. At the time it had the rear end modified to require higher engine rpm (the opposite of what people normally do) to maintain highway speed. On hills the speed really took a hit. At 7000 feet, Santa Fe may not be the optimum location for that vehicle even with a turbo conversion. This would be a great Southern California beach vehicle where the owner would be driving an hour or so to go camping for a weekend and not have to worry about a slow commute to the campground. It was interesting to see a vehicle that was from a time warp. I was told it had been stored in a heated storage garage all its life and It looked like it had been! Roberto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted December 22, 2022 Share Posted December 22, 2022 Modifying the rear end to run at higher RPMs is what lots of Toyota motorhome owners do. The 22re produces more HP and torque at higher RPM's and is more responsive. Yes the old Toyota diesels were very under powered. Member of this group and well respected contributor used to own a Mini Cruiser diesel. His vehicles performance was reflected in his screen name' Turtle". If you've got fat money there are companies in the US that do conversions with later model and much larger engines. Huge fat money. One of our members also converted his Sunrader using a VW TDI engine. He was very happy with the result. Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred heath Posted December 22, 2022 Share Posted December 22, 2022 Cummins 2.8T. Gotta win the lottery first, but nice turnkey diesel. It will fit in the engine bay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.