I have an 88 trooper, the one from the trooper road trip, <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> and i am looking at an engine swap. I had hoped for a 4.3 but that seems like a pain. Everyone seems to like the 3.4 instead. I would like to know, can I keep my stock five speed, and are there any other bugs? I don't need to deal with emissions here so that does not matter. Any help would be great. This is not something that I plan on doing really soon. I am just laying the ground work. thanks.

While the conversion to the 3.4 is relatively painless when you are converting from a 2.8, the 2.6 is a whole different animal.

A partial list to convert from the 2.6 would include the following:

The Transmission won't work. The bell-housings are very different.

The wiring needs major changes. The ECM is diffent. The primary wiring is different.

The engine mounts are different and located differently.

The cross-members are different.

Even the wiring for the secondary instruments is different.

On the other hand, you can use a rear drive-shaft from a 2.6 in a 2.8/3.4 (I am doing it).

For a very short time, many years ago, Advanced Adapters did produce an adapter from a 4.3 to a 2.6 transmission. The removed it from the market and destroyed the template.

Is it the transmission its self that wont work or can you change the bell housing? I am really not worried about the electronics. It will probable be a trial rig for the most part and I don't have any smog here any way. It will be getting a carburetor any way. I can fabricate motor mounts. The biggest thing that would make me do it would be using the same tranny. The deal is that the car is going to be driven by my older brother for a while and his track record would show that it will barely run when we get it back so I would like to have some idea what I am going to do with it then, thanks.

My truck has an isuzu m75 which was used in gm cars in the early 80s in some gm cars. This seems hopeful to me. My dads 88 s10 has a 2.8 v6 bolted to a t5. does the 2.8 trooper use a t5, an m75 with a different bell hosing, or something totally different? sorry for being stubborn <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />.

Your Isuzu uses the Isuzu MUA5. The bellhousing is integral with the case. No swapping.

As for the electronics, it it really is not an issue of it being difficult to make work. It is pretty close to nothing working, including engine management and all the sensors for the instrument cluster. Hacking it together will probably result in something that is both unreliable and, well, hacked.

Good luck,
Michael

Michael and I were trying to post at the same time. You need to think about the fact that you are dealing with a vehicle that is 23 years old and is probably worth $1500, tops. If you can do all the work yourself you are probably looking to spending $5000 or more on parts. This may sound like blasphemy on this site, I would recommend that you sell your Trooper as is, add to that money what you would have spent on parts and buy a CJ or YJ. It is clear from your questions that you are dealing with a dream and haven't done any research. We all have done the same thing.
Michael has taken his 'Pup about as far you can take one and still be IFS. I have what is most likely the first 2.8 converted to a 3.4.

By the way, your Dad's T5 and tranfer case is a driver's side drop, and yours is a passenger side, so you are talking about an axle change in front so you can another $2,000 at least to that option.

Isuzu didn't transplant the entire V6 drivetrain to the Trooper, just the engine, and that was actually a lot of work for the factory.

Selling the truck as is is not really an option right now and like I said when I get it back from my brother it will be worth next to nothing. I was not saying that I wanted to use the t5, just that it is a tranny that was hooked up to a 2.8 gm. The sticker under the hood says t75, is that the same as the mua5? I did notice the integral bell housing. Also the electronics are really really really not the issue. I don't plan on using any of them if I do this. Fabrication of mounts and cross pieces is no big deal either. Really I guess all I need to know is what tranny the 2.8 gm models used.

I quick Google or Bing search will get you a list of Isuzu option codes. T75 is a code for yellow headlights.

http://www.zitog.com/xr-001.shtml

The transmission description, whether it is for the 2.6 or the 2.8 is the MUA-5 as stated above. There are two versions, one for the 2.6 and one for the 2.8.

The only option code for a manual transmission is rmn, and that is what is on the data plate for my rig.

Thanks. Thats what I needed to know. Just so I don't feel like a total douche, there is an Isuzu t75 tranny right?

No, there is not an Isuzu T75.

You really should thing about what Jim is saying. You are correct, your trooper is essentially worthless. It is not going to be worth significantly less when reclaimed from your brother.

In addition to the issues with swapping the engine, you are still working with a 23 year old vehicle. That has to be considered before you dump a reasonable amount of money into it.

Yeah, can you do what you are talking about? Yes. Sure. Is it going to work? Maybe. Will you be happy with the end product? Who knows.

Since the average trooper can be had for cheap, just spend the dollars and pick up a used v6 model and swap a 3.4 into it. The money and time you would spend getting that same 3.4 into a 2.6 chassis can be spent in buying a better base to start from. And, then you get all the electronics and it will all work together very much like it did from the factory.

The 3.4 swap is essentially a plug and play thing into a v6 trooper. Not quite, but close. If you hack it together you will have a) a hacked project and b) something (with a carb) that will not be making that much more power than a healthy 2.6 or 2.8. Why spend the dollars if you are not going to get the most out of it.

Finally, in the end, consider what you really want. Maybe another starting point (jeep, fj40, whatever) would serve that purpose better.

Good luck,
Michael