Gas to Diesel Engine Swap [ Archive] - GasSavers.org - Helping You Save at the Pump

Recently, I've wondering if it were possible to drop a diesel engine into a 98 Honda Civic Cx. I got the idea from watching MTV's "Rob & Big", whereas one of them took a 79 Ford Pinto to "Lovecraft Biofuels" in which the gas engine was swapped out for a diesel engine and had a WVO system installed.

If it is at all possible, what kind of engine & tranny would I need, and were would I go to make the swap?

Short answer, yes it's possible.

Long answer, you'll have to find an engine smaller than what you have now as the blocks are built up more to handle the pressure, you'll want a turbo, headers will most likely have to be custom made, getting the computers to work together will be a headache, the front suspension will need stiffer springs to handle the extra weight.

If I had to suggest an available engine, it would be the 1.9L VW TDi engine.

I would rather just get a Golf TDi and sell the Honda though.

you would almost be better off to cut off the front end of both cars and just swap the front ends, as the honda engine is on the drivers side of the car, with tranny on the passenger side, and the VW is the other way around.
there are not any diesel engines that are going to be an easy fit, but if you have a TV show with a large budget there is all kinds of stuff that can be done, and I'm sure they picked the ford pinto because of an engine that would fit in it, I figure if this is the kind of question that you have to ask, then you most likely don't have the skills to do it, because if you did have the skills you would just do it.

A gas-to-diesel swap would be easy for a GM front-engine rear drive vehicle. A 6.2 or 6.5 would bolt right up to a GM pickup or Caprice or Corvette.

A Honda or other front-wheel drive car...I dunno.

See this, putting a VW motor in a minivan...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkf4cxAaTmA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1s2jqhqMEc

(I kinda wanna do this sometime)