I recently purchased a 1983 mazda b220 diesel pickup with the 2.2 perkins diesel with a bosch ve injector pump (same as the 89-93 Dodge Cummins). It has a small turbo that only sees about 5 p.s.i of boost. This engine is rated @ 59 horsepower stock and doesn't feel like much more than that with the turbo. I drive 110 miles a day round trip to work and I am interested in running waste motor oil or maybe used atf. I am an auto mechanic and can have as much of it I want for free. I have been looking through this forum for a couple hours now and I am still a bit confused as to what I need to do to run this stuff in my truck and if it is even safe to do so with this vehicle. Any info or links would be greatly appreciated.

Hello 82b2200, and welcome to the (very large and sometimes confusing) forums. I have the same vehicle, but without the turbo that someone has added to yours. They're a great little truck, as long as you don't expect more of them than they can give. I have run mine for over 100,000 miles on biodiesel and svo without mechanical problems associated with the fuels. Mine now has well over 200,000 miles on it (it had about 100,000 miles on petro diesel when I bought it). I have no personal experience with running it on non-diesel petroleum products, but have read a lot about them. If you're concerned about emissions, then don't use them as fuel. If you don't care, then they reportedly work just fine in modest (up to 15%) blends with diesel. Since the engine is a Perkins design (built by Mistubishi for Mazda), it isn't quite identical to the 4.135 Perkins built in England. The differences are mostly in threaded fasteners. The Mazda part numbers for the engine parts are the same as Perkins, except for the prefix, and sometimes the number spacing. My nearest Mazda dealership does not believe my truck originally came with a diesel, for example. The local truck shop doesn't list the engine, but was able to get parts from Perkins! It's an "orphan" engine in the US, since it wasn't used in anything else, and only in the Mazda and Ford trucks for a couple years.

Being an Indirect Injection design, they're much more tolerant of strange fuels than more modern engines. It seems reasonable that you might be able to burn your free used oils by adopting some of the "SVO" practices (heating the fuel as it approaches the IP and injectors). I would take great care to filter it well, before putting it into a vehicle, so that I don't have to change filters on the road.

Note that the 5-speed transmissons are prone to main-shaft input bearing failure at around 120,000 miles. They're easy to repair, if you catch them early. Upgrading to a better bearing seems to be a permanent fix. Replacement transmission parts are a problem, somewhat remedied by using the guts from an early RX-7, if available from a wrecking yard.

Blue Ridge Diesel has all replacement parts for the fuel system, given the BOSCH part numbers. Glow plugs are available from NAPA, but they're about $100/set of 4. I've tried 3 brands, and only one has lasted (I'll post the brand after I look them up in my notes).

I get around 35 mpg, taking no particular pains to save fuel. It does a comfortable 70mph on the flat, and can usually keep up with the semi's on hills by downshifting to 4th/60mph.

Adjust, or at least check the valve clearances every 20,000 miles or so. Ignoring this will cost about $500 to rebuild the head.

Most body parts are the same as the B2000 gas rigs of the same years. The transmission tunnel/firewall is different for the diesel. So is the tranny, driveline, and rear diff ratio. The glow plug controller is hard to find, but they last a long time (mine's original). Starters are expensive ($3-400, rebuilt).

Um, there's a dedicated discussion forum about them online, but I don't have the link at this computer, and a quick search didn't find them. I'll post it in a week or so, when I can.

Cheers,
JohnO

Here's the Mazda diesel board. It's not well supported, but has some great information and links.

I guess I just missed buying a good parts truck in Oregon. Too bad.

Cheers,
JohnO