When a Gehl KL278 needs an engine, the part that trips buyers up is not finding a 3TNV88 - it is knowing whether the machine takes the mechanical version or the common rail one. We carry both, new surplus and rebuilt, and we will tell you which yours runs before you order.
The Gehl KL278 (GEHLMAX) is a compact wheel loader for landscaping, agriculture and light material handling, powered by the Yanmar 88 mm-bore 3-cylinder.
ENGINE SPECIFICATION. Three cylinder, four cycle, liquid cooled, vertical in-line. Direct injection, naturally aspirated. Bore and stroke 88 x 90 mm. Displacement 1.642 L (100.2 cu in). Around 36 hp at 3000 rpm at full speed, less in machines governed lower. Dry weight approximately 341 lb (154 kg). Rotation counterclockwise viewed from the flywheel end. Engine as fitted to this machine: 3TNV88. Production years: 2005-2015. Rated output in this machine: approximately approx. 36 hp.
WHAT WE FIT TO YOUR MACHINE.
On a compact wheel loader the engine runs at sustained working rpm under continuous load. Bellhousing, drive coupling, oil pan and cooling package are external and carry over from your old engine.
MECHANICAL OR COMMON RAIL - THIS IS THE ONE THING YOU MUST MATCH.
The Yanmar 3TNV88 comes in two fuel systems and they are not interchangeable. MECHANICAL INJECTION uses a mechanical pump and governor, with no ECU or sensors - this is what most machines in the field run, and it is our standard stock. ELECTRONIC COMMON RAIL (HPCR) is ECU-controlled, fitted to machines built to the later emissions standards. We carry both, in new surplus and rebuilt.
The suffix on your data plate - codes like -BKMS, -BPTB2, -QTB - does not mean a different engine. The core is the same across the family: same block, same crank, same 88 x 90 mm bore and stroke, same 1.642 L. The suffix tells you the fuel system and the accessory package. The accessories are external and swap; the fuel system is what has to match.
Two other variants to know about: the 3TNV88F has an ELECTRONIC GOVERNOR with EGR and is a different engine again, and the 3TNV88-GGE is a fixed-speed GENERATOR engine, not a machine engine. There is also a 4-CYLINDER 4TNV88 that is not the same as this three-cylinder engine at all.
Full breakdown of every variant, and how to read your data plate: see our Yanmar 3TNV88 engine buying guide.
GETTING IT RIGHT FIRST TIME.
We have supplied Yanmar TNV engines into US equipment for over five years, and every order gets cross-referenced against the machine's data plate before it ships. Send us the plate off your Gehl KL278 and we will confirm the fuel system, tell you which accessories transfer, and quote you - mechanical or common rail, new surplus or rebuilt.