NOSTALGIA: How bad was the GM 350 diesel?

[Harqobispal]

I have loved diesels and always will. Just because they dont need fire(sparkplug)to create power. They do it with sheer compression.
I used to own a 1981 olds diesel, Delta 88, "Body by Fisher".
I loved that car. First engine was totally shot. Used to dump drain oil in cause it burned to much. When it was getting real bad i switched to 80/90w gear oil. No Joke. Burned that for about 1.5 years until injector pump went out.

I figure all you guys and gals on here are pretty familiar with diesels.
How bad was that GM 350 Diesel?

Thank you for any off topic opinions.
And also thank you for all the help

 

[Jasonsmack]

I had one in a 1980 Silverado heavy half. I only ever had to do the injection pump on it once and the starter once. It was not used for a work truck too much which probably helped its longetivity alot. I bought it used and drove it for many years, sold it to a freind who drove it until the body rotted off the frame. It was one of my favorite vehicles I have ever owned. It always managed 25mpg or better and rode like a Cadillac. It started remarkably well in our cold winters here.

 

[Dieseldad97]

I used to own an Olds '98 regency with a 5.7 diesel. What a great family car. 1 inj pump, 1 starter and a trans is all the problems I had. 25-30 mpg to boot!

 

[RayMich]

I owned two of them, a 1979 Delta 88 and a 1981 Delta 88, bought both brand new. I NEVER had any problems with either car or engine and got 30 to 33 MPG consistently.

The 1981 and newer engines had the engineering design improvements that were initially vetoed by upper management on the original design and were quite reliable. Unfortunately, the PR damage was already done by the problems encountered during the prior years, so the 5.7L V8 and the 4.3L V6 was canceled during the 1984 model year.

 

[Goldsburg]

I used to own an Olds '98 regency with a 5.7 diesel. What a great family car. 1 inj pump, 1 starter and a trans is all the problems I had. 25-30 mpg to boot!

x2

My Mom and Dad owned a 98 Regency with the 5.7 (back in The Day) and they LOVED that car. The biggest issue that I remember was a lack of education from GM (or the dealership) on diesel car ownership (and maintenance) and IIRC, the lack of a fuel heater assembly in the fliter housing. That car iced up one winter so bad that it had to be towed to a garage where it sat inside for 2 full days before it would re-start. Dad really learned how to use anti-gel after that!!!!

They took it on vacation from Indiana to Stone Mountain, GA one summer and Dad bragged about the 29 MPG for YEARS afterward...

Regards,

 

[Dan Hunter]

My folks owned a gold station wagon with a 350 diesel. Other than oil/filters/tires, they did no service on the vehicle. I thought I read that parts from that engine were used by drag racers.

 

[vail426]

As a former GM mechanic, I had my share of head gasket jobs on these back in the day. the 350 was an Oldsmobile gasoline engine converted to diesel. i don't think the head bolt pattern was able to handle the increased stress. There were a few broken crankshafts as well. But, they ran good and got descent fuel economy as already mentioned.

 

[JeffsJeep04]

The place I work used to have two 81 chevy trucks for work trucks. The owner HATED them. We got to talking one day and he went on and on about the troubles they gave him. At first, they couldn't make a half hour trip in the winter without freezing up. They had to be parked in the shop or they wouldn't start (not very handy for a manufacturing outfit). They finally put some tank heaters on them and that got the fueling issues fixed. They still had issues with pistons, cranks, and headgaskets. They finally put some SBC 350's in them and they went 200+k on those motors. He's a diehard diesel guy, and turned to ford after that (unfortunately....he's pretty fed up with his 6.0 now though..haha).

He did say they got GREAT milage when they were running properly.

 

[bk95td]

I owned 2 of the olds 350 diesels. The first one was in a 81 c10 pickup. I bought it with 80,000 miles on it. It was the second engine in it at that time. By the time the truck had 125,000 miles on it the engine was shot. 50 miles to a quart of oil. Replaced with 455 olds.
The second one was a 82 olds 98 regency 4-door. It had 170,000 miles on it with the original engine.The transmission and injection pump had just been replaced before i bought it. I drove the car untill it had 370,000 miles when it blew a head gasket. I think i almost got my $700 worth out of that one. Both got very good mpg. 25+

 

[Tookie]

I had a friend with a Delta 88 he used for a taxi - it lasted a lonnnng time,
and got great mileage. Whe it finally crapped out, we swapped to a SBC,
because you couldn't find the diesels in the wrecking yards.
A little OT here, but GM is dropping the ball on diesel light duty trucks -
not everyone needs a new D-max that can tow 20,000# - they could put
a 4 cyl Diesel into a half ton truck, probably still have 6 - 8,000# towing
capacity, and get close to 30 MPG empty. I'd buy one tomorrow if they
offered it

 

[schiker]

Heard the early ones the wrist pins were too small and wore the pistons badly, the head gaskets were light duty, and starters were too. Yep I think the reputation killed it more than anything and it being a "conversion" stigma.

A few years ago a friend told me his dad use to pick'em up every once in a while for nearly nothing pulling them out of backyards here and there. He usually only had to put on some cheap or used tires, R&R a starter, battery, & fresh fuel and then had a decent beater for couple hundred bucks or a spare engine and parts source for another project. He thought they were ok and was glad people thought they were worthless (one mans trash is anothers treasure sorta thing). He is a doesn't care about what a vehicle looks like kinda guys.

 

[jmiller]

When I was in college, Dad bought a 4.3 diesel celebrity wagon. (it was really cheap) The car is long gone, the 4.3 and trans-axle has been in the barn for years.

It ran great.

Need to find something to put that 4.3 into, maybe the 83 GMC k2500 will get it. With the 350 gasser, it gets 9 mpg (11 on a good day). First the cab has to be rebuilt, it seems to be sagging around the frame. Unless my little brother finally gives me the money for it.

 

[Missy Good Wench]

We owned a two Cutlass's and had great luck.
They had the 260V8 Diesel in them (79 model)
Dropped a 5.7 diesel in the one and drove the wheels off it.

Great mileage and comfortable too.

Heads did crack from time to time and the gaskets were a tad shakey.

One could buy these things cheap especially if they had an issue or two.
Jumped into these cold turkey and learned a lot about diesels real quick.

Then it was off to the 6.2/6.5 beasts

MGW

 

[JeffsJeep04]

We owned a two Cutlass's and had great luck.
They had the 260V8 Diesel in them (79 model)
Dropped a 5.7 diesel in the one and drove the wheels off it.

Great mileage and comfortable too.

Heads did crack from time to time and the gaskets were a tad shakey.

One could buy these things cheap especially if they had an issue or two.
Jumped into these cold turkey and learned a lot about diesels real quick.

Then it was off to the 6.2/6.5 beasts

MGW

Pardon my ignorance, but the 4.3 (260 CI) diesel was a V8? I know they later made an LT1ish 4.3 V-8 for the caprices.

 

[Acesneights1]

My Father had a Cadillac Eldorado with a 5.7 handgrenade. First motor crank at 20k. Second motor knocking very badly at 50k. Pure junk IMO. Traded it in(took large beating) on Audi 5cyl diesel. Much better.

 

[RayMich]

Pardon my ignorance, but the 4.3 (260 CI) diesel was a V8? I know they later made an LT1ish 4.3 V-8 for the caprices.

The 4.3L (260c.i.) V8 (LF7) was available ONLY during the 1979 Model Year and ONLY in the mid-size rear-wheel-drive Cutlass/Malibu/Century, etc.

The 4.3L V6 was available in the rear-wheel-drive midsize cars (1982 - 1984) as well as the FWD Midsize cars (1982 - 1985).

 

[packratt]

maybe the 83 GMC k2500 will get it. With the 350 gasser, it gets 9 mpg (11 on a good day). First the cab has to be rebuilt, it seems to be sagging around the frame. Unless my little brother finally gives me the money for it.

I've got a pair of weld in full cab supports setting around here somewhere I'll give you a good deal on.

 

[RayMich]

When I was in college, Dad bought a 4.3 diesel celebrity wagon. (it was really cheap) The car is long gone, the 4.3 and trans-axle has been in the barn for years.

It ran great.

Need to find something to put that 4.3 into, maybe the 83 GMC k2500 will get it. With the 350 gasser, it gets 9 mpg (11 on a good day). First the cab has to be rebuilt, it seems to be sagging around the frame. Unless my little brother finally gives me the money for it.

The biggest problem is that a Celebrity is a front wheel drive unibody car and the engine is mounted transversely. If you were to cobble it into a K2500, it would have to be FWD only and that engine in that truck would hardly have enough power to pull itself over a 1 inch pebble.

 

[bk95td]

If I remember correctly the 5.7 was only 125 hp stock. The 4.3s couldnt have been over 90hp. Getting parts for either one of the 4.3s would be a real challenge.

 

[RayMich]

The early Oldsmobile 5.7L V8 Diesel engine was rated at 120 hp on cars and 125 hp on the pickup trucks. From the 1980 model year thru 1985 it was rated at 105 hp. (It hardly had enough power to drag itself around)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobile_V8_engine#LF9_Diesel

The 1979 4.3L V8 Diesel engine was only available for ONE model year and it was rated at 90 hp.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobile_V8_engine#LF7_Diesel

The V6 Diesel engine was available as a Longitudinal LT6 rear wheel drive engine and a Transverse LT7 front wheel drive engine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobile_Diesel_V6_engine#LT6

If I remember correctly, the transverse LT7 FWD engine was rated at around 85 hp. Not anything I would want to drop into a 3/4 ton 2500 pickup. To say nothing of the nightmare associated with putting a transverse FWD engine in a pickup truck.