Oldsmobile LF9 Diesel?

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by sxeC6

My son and I wanted to put an Olds 455 engine in '79 Trans Am with a 403 and found out it wouldn't work without major mods to the heater box area because of the 455's higher deck height and added width. End up with a Poncho 455 which worked fine.

I"m an old Poncho head since the 389 daze and I found out the Olds and Poncho took the same head gasket, I would assume they had the same blocks therefore....guess not....sorry guys....

however I did take a OLDS 350/CADDY 425 DPFI sytem off a '79 Seville and put it on my Poncho engine....still have the induction setup, not so awful evil for a home brew setup....

[88Z51]

Originally Posted by mrvette

and I found out the Olds and Poncho took the same head gasket,

Sorry man, rong again.......

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by 88Z51

Sorry man, rong again.......

Odd, I distinctly remember reading the label on a FelPro head gasket set, and them saying fits Olds xxx and Pontiac xxx

but now you going to ask what specific engines, and I gotta say I dunno...

but SOME of them had to be the same or that couldn't happen??....

curious to how....

[polarbear]

I remember those damned things when they were new. What a POS. But no one mentioned VW's little diesel that came out about the same time. It was also a gas conversion, and was about as durable and reliable as GM's V8 diesel. That is to say, both were about as durable as a potato chip.

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by polarbear

I remember those damned things when they were new. What a POS. But no one mentioned VW's little diesel that came out about the same time. It was also a gas conversion, and was about as durable and reliable as GM's V8 diesel. That is to say, both were about as durable as a potato chip.

Neighbor across the street from the Ex, his kids were teenagers 30 years ago, he had TWO VW rabbits I think they were diesels at any rate, he could not keep them on the road, he refused to admit they were a POS....

[88Z51]

Originally Posted by mrvette

Odd, I distinctly remember reading the label on a FelPro head gasket set, and them saying fits Olds xxx and Pontiac xxx

but now you going to ask what specific engines, and I gotta say I dunno...

but SOME of them had to be the same or that couldn't happen??....

curious to how....

Fel Pro (and other manufactures) labels (and catalogs) will often include (or exclude) the "1975 400" which was used in some of the full size Oldsmobiles. The 1975 400 that they refer to is in fact a Pontiac engine.

[Thud]

Originally Posted by sxeC6

Yep, after the first big oil crisis in '73, GM jumped in with diesel engines for for big cars like Olds. Prob was that the 350 engine wasn't beefy enough and they were a consant maintenance headache besides being noisy and stinky. Many were replace with gas engines, most were junked as they had little or no resale value. :train:

My parents had a couple diesels in the 80's-- one was a Cutlass Ciera with a diesel V6, and then a freaking woodpanel Olds station wagon with the 350 diesel.

Clattered like a mofo! Those engines are the reason America still has a distaste for diesel passenger cars. Plus, when you turned the ignition on, you'd have to wait for the "wait" light to go out before you could start it because the glow plugs took a while to heat up.


The 350 diesels do have a loyal following-- once you fix GM's 2 or 3 critical design defects, they are very stout motors that will last forever.

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by Thud

My parents had a couple diesels in the 80's-- one was a Cutlass Ciera with a diesel V6, and then a freaking woodpanel Olds station wagon with the 350 diesel.

Clattered like a mofo! Those engines are the reason America still has a distaste for diesel passenger cars. Plus, when you turned the ignition on, you'd have to wait for the "wait" light to go out before you could start it because the glow plugs took a while to heat up.


The 350 diesels do have a loyal following-- once you fix GM's 2 or 3 critical design defects, they are very stout motors that will last forever.

I had the understanding the block itself was not beefy enough .....how to fix that??

I have to wonder how in hell any Mercedes ever made it in this country, when that early diesel import 200D?? was the most FUGLY homely looking NOISE box to ever hit the roads.....WHO in hell would ever buy them,?? but yet they were all over DC roads, getting passed by VW bugs....even yet....

[Thud]

Originally Posted by mrvette

I had the understanding the block itself was not beefy enough .....how to fix that??

I have to wonder how in hell any Mercedes ever made it in this country, when that early diesel import 200D?? was the most FUGLY homely looking NOISE box to ever hit the roads.....WHO in hell would ever buy them,?? but yet they were all over DC roads, getting passed by VW bugs....even yet....

The block was fine-- it was in fact designed specifically for diesel use, and made of a different alloy than the gas version.

The most obvious mistake was the lack of a water separator which caused lots of fuel problems.

The internet makes me sound like I know what the hell I'm talking about, but I mainly just read this link:

Car Lust: Oldsmobile 350 Diesel

[NB2K]

Originally Posted by Thud

The block was fine-- it was in fact designed specifically for diesel use, and made of a different alloy than the gas version.

The most obvious mistake was the lack of a water separator which caused lots of fuel problems.

The internet makes me sound like I know what the hell I'm talking about, but I mainly just read this link:

Car Lust: Oldsmobile 350 Diesel

Or you coulda just read my post.

GM soured a lot of folks on diesel in the US, but really, diesels in a passenger car (in the US) are the answer to a question that nobody asked.

[C5Nate]

Originally Posted by NB2K

Or you coulda just read my post.

GM soured a lot of folks on diesel in the US, but really, diesels in a passenger car (in the US) are the answer to a question that nobody asked.

:bs

GM did not sell enough of them to make a dent.

I'm willing to bet if you asked almost any non car person, most never even heard of the 350 diesel.

Get behind any city bus back in the '70's and '80's and you will know what most people think of when they hear the word diesel.

Many of them went 200k + miles. I know where a ’75 Chevy truck us right now that is still running it original diesel engine.

[NB2K]

Originally Posted by C5Nate

:bs

GM did not sell enough of them to make a dent.

I'm willing to bet if you asked almost any non car person, most never even heard of the 350 diesel.

Get behind any city bus back in the '70's and '80's and you will know what most people think of when they hear the word diesel.

Many of them went 200k + miles. I know where a ’75 Chevy truck us right now that is still running it original diesel engine.

I respectfully disagree. GM, at the time of the diesel fiasco, was the King.

While they didn't sell many (thank God) the recalls, dismal resale value, and well-known reliability issues were more than enough to scare the average consumer away from domestic diesel passenger cars for a loooong time.

I don't think I've ever heard anyone disagree with that.