Quote:
Originally Posted by VBOD
Just found a $400 4.3L Olds V6 diesel in an '83 celeb., 90K on it. Anyone here have hands-on experience with these? I've read they're basically a 5.7L olds diesel with 2 cyl's cut off. Could be a cheap way for me to get into a diesel and not get too beat up if'n I don't like it.
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Check diesel place forums or the olds diesel one I can't remember. The best diesel chevy ever made reliability wise was either
1. 4.3 v6 diesel or
2. 4.2 inline 6 diesel.
If you add a fuel water separator and a better filter they can run 500k or so. I would recommend detuning the motor by decreasing injection pressure but add more timing, this gives you smoke free lugging power at the expense of some high end.
If I had the skill and access to the parts my dream build would be a 4.3 transverse chevy diesel with an F40 6 speed manual in one of the older moderately sized cars.
Sadly both 4.3 diesels are also the most rare they made excluding the 2 or 3 2.8 4 banger olds diesels that undoubtably never made it to a showroom.
A chevy RWD in a chevy is always the easiest but might I recommend the FWD you found as those are VERY rare and unlike others have suggested gets near 40mpg with a 3sp auto and no overdrive, if you go to RWD that number drops into mid 30's but you can gain it back with a more modern XMSN, especially a MT. With a little fabrication most every FWD chevy transaxle can be made to fit most every FWD chevy engine.
They are perfectly fine for motoring around, they just aren't fast, good for a flat long highway. Just keep them cool, filtered and clean and they run well.
If you don't want the diesel celebrity, if it runs well and is in moderate condition let me know where it is, I think I might want it.
From what I was Told BOP is no issue for someone with skills as there are adapters for everything under the sun.
FWD is the way to go if you can pull it off.
Oddly a 6.2 gets very good mileage (better than a much smaller gasser) if you tune it right and gear it very high with a proper 5sp MT. So that would be the other cheap and easy FE motor if you must have RWD.
The 2.2 XFE motors found in cobalts and G5's would also make a good complete drop in replacement if you have the skill to drop the body onto the whole shebang. (they are rather common in junkyards and get good fe for a gasser)