Diesel Pontiac Wagon

Pontiac wagon as part of a set.
http://cedarrapids.craigslist.org/cto/5100098604.html

 

He's got two sedans...........but one is a wagon.

 

Finding a wagon with a diesel may be impossible, but is it wanted?

 

I believe these were listed before. Number one they are advertised as pair for $5500. Then in the add the diesel wagon is listed for an aditional $10,000.
When these diesel engines came out many didn't last as long as the waurantee. I wouldn't buy them for $5500 together even though both look very nice.

 

Pretty rare to see a v8 Diesel in such a late year. I would have to remove that huge bug shield. Probably worth 20mpg right there. If that Diesel has been taken care of it should be a good runner.

 

With a good water separator the diesel can stand a chance. I'd personally love to tinker with one, but not for the asking price...

 

That was the problem with the GoonWretch Olds 5.7 diesels--even if you took scrupulously good care of them, drove them like an old lady in a Tin Lizzy, and kissed them goodnight when you tucked them in, they still would throw rods and blow head gaskets. One of GM's most huge mistakes. Dropping in a Rocket 350 would be the best favor you could do for that wagon. That was what I got with that '82 Gutless Cruiser I had...it started as a diesel wagon, and someone dropped in a '72 350 before I got it in trade.

 

They had some early issues, but they worked most of them out. Most of the problems stemmed from people not knowing how to care/work on them. These are decent engines.

 

Even the Mk. 2 engines still had problems. I agree that most people didn't know how to drive them, thinking you could romp on them like a gas engine, but I knew a descendent of John "Johnny Appleseed" Chapman, Mark Chapman, who was a master mechanic and had both a Caddy Eldo and an Olds Custom Cruiser with the 5.7 Mk. 2 engines, took really good care of them, but they still blew head gaskets, which is why he had a stockpile of three used replacements in his garage, and would just junk out the replaced engine, as in his opinion, they still would not stay sealed with a fresh mill job and new gaskets, for which he said he learned the hard way.


Apparently, at some point, I'll use a period.

 

I'd upgrade that 5.7L to a later 6.2L found in the later square-bodied GM trucks. They used these in the mil-spec CUCC Blazers and 4x4 pickups. I drove several in the Saudi heat and desert Hell that Saudi is, and they held up quite nicely.

And add a damn water separation filter!!! The lack of that killed the majority of the 5.7L Olds-based Diesel GM engines.

The pair is overpriced by a factor of three, IMO.

 

But then I bought a diesel Caprice wagon in 1981. On the coldest days of winter, I mean 30 below, it was hard to start because the cranking speed was way too slow. Other than that, a great car. We drove it 66,000 miles and the only problem was a throttle position sensor. It would get well over 20 mpg on trips, approaching 25 many times. Traded for a 1984 Buick Electra wagon my wife fell in love with. We never did like that as well as the Caprice.

 

Water is what's likely what killed those engines, as gasoline would in a diesel. But then again, water content is an indictment on the sorry condition of the fuel stations around the U.S.