Chevy Cruze diesel?
07-12-11, 06:22 AM
#16
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Boy was the Olds diesel a disaster! GM tried to design a diesel that could be built on the same line with the 350 gas engines, and although they shared blocks and a number of other bits, the sacrifices for commonality were just too great. The great failure was in the attempt to build a low-cost diesel, they just cut too many corners. The two engines are light-years apart in concept and design, and the "Diesel Olds" to which it was attached was a monumental failure.
IF Government Motors would go to their European confreres for a diesel for the Cruze, they could offer a fine product based on the Europeans' decades of small automotive diesel experience. Somehow I don't see that happening.
IF Government Motors would go to their European confreres for a diesel for the Cruze, they could offer a fine product based on the Europeans' decades of small automotive diesel experience. Somehow I don't see that happening.
I recall that another problem was that GM didn't install a water-separator in these cars which resulted in water-in-diesel-fuel and thus the engines were also prematurely damaged or destroyed.
Currently GM has access to a company that specializes in diesel engines: Isuzu. The diesels available in Opel cars in Europe were designed and engineered by Isuzu I believe.
07-12-11, 01:33 PM
#18
Most accounts state that the 350cid diesel was generally a "solid design", but GM cut corners on certain aspects which ultimately resulted in a very unreliable engine. Modern technology and modifications can apparently make a 350cid V8 diesel run long and reliably. There are many Oldsmobile 350 diesel enthusiasts out there (as well as fans and owners of diesel Cadillacs and Buicks) that enable these engines to work in the modern day and age.
I recall that another problem was that GM didn't install a water-separator in these cars which resulted in water-in-diesel-fuel and thus the engines were also prematurely damaged or destroyed.
Currently GM has access to a company that specializes in diesel engines: Isuzu. The diesels available in Opel cars in Europe were designed and engineered by Isuzu I believe.
I recall that another problem was that GM didn't install a water-separator in these cars which resulted in water-in-diesel-fuel and thus the engines were also prematurely damaged or destroyed.
Currently GM has access to a company that specializes in diesel engines: Isuzu. The diesels available in Opel cars in Europe were designed and engineered by Isuzu I believe.
07-12-11, 02:17 PM
#19
Out of Warranty
Because many diesel fuel vendors are unfamiliar with the demanding nature of the modern auto diesel, I recommend to friends considering purchase of a diesel that they install a good quality filter/separator on the firewall to polish up the fuel arriving from the tank. Even if it is strained a bit at the fuel pickup, any fine solids or water entering the pump and injectors can precipitate an expensive repair. Not a bad idea for gasoline engines either, particularly if you purchase fuel from suspect sources.
As to the GM 350 Diesel, it was a thinwall casting with inadequate studs mounting the head. Fine for gasoline service, but pretty weak for the higher pressures of diesel service. It was a noble effort to cut costs by using common components, but any diesel mechanic could have predicted the outcome. GM's misadventure did have one good result - it created a fairly large specialty market for swaps to gas engines.
A friend had an Olds 98 with the ill-fated diesel and it was a pretty nice car - just smelly and expensive to maintain everytime something went wrong. Nothing cheap, it seemed, ever broke. When it went out of warranty, he swapped it a gas 350 into it and got a much better car in the bargain. The warranty work very nearly broke GM.
As to the GM 350 Diesel, it was a thinwall casting with inadequate studs mounting the head. Fine for gasoline service, but pretty weak for the higher pressures of diesel service. It was a noble effort to cut costs by using common components, but any diesel mechanic could have predicted the outcome. GM's misadventure did have one good result - it created a fairly large specialty market for swaps to gas engines.
A friend had an Olds 98 with the ill-fated diesel and it was a pretty nice car - just smelly and expensive to maintain everytime something went wrong. Nothing cheap, it seemed, ever broke. When it went out of warranty, he swapped it a gas 350 into it and got a much better car in the bargain. The warranty work very nearly broke GM.
Last edited by Lil4X; 07-12-11 at 02:24 PM.
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