Hey guys I am new here and recently posted a thread in the non-model specific forum, but thought I would try here also. I have a 84 Deville with a 5.7 Diesel, and am interested in possible changing that to a regular gasoline engine. Any advice or thoughts on that would be great. Also some general maintence tips for diesel engines would be great as well. Thank you Dirty

Re: Diesel Engine
The "Olds" diesels were actually far more robust than people give them credit for. There was no real problem with "thin cylinder walls". That's a new one! The issue was that people treated them like gas engines and maintained them the same way. That is to say poorly. Treated properly, the engines would run forever.

Several things happened that caused problems. The most single common mistake was that most people used the wrong oil in those diesels. They put automotive 10W40 oil in them (since that was the most expensive "trick" oil of the early 70's). 10W40 oil was specifically not recommended for the Olds diesels because the high viscosity improver concentration in the 10W40 oils and the relatively poor quality of that viscosity improver package in the oils of that era (those were SE grade oils in that time frame) caused severe ring belt deposits. No diesel engine maker in that time frame recommended any multiviscosity oil much less 10W40 that had more viscosity improvers than any other product. So, people would use the 10W40 oil and it would form deposits in the ring lands and eventually restrict the ring movement and then the engine would loose compression and not start.

Which then brings us to the second big mistake people made with the Olds diesels. They used starting fluid or ether or sometimes WD40 sprayed into the intake to start them. This worked for awhile when the scenario above played out and caused a loss of compression. It would also work in the winter when they were late for work and had forgotten to plug the block heater in and it wouldn't start. Hit it with the ether and hammer down. Trouble was, the pistons in that engine were not the cast iron crowned HD pistons like in big trucks and the Olds diesel had much more compression (22:1) than class 8 diesels. The violent reaction from the ether combustion on the intake stroke would collapse the top ring lands, trap the rings and the rings would stick and lose compression. See above.

Trust me, most all the Olds diesels were "killed" by their owners in the above fashion. My father worked on those engines and I know how sturdy they were. They were not a class 8 truck engine but they were plenty robust enough for passenger car use if maintained and treated correctly. Possibly it was GM's fault for not informing the owners or promising "too much" in the haste to sell them for the fuel economy. Owners really needed to be coached and schooled as to how to treat, operate and maintain them. They are poor engines for short tripping to the post office and food store on a daily basis but they were sold for that use. They probably should have been sold on a limited basis in the Northern states due to poor cold weather startability (as is with most diesels) and/or clear instructions in using the block heater and the importance of it should have been stressed - but, then, if people knew how much trouble they were they wouldn't have bought them.

The other issue in the early ones was the fuel gelling. Most people would buy the wrong fuel during the winter (of course the cheapest fuel was the wrong fuel) and the fuel would gel and plug the fuel filter. So the can of ether came out of the trunk - see above. Later models of the engine came with an electrically heated fuel filter to avoid this problem. Probably should have been there all along but if the right fuel was used, then it wasn't an issue to begin with.

One other "problem" that came up in operation was people's haste to start them. They would not wait for the glow plugs to warm up the engine (and they didn't use the block heater in the winter of course) and they would just start cranking. Then they would remember the glow plugs. The trouble was now there is all this fuel in there. So they would crank and crank. Then they learned how to "jump" the glow plugs to turn them on longer. Trouble there was then the glow plugs would burn out. When the glow plugs burned out and melted they wouldn't come out of the combustion chamber so the mechanic/owner forced them and the tips broke off and stayed in the chamber where they were crushed by the piston the next trip around with 22:1 there isn't much room in there and the resulting damage would take the engine out. Is this the engine's fault? The mechanics and owners claimed it was. I cold never burn out a glow plug using just the key to start the engine but they came in under warranty "burned out" and "melted" all the time. The only explanation was the owners "jumping" them for too long .

The weakest link in the early diesels was the flat tappet cams. Those early engines required frequent oil changes (3000 miles at the most) and the correct oil (oil for HD diesels not automotive oil and especially not 10W40 oil). Once again, people used to gasoline engines used the wrong oils and killed them. Wtih the roller lifter cams in the later engines this problem with the oil was largely avoided but the problem with the 10W40 oil sticking the rings was still there.

Regarding the one that is still running. Someone obviously treated it correctly. Nothing special to do really, just be aware that it is a light duty diesel: NEVER USE STARTING FLUID NO MATTER HOW TEMPTING.

Use the current heavy duty Delvac or Delo or Rotella oils. They are readily available in 15W40 grade at Walmart. Those are excellent oils for that engine. Too bad they weren't around in 1975 or we wouldn't have had so much trouble.

Change the oil every 3000 miles. Contrary to a gas engine and longer change intervals the diesels put so much soot (very abrasive) into the oil that it needs to be changed constantly. Keep it fresh and it will run for a long time.

Change the coolant in the cooling system yearly and use the GM coolant supplement as the diesel could possibly seep coolant into the oil if a small seepage developed. Use the supplement to prevent any stray seepage and change the coolant yearly to fresh, green conventional 50/50 coolant/distilled water.

The mulitviscosity oils of today are so much better than the multiviscosity oils of 1970's that there is no comparison. The SE and SF 10W40 oils that ruined the diesels back then (and a lot of other engines) are history. The current SL oils for diesels are dramatically better. The VI package is fully synthetic and there is ample wear protection in the oil.. Gasoline engines should use an SL oil that is rated GF3 or GF4 (the starburst symbol on the can). You will not that the Delvac, Delo or Rotella oils are NOT GF3-4 rated. That is a good thing for diesels. The GF rating means that the oil is friction modified (among other things) and you do not need nor want that in that early diesel. Use a non-GF3-4 oil such as the Delo , Delvac or Rotella and it'll be fine.

It really is a shame that the Oldsmobile diesels got such a bad rap. They were not nearly as frail as people thought if treated correctly. Slow? Yes! Frugal? Yes! Frail? No! Easy to kill if treated wrong? Yes!

It really soured people on diesels for a long time but it made it easier on the next generation of diesels as people will certainly be better informed and the manufacturers will not take so much for granted in terms of the necessary maintenance and care. Much like the Cadillac "864" but that is a story for another day.

Do a Google search for "Oldsmobile Diesel". There are some excellent websites devoted to the engine as there is still a strong following for them out there. People that can use them correctly and understand their shortcomings get excellent service out of them. Try www.oldsmobileforums.com

P.S. You cannot convert the diesel engine itself to gas operation. Just changing the heads and such wont work. You would need to get a complete driveline from a scrap yard car or buy a crate engine to convert the car to gas.

There is some confusion here as some racers use the diesel block as a foundation for a really stout Oldsmobile race engine but there are many many mods required to do this - the basic diesel engine will not just convert. You have to replace it with another engine within all practical reason for a gas "conversion".

Keep the diesel running and maintained. It will be a real conversation piece in the future and you can use the rant above as a conversation starter. :cool:

Wow, thanks for all you help. I do have a question about the block heater however. What exactly is that. The guy I bought the car from said that since the car has two batteries it will start very easily in the winter. Living in Northeast Indiana, the ability to start in the cold is very important. It is not so much of an issue now, but come next november I am sure it will be. Also when I hold down the button for the glow plugs, I start to hear a kind of crackling noise after a few seconds. Does that just mean it is ready to start? Thanks again for your help. Dirty

Wow, thanks for all you help. I do have a question about the block heater however. What exactly is that. The guy I bought the car from said that since the car has two batteries it will start very easily in the winter. Living in Northeast Indiana, the ability to start in the cold is very important. It is not so much of an issue now, but come next november I am sure it will be. Also when I hold down the button for the glow plugs, I start to hear a kind of crackling noise after a few seconds. Does that just mean it is ready to start? Thanks again for your help. Dirty

What's a block heater? There is an electric heating element in the coolant in the block so that can plug the car in at night to keep the engine warm so that it starts easier. Since diesels use the heat of compression for ignition in very cold weather they can be difficult to start. The glow plugs go a long way toward warming up the combustion chambers just before start but the engine is hard to turn over due to the high compression (that is why it has two batteries) so the block heater keeps the engine warm to minimize friction and keep the oil warm for rapid cranking speeds which are positively mandatory for a diesel to start. If your engine doesn't have the block heater I would heartily recommend that you get one installed and use it religiously in the winter.

Button for the glow plugs? In my experience the factory setup had an automatic controller with little yellow and green lights on the dash. You just turn the key on and waited until the yellow light goes out and the green one lights up. What year car is this we're talking about?

Sorry, hit the submit button prematurely. Is the glowplug "button" you mention something that the previous owner installed to bypass the factory automatic controller? Since the glowplugs are buried inside the cylinder head I doubt that you can hear them "sizzling". Maybe it is some wiring or something. The glow plugs draw a lot of current so if someone just hot wired them to a switch the wire size may be way to small or something causing the sizzle noise. I would investigate.

There is a chrome button on the left hand side of the steering wheel, no lights or anything to let me know. He just told me to hold it down for ten seconds and then start the car. After about five or six seconds is when the sizzling noise starts. The car is an 84, and I am not familiar with diesel at all, but I did think that you turned the key and waited for a light to come and when I asked the guy I bought it from about it he looked at me like I was crazy. Good to know that Im not.

Also, I would probably be able to tell if there was a block heater in car already right? Are those easy to install or should I go somewhere and get it done. Is is pricey? Thanks again for your help.

Look under the hood for an electrical cord that would be connected to a block heater. Depending on the type of block heater you get they can be easy to difficult to install. Many of them for those type of engines replace one of the core plugs in the block with the block heater. That takes a little time. You might want to get under the car/engine and look at the sides of the block for a heater unit as the cord may have disappeared.

The glow plug button/control you describe isn't the factory setup. I would investigate as to what the sizzling is. Don't hold the button down for more than 8 seconds. That is the max the glow plugs will reliably take in my experience. Given the years and hacked glow plug control I am surprised that that car is still around. Must be tougher than people give it credit for.

Geno,

I don't know why, but I've always thought that those 80's GM diesels were kind of cool - especially in the Caddy's of the era.

Incredibly difficult to find them these days though.

I know this is a little off the wall, but do you know if those engines can reliably run with biodiesel or a biodiesel mix?

Geno,

Incredibly difficult to find them these days though.


Just out of curiosity, I did a search in the local classifieds. Found an '81 Fleetwood with a diesel and very low miles locally. Price is very reasonable - I'm thinking of taking a look at it as I could use something with a back seat and I wouldn't mind having something with the heft of a RWD Fleetwood for the Ohio winters. Plus, I could use it for towing a light duty trailer or a small boat.

I don't know all that much about the GM diesels. What sort of things should I be looking for when evaluating a car like this? Should I consider a GM diesel this early in their production (were later ones substantially better?).

What sorts of things should I plan on having to replace with this engine either as common wear items or prudent prevantative maintenance on a vehicle with an unkown history?

Just out of curiosity, I did a search in the local classifieds. Found an '81 Fleetwood with a diesel and very low miles locally. Price is very reasonable - I'm thinking of taking a look at it as I could use something with a back seat and I wouldn't mind having something with the heft of a RWD Fleetwood for the Ohio winters. Plus, I could use it for towing a light duty trailer or a small boat.

I don't know all that much about the GM diesels. What sort of things should I be looking for when evaluating a car like this? Should I consider a GM diesel this early in their production (were later ones substantially better?).

What sorts of things should I plan on having to replace with this engine either as common wear items or prudent prevantative maintenance on a vehicle with an unkown history?

If you read the post above and cannot imagine the multitude of things that could have been done (wrong) to an 81 diesel by now... Not only are there a variety of things that could have gone wrong with an 81 by now due to lack of maintenance, the wrong maintenance, abuse, starting fluid, etcetera - but the engine/car is 24 years old. Do you really need a 24 year old finicky "hobby" car that has little or no power? You are not seriously thinking about towing anything with one of those are you? They will not get out of their own way by themselves much less towing something. There are much less expensive, reliable ways to have an "extra" car around than an 81 Diesel. Unless you want it for the pure interest level I would run, not walk, away from it.

If you are really serious about it, maintenance and modifications are the key. It had to have regular (3000 mile) oil changes and the correct oil as mentioned. Regular coolant changes. No mods to the glow plug system. Ask the seller how to get it started in cold weather to figure out if they ever used starter fluid.

As I said before, the engines were pretty robust if treated according to the instructions but "normal" treatment by the people that bought them thinking they were the same as gas engines would kill them quickly. If things weren't done right plan on replacing the engine.

After reading what you said about the glow plug situation not being correct I went and looked at a couple of the wires under the hood. Many of the wires are spliced and look as though they were configured to bypass some sort of feature. I have been having trouble with the climate control (see posting in electronic forum) but maybe those wires bypass more than just the climate controls. If I could get ahold of a digital camera and post some pictures of what had been done do you think maybe you could get some sort of an idea of what was done to it. I could not find the cord for the block heater, but it was to dark to see much. I will check more tommorow. Dirty

Possibly the electronic controller for the glow plugs failed or had a problem and a previous owner bypassed it with the manual button. If it works for starting the engine, fine - just don't hold the button down for more than 8-10 seconds or the glow plugs could be burned out easily.

Look at the front of the engine, I think, and look for a round brass colored cylinder about the size of a roll of quarters or so - that was what the electronic controller for the glow plugs looked like on that engine (I think). It screwed into the coolant passage at the front of the engine if I'm not mistaken.

The best thing to do would be to search out the diesel specific web sites for the Olds diesel (that's the engine in the Cadillac) and someone there that is more familiar with the specifics of the engine could answer your question directly. I haven't been around one of those since the early 80's so my memory of the details on the engine is a bit rusty.

Geno:

Thanks for the advice, as always. I didn't realize the diesels were such bad performers. I've always had a curiosity about them, probably because I was in HS when they were new.

dirtyb:

Check out this site: http://www.olds-diesel.com/. Lots of information there.

Geno:

Thanks for the advice, as always. I didn't realize the diesels were such bad performers. I've always had a curiosity about them, probably because I was in HS when they were new.

dirtyb:

Check out this site: http://www.olds-diesel.com/. Lots of information there.

Even at best they were lazy performers. They did get excellent fuel mileage though - almost amazing, really. Due to the fact that diesel fuel is not volitile at all the tanks on the diesel cars could be quite large in capacity (little vapor room required so the tanks could be "filled" completely) so that, coupled with the economy, meant that they could run for hundreds and hundreds of miles on a tank.

Even at best they were lazy performers. They did get excellent fuel mileage though - almost amazing, really. Due to the fact that diesel fuel is not volitile at all the tanks on the diesel cars could be quite large in capacity (little vapor room required so the tanks could be "filled" completely) so that, coupled with the economy, meant that they could run for hundreds and hundreds of miles on a tank.

If you don't mind educating me a bit....what was "wrong" with them? Seems like the displacement would have been more than adequate with a gasoline engine, and diesels (generally) seem to be characterized by high-torque, which sounds like a great combination for a Cadillac (or any large car).

Would a "modern" diesel with the same displacement have worked better (i.e. with better control systems)? Was it a gearing issue with the transaxles of the time? Is it just the nature the beast in a passenger car (assuming the engine was working as designed)?

I guess my first inclination is to compare them to the MB diesels, which get rave reviews from their owners (at least on mileage and longevity). Don't have a sense how those perform(ed) though.

If you don't mind educating me a bit....what was "wrong" with them? Seems like the displacement would have been more than adequate with a gasoline engine, and diesels (generally) seem to be characterized by high-torque, which sounds like a great combination for a Cadillac (or any large car).

Would a "modern" diesel with the same displacement have worked better (i.e. with better control systems)? Was it a gearing issue with the transaxles of the time? Is it just the nature the beast in a passenger car (assuming the engine was working as designed)?

I guess my first inclination is to compare them to the MB diesels, which get rave reviews from their owners (at least on mileage and longevity). Don't have a sense how those perform(ed) though.

The basic issue was that they were normally aspirated diesel engines. The higher output diesels that you see around today are all turbocharged. Turbocharging is pretty much standard for modern diesel engines and for heavy duty diesel engines to get the torque and HP required. Early model Merc diesels were slow, too. That is why they added the "turbo-diesel" badges to the cars when they added the turbochargers so that they would be differentiated from their slower bretheren.

i have an '80 diesel eldorado....and it STILL RUNS!!! Barely though:p
Everyday i pray that it won't just stall on me in the middle of traffic, but for the most part, it does okay. I've pretty much added new everything over the years(A/C, torque converter, etc.).and I have some minor problems here and there (which can be expected from a car this old) but overall it runs fine

dirtyb, as for the glowplugs i'm not sure how different an 84 seville is from a 80 eldorado in terms of the olds diesel engine. But on my car the way the glowplugs work is when i turn the key on so that the car goes into "start" mode (right before you start cranking the engine) there is a yellow "WAIT" button that lights up in the "information display". While the "Wait" light is on, the glowplugs and anything else gets prepped for ignition. Eventually the "wait" light goes off and then i crank the engine and it usually starts.

****NOTE - It might help if you prime the engine before you start cranking. Press the accelerator all the way to the floor SLOWLY about 2 or 3 times each time before you crank it. This helps out a lot on my eldorado

Geno, for oil i typically use 10W-30 or SAE 30 depending on the season, but 10W-30 seems to do all right for general purpose use.

As for the block heater, i live in an area where it never gets that cold, so i don't hardly use it that much, besides i think one of the electrical tips at the end of the cord broke off.

Its a really neat car, cause everyone that's never seen it just stares at it and says , "A DIESEL CADILLAC!?!?!:bonkers: "

good subject here !
been reading up on the olds diesel as much as i could thru the day

are they running the same stanadyne pump as the 6.2 ? or rather anything in common ?

here i though the 6.2-6.5 series where closely realted to the 350 diesel

also nice to know the rumor i heard of a diesel fwd cutlass ciera was real , a 4.3v6 diesel , wow

good subject here !
been reading up on the olds diesel as much as i could thru the day

are they running the same stanadyne pump as the 6.2 ? or rather anything in common ?

here i though the 6.2-6.5 series where closely realted to the 350 diesel

also nice to know the rumor i heard of a diesel fwd cutlass ciera was real , a 4.3v6 diesel , wow

I can confirm reports of the FWD 4.3 diesel. I had an 85 Olds 98 Brougham with that exact diesel. Transverse mount V-6. It lasted about 80k miles before I had engine and trans problems. Being familiar with diesels, it was well taken care of. here's my experience with the car

Pros:
Low-mid 30's highway MPG
Nice riding and comfortable
Ahead of its time interior-wise
Classy looking car, wire wheels, opera lamps, medium metallic gray w/ matching vinyl top, lighter gray crushed velour interior.

Cons:
Hard to start under about 30 degrees and only had one battery
Intake design allowed heavy soot deposits to collect near the round breather
Limited RPM range, poor transmission gearing probably to blame
85 hp and AC didn't leave much room for power
S L O W, could hardly maintain freeway speed with AC on and passenger load
Head gaskets and transmission at 80k
Cracked heads shortly after.
Sold car with under 100k for what I had in brand new Michelins and a battery...about $300.

As far as diesel's being hard to start, replacing the glow plugs with a newer type can make them much easier to start. On my Suburban 6.2 diesel, I replaced all of them with AC-60G glow plugs. The advantage of these glow plugs is you can run them continuously and they won't burn out. I simply just bypassed the glow plug timer and installed a push button to turn on the plugs. When it is cold, I might run the plugs for a good 30 seconds.

As far as diesels being lethargic in power, mine is not. In fact, it has more power for towing than my dads Chevy 5.7L gas. The reason they are slow is because they are starving for air in stock form. The stock exhaust is very restrictive due to many bends, small diameter in size and restrictive muffler. This does a good job for keeping it quiet but not for power. Also, the port matching of the intake manifold to the heads is usually very poor. It's obvious that these engine were not designed for power optimization, but with some modifications, power can be greatly improved.

As far as diesel's being hard to start, replacing the glow plugs with a newer type can make them much easier to start. On my Suburban 6.2 diesel, I replaced all of them with AC-60G glow plugs. The advantage of these glow plugs is you can run them continuously and they won't burn out. I simply just bypassed the glow plug timer and installed a push button to turn on the plugs. When it is cold, I might run the plugs for a good 30 seconds.

As far as diesels being lethargic in power, mine is not. In fact, it has more power for towing than my dads Chevy 5.7L gas. The reason they are slow is because they are starving for air in stock form. The stock exhaust is very restrictive due to many bends, small diameter in size and restrictive muffler. This does a good job for keeping it quiet but not for power. Also, the port matching of the intake manifold to the heads is usually very poor. It's obvious that these engine were not designed for power optimization, but with some modifications, power can be greatly improved.
Isn't your diesel turbocharged? No comparison between a normally aspirated and a turbo diesel for power. The older "Olds" diesels were all normally aspirated with accounts for the relatively low output being described.

Isn't your diesel turbocharged? No comparison between a normally aspirated and a turbo diesel for power. The older "Olds" diesels were all normally aspirated with accounts for the relatively low output being described.

No, mine isn't turbocharged. With a little bit of tuning/modifications, normally aspirated diesels are capable of being fast and producing comparible power to a gas engine. Here's a link to someone who installed a normally aspirated 6.5L diesel that's capable of running 0-60 in less than 9 sec.
http://www.thedieselpage.com/reviews/lee700r4-2.htm
Mine is a bit slower than that due to older heads with smaller precombustion chambers, 3.08 gearing and the extra weight of a suburban.

Olds diesels, i dare say, is one of the most UNREFINED diesel engines in the world... no turbo, no common rail, big smog problem, if i am correct... if i were you... i would do the following:

DIESEL ENGINE SWAPS

2 possibilities:
1) borrow a BMW diesel... ranging from 2000cc to 4000cc (of coz.. for a deville diesel, 4000cc V8 250hp twin turbo is ok, make sure your car is RWD first) bonus: it's a DOHC
2) 6000cc V8 diesel with 300hp one... with common rail and one turbo, 32V but OHV, cannot be bad anyway...

You can also swap in a GM 6.2L or 6.5L diesel. They both are direct swaps and if they are turbo'd they can easily produce close to 300 hp.

so a 6.5 turbo diesel would fit into a lets say 83-90 broham ? i like that idea alot

so a 6.5 turbo diesel would fit into a lets say 83-90 broham ? i like that idea alot

Yes, Same bellhousing and engine mounts as the small block chevy. It'll kill the stock transmission and rearend though. Both of these items would have to be beefed up.

You can also swap in a GM 6.2L or 6.5L diesel. They both are direct swaps and if they are turbo'd they can easily produce close to 300 hp.

Ok - I'm gonna bring this back from the dead...

I've got an '81 Eldo Diesel - been in the family since new - so it has some sentimental value.

I'm having some fun finding Delo / Rotella oil around here - and I was wondering if the synthetics (like Mobil 1) would work as well. Oh, and if this engine finally dies on me (it's still running decently well - my dad was an engineer) - I wonder how hard the other diesel swaps are - including perhaps the new 6.6 Duramax...

So if you're out there, Geno...

i'm here traumadog;) not exactly Geno, but...

I use Rotella 15W-40 Heavy Duty in my diesel and she loves it! As for more power, the people at olds-diesel.com often talk about putting turbo chargers on these engines. Personally, I would love a turbo charger, but i just can't see spending that kind of money on this thing when i could just buy a new car;)I mean, I love her and everything, but putting so much money into her just seems fruitless...

The height of the 6.6 Duramax would make it hard to fit into the engine compartment of a car. Also, being that the Duramax is electronically controlled, this swap would be much more difficult. All the wiring, computer, transmission etc. would have to be swapped to make it run right. And since your Eldo is FWD, you would have to convert it to RWD to use the Allison tranny that goes behind the Duramax.



Here are some modifications that can be made to significantly increase the power on your 350 diesel. Doing all of these modifications will produce between 75-95% of the power of installing turbo instead.



Dual 2.5” exhaust with an “H” or “X” pipe fitted in front of the mufflers.
Modify the intake manifold by cutting out and removing the EGR pedestal.
Smooth out the aluminum flashing so that the inside of the intake manifold is smooth.
Coat the inside of the intake manifold with epoxy to make it glassy smooth.
Port and polish the heads.
Refer to http://www.sa-motorsports.com/portdiy/diyport.pdf (http://www.sa-motorsports.com/portdiy/diyport.pdf)

http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads...684&type=thread (http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/printthread.php?Cat=&Board=best&main=453684&type=thread)

Bump up the injection pump timing a few degrees.
Install a timing gear.
New Transmission because the major power increase burned up the tranny!!


The Stadadyne injection pump also needs to be turned up to take advantage of increased breathing potential of the engine. Turn it up so that the exhaust gives off a slight haze at full throttle. Don’t turn it up so much that it smokes like crazy. It’ll just use more fuel and risk melting the pistons!!



Also, if you do remove your heads, you will most likely find out that they are cracked between the valve seats. Don’t panic, just about all of them do this and most of the time, it doesn’t cause any problems. If you’re worried about it though, you can fit and glue in a copper pipe in the water jacket between the valve seats. Once you do this, it cannot leak.

Dual 2.5” exhaust with an “H” or “X” pipe fitted in front of the mufflers. Are there headers that will fit/mod to fit with this exhaust?
Modify the intake manifold by cutting out and removing the EGR pedestal. Hmm... I don't recall offhand where the EGR Pedestal is - I have to go look again.

Install a timing gear. Is there one for this application anymore?

The Stadadyne injection pump also needs to be turned up to take advantage of increased breathing potential of the engine. Turn it up so that the exhaust gives off a slight haze at full throttle. Don’t turn it up so much that it smokes like crazy. It’ll just use more fuel and risk melting the pistons!! Newb question: and how is this done? These pumps are rare (the 6.2/6.5 pumps don't fit IIRC, so I don't want to mess with this one too much...)

Are there headers that will fit/mod to fit with this exhaust?
Hmm... I don't recall offhand where the EGR Pedestal is - I have to go look again.

Is there one for this application anymore?

Newb question: and how is this done? These pumps are rare (the 6.2/6.5 pumps don't fit IIRC, so I don't want to mess with this one too much...)

These mods were done on my 6.2L to increase the power so there may be some differences such as the intake manifold. The main thing you want to do with the intake manifold is to remove any obstructions so that it flows better. The 6.2L intake manifold looks like this. That EGR sitting like that can't do any http://i7.ebayimg.com/01/i/03/6e/b0/ba_1_b.JPG
good for flow. Also the EGR ends up clogging the intake manifold with soot in no time.

For the headers, can't you use/modify headers that fit a gas 350?

As I recall, the Stanadyne pumps on the GM 5.7,6.2, early 6.5 and Ford 6.9/7.3 are very similar. For more information on how to turn up the pump, refer to: http://www.amghummer.com/Diesel/injectionpump/mechanicalpump.htm
It is easy to do and I don't see any risk as long as you keep things clean.

I don't know if there's a timing gear available for the 5.7L diesel like for the 6.2. I don't know if a timing gear from a gas motor would work since they don't have an injection pump.

Ah - I see the differences...

My injector pump resides under the intake manifold, so I'd have to take it off to get to the adjustment plate. Also, it doesn't look like there's an EGR input in the manifold, but there is a PCV input that does put alot of oily residue into the intake tract.

Getting this one polished may be quite alot of fun...

And I thought the diesel 350 was a different block than the gas 350... but I'll have to check gasket patterns.

All in all, thanks for the info!

Getting this one polished may be quite alot of fun...

And I thought the diesel 350 was a different block than the gas 350... but I'll have to check gasket patterns.

All in all, thanks for the info!

To polish the intake manifold, I use a set of sand paper rolls and various stones chucked up in a die grinder. Once I get it as smooth as I can, I coat the inside with epoxy (West System or Bar Top Epoxy). The finished product is one that is as smooth as glass. It doesn't take that long to do. Maybe an hour or two with the the die grinder and some time for the epoxy to cure.

And I thought the diesel 350 was a different block than the gas 350... but I'll have to check gasket patterns.


The diesels do use a different block than the gasoline 350. If you ever have one aprt you will see what I mean. There is a big opening in the lifter valley for the injection pump to go through. 1981-up use a DX diesel block that has several features unique to the diesel.

Blaze

Hmm... here's another simple question - the injector pumps are mechanical, so engine speed can determine what pressure they are working with. Would it help power/reduce smoke if an inline pump was added (say, after the filter)?

I doubt it would help any smoke.

Blaze

Hmm... here's another simple question - the injector pumps are mechanical, so engine speed can determine what pressure they are working with. Would it help power/reduce smoke if an inline pump was added (say, after the filter)?

The smoke is caused from unburned fuel due to not enough air and too much fuel. Replacing the muffler with an free flow aftermarket type is the easiest way to reduce the smoke and add power.

The smoke is caused from unburned fuel due to not enough air and too much fuel. Replacing the muffler with an free flow aftermarket type is the easiest way to reduce the smoke and add power.

Hmm... and I thought part of the problem was poor atomization of the fuel as it is injected. Isn't this why most diesel common-rail systems now are running close to 11,000 PSI for injectors? I didn't think running that high was possible - especially with a leaky injector pump - but I was curious as to what some options are.

If more air is the solution, perhaps I can cobble together a nice Procharger setup... ;)

Yes, Same bellhousing and engine mounts as the small block chevy. It'll kill the stock transmission and rearend though. Both of these items would have to be beefed up.
It cant have the same bellhousing. Its a oldsmobile and they use a different bellhousing, thats why they use the 200 4R instead of the 700.

Blaze