MotorWeek | Retro Goss: GM Diesel Maintenance

[@LMacNeill]

A *big* reason why these old Diesels were considered to be unreliable pieces of junk. People didn't know how to maintain them. Even the dealers' service departments were largely ignorant of the differences between the "normal" gasoline models and the "special" Diesel models. If you were lucky enough to find someone to teach you how to maintain these vehicles, they were actually quite reliable and very much more fuel-efficient than their gasoline counterparts. GM failed to teach their service technicians properly, and failed to communicate the differences between Diesel cars and gasoline cars to their customers. And that, coupled with the higher price of Diesel fuel in the U.S. *still* slows the sale of Diesel-powered cars to this day.

[@theblindredneck747]

LMacNeill totally agree with you. Diesels of today still can't touch the fuel mileage that these old diesels gave.

[@Infinitrium]

Lack of water separators, inadequate head bolt design, people not using the correct oil grade (VERY important in an old-school diesel), their rush to market and GM's apathetic attempt to make those as maintenance friendly as a gas V8 killed them. I honestly believe these are a sturdy engine, had they received another year or 2 or R&D and QA testing they'd be looked upon quite fondly. The later 350 Goodwrench diesel was as robust as any other oil-burner on the market at the time but by that point no one cared as their reputation was completely ruined

[@charlesmoore2485]

I totally agree, the owners manual says oil filter every second oil change. Most dealers would put in gasoline rated oil , likely to help them start in the winter ? That alone is a death sentence. They should have got their own people at Detroit diesel to create a proper service interval, training and supervise , olds diesel, Isuzu diesel , whatever.

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

@@Infinitrium They should have waited until at least 1981, which was when the strengthened DX block edition was released. Most of the reliability problems over the years were with the 1978-80 models with the original D block.

[@christopherconard2831]

Similar problem later with GM's Crossfire engines. When set up properly, they apparently ran well. But too many mechanics weren't trained in how to do it just right. So they quickly developed a bad reputation.

[@jswan9658]

I was a salesperson at a Chevrolet dealership in 1982 and can remember the incentives on the car from the factory back then. We had a caprice station wagon that sat on the lot for months.It was getting lot rot. Hard to start, no power and very noisy. There was a $2000.00 deduct on a trade right away if you were looking to trade a GM Diesel in, the cost for a gasoline conversion. GM, Giant Mistake. Also there was a Chevette Diesel that had a one year birthday on the lot. This was a metro Chicago dealership.

[@x1warrior1x85]

j swan where’s that diesel Chevette I’ll take it

[@realazduffman]

Keep all this old stuff coming. So interesting to see how we used to actually work on our cars.

[@collinreesejones5525]

Had several in high school, all Cadillacs..would kill to have them back...actually watching out for a 5.7 diesel and wanna retrofit to a 91' or 92' Brougham D'elegance...mine were fantastic cars! 😁

[@Vercus100]

That was an interesting video. Definitely some unusual maintenance procedures required to keep those old beasts running. Hope you do more of these Retro Goss segments.

[@BikerJim74]

I had a 1981 Olds 88 with the 5.7 diesel when I was 17 years old. Honestly, I didn't have any problems with it, it ran strong the entire time I owned it. I only stopped driving it because I got rear ended and the car was totaled.

[@adamtrombino106]

That was good for a head shaking retro laugh, as I remember servicing these things all of the time. They had all the problems Pat talked about and MUCH more. Those things ate belts for breakfast, and not just the alternator V belt. Installing GoodYear severe service HiMiler belts was about the only thing to do to keep them on for more than a yr or 2. But 1 disturbing thing Pat talks about is cleaning the air intake passageway. Removing the intake and cleaning it in a hot tank was the best way to do it, though it required a lot of work. Cleaning out the crud the way he explains causes clumps of it to fall inside the intake, which is something you can't get out unless it's removed. It will end up in the oil pan and clog the pick up, I don't recommend it. Also I'm surprised Pat didn't talk about the importance of servicing fuel filters and water separators ( not all models had those, I know) Diesel fuel has to be kept CLEAN and water free or she ain't gonna run right, if it will run at all. And winter fuel additives and anti-gelling agents were a must. He didn't mention those either. Owning 1 of these old diesels required some knowledge and maintenance not normally associated with owning a regular car . I'm glad he at least touched on some of the subjects. Keep um coming!

[@freddyhollingsworth5945]

I have 3 Oldsmobile Diesels and they've been great cars. My 84 Delta has 150,000 miles and everything is original except the fuel pump and one IP rebuild. You have to baby these cars and let them warm up and only Diesel motor oil.

[@Llothedon1]

Freddy Hollingsworth do you know if they came with posi rear end

[@skylinefever]

@@Llothedon1 You might find out if you replace the gear oil. Most of those solid axles required removal of the pan to replace the gear oil.

[@landyachtfan79]

FREDDY!!!!!!! GREAT TO SEE YOU ON KZbin!!!!!!!!!!

[@mysticclam]

ah the Oldsmobile diesel. By the time they worked out the bugs its reputation had killed it. Those diesel blocks work great for building a gas motor though

[@76carmel]

+mysticclam The editor of Car & Driver magazine nicknamed the Cutlass Supreme Diesel "Old Smokey". It seemed like GM made a energy crisis car at the time, and diesel engines not named VW at the time (not so at this moment this was typed 1/16 )was considered a joke.

[@SteveHolsten]

That engine was perfected when GM came out with the Mr. Goodwrench 5.7L DX replacement. It was rock solid but the people were already burned out on these engines, unfortunately. I had two DX engines I let go bad. I wish I had 100 or more brand new ones in crates to covert gas burners over to. I'd even love to put one in a 2019 GMC truck. That would be fun and intriguing.

[@christopherabbott991]

I would love if you would do a retro goss segment

[@SteveHolsten]

This was your first one, Christopher Abbott

[@mschmidtTX]

My Dad had an early '80s Olds Delta 88 diesel. I was just a kid so I don't remember the specifics, but that car spent a lot of time in the shop. My dad would joke that it had more miles vertically going up and down on the hoist than it did horizontally on the road.

[@seththomas9105]

A lot of the problems with these engines we used to try to prevent by what the old mechanics called the "Italian overhaul" i.e. Marvals Mystery Oil and Sea Foam. I was in high school when these things roamed the land and if you had some good preventative maintenance many of these problems "could" be prevented. I grew up in small town Iowa so most people knew how to run and treat a diesel engine, glow plugs seemed to be one of the biggest problems (cold/winter). Cycling the glow plugs twice will usually help with cold weather starts and also using the right fuel and additives. If I remember right it seemed that most people had trouble with that POS O/D tranny. 200R4? Lots of transmission guys made lots of money fixing those in the 80's and early 90's

[@craigroth8710]

Seth Thomas I remember that as well.

[@skylinefever]

I don't know how you could spray Sea Foam in a diesel and not cause hydraulic lock.

[@SeaOtterRob]

I would love to see the entire series (full episodes) from the first to the newest. There's something about seeing the old road tests, old news, etc.

[@Dieselolds]

Have been driving a Olds diesel several years and the biggest problems have been failing fan belts and glow plugs (cold climate).

[@vintagehaynesflute]

It's amazing how the Mercedes Benz turbodiesels were trouble free and low maintenance compared to the GM diesels!

[@LMacNeill]

Indeed. But look at the cost-difference between the two -- the Benz is literally 2.5 to 3 times the price. The Benz engineers had a lot more resources to work with. The GM engineers were forced by the bean-counters to take major shortcuts -- like essentially converting gasoline engines into Diesel engines. GM also didn't train service staff in proper maintenance of these cars -- that would've cost them money, too. They cheaped out and it showed, big time.

[@pmvaldez1]

GM had some of the best diesel engineers on their payroll back then. Detroit Diesel was still part of the GM dynasty. Why they weren't used is a mystery. GM didn't repeat that mistake again and DD helped design the 6.2 diesel

[@craigroth8710]

vintagehaynesflute They sure did cheap out on them. The first couple of years didnt have a fuel filter/ water seperator, so the injection pumps didnt last long. Head gasket failures, main bearing bolts not being tapped far enough into the block, transmission failures. All because GM cheaped out not only on the motor, but failure to get proper training for thier mechanics.

[@skylinefever]

If GM was able to put as much work into the diesel as Benz did, and the price point of the engine was higher, GM might have made a good diesel. However, it is interesting that VW was able to put a diesel engine in the Rabbit without an extremely high price. In addition, that diesel shared many things with some VW gasoline engines, yet it didn't have the problems that the Olds did.

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

@@skylinefever VW's 1.6L diesel four also begat the 2.0L diesel five used in the Audi 5000 as well as the 2.4L diesel inline-6 used in the Volvo 240, 740 and 760 series.

[@landyachtfan79]

Even though I know it will most likely be in next week's stream, anyway, I'd love to see the Retro Goss segment on choosing/test driving a new car with that SWEET '88 Crown Vic!!!!!!!

[@Angryblades]

oh how i miss my olds cutlass wagon with that goodwrench diesel. that car would run with nothing else wanted to.

[@andrewps84]

My neighbor had an 82 Oldsmobile 98 Diesel that he drove forever. He mentioned having a 79 Diesel and got rid of it quickly because of its problems. I should mention that he didn’t drive it hard or much so that could explain its longevity. I think someone mentioned that GM had an ownership stake in Opel who manufactured diesel engines successfully and should have used theirs instead of trying to build those boat anchors that ruined the reputation of diesel powered cars.

[@captainpicard1701e]

"Take a screwdriver or a rag and push it down in there" to get all that chunky buildup out. Alrighty then. I'm sure that 5.7 Olds diesel would have absolutely no problem digesting that through the combustion chambers. Said no Olds diesel owner, ever, including this guy.

[@sikorik9964]

I still have my dad's 82 GMC Sierra Grande Classic with the diesel in it. Still runs great, just likes to eat transmissions though.

[@ExiledWolf84]

Because there are so many of them out there, you should be familiar with some of the preventative maintenance that these engines must have.... First of all, remove the engine from the car... second... throw it in the trash.

[@shaneblandford-scherr3375]

hahaha! yes exactly, my grandparents had one.... they were awful!!

[@Tigerfire75]

+YoshiMan38 So you are an idiot that doesn't know how to run and maintain a diesel engine?

[@ExiledWolf84]

+Tigerfire75 I like fish sticks :)

[@shaneblandford-scherr3375]

+Tigerfire75 It wasn't that, these motors were internally weak and built not much different from a gas 350 they had tons of problems and were costly to fix. The reason GM stopped putting diesels in luxury cars...

[@Tigerfire75]

YoshiMan38 home made or store bought?

[@MrVestan]

Great! More please!

[@Fljeff7]

These are great

[@67marlins]

About when was this episode filmed? I'm curious- thanks.

[@OLDS98]

Hmmm I could see these Part Goss segments being thrown in from time to time. I knew that engine had a bad reputation, but taking care of that engine sounded like work.

[@landyachtfan79]

As I was watching this last night, I couldn't help but wonder if even Pat's advice was enough to keep this engine from puking itself all over the road while the car was still relatively new!!!!!

[@SteveHolsten]

You sound too Fuck Tarded as well on knowing how to properly care for these sweet engines!

[@mr.suplex927]

These things obviously had a bad rep. But keep up the retro Goss videos.

[@justincunningham3458]

Retro Goss segments would be great! This segment, for one, shows just how far we've come. Sure gives me an appreciation for how much lower maintenance newer cars tend to be! I've driven cars with other 150k miles on the original belt, replacing it every 5k would have been quite costly - and a hassle!

[@TeeroyHammermill]

+Justin Cunningham I had an Olds 307 in my Cadillac Brougham I owned years ago. It had the same belt set up as the diesel. That alternator belt is quick and easy to change and last around 50,000 miles on the gas engine. The problem with the diesel was the vibration would loosen the alternator mounting bolts and in some cases break the alternator mounting bracket causing the belt to fail.

[@dougsmith9571]

RIP Pat Goss . Those GM Diesels could be troublesome . I heard they came up with some improvements in the final years of those engines .too late though.

[@pbandj37]

RIP Pat.

[@MegaGuitar87]

this is for whoever uploads the videos...do you guys have a 2000 Celica retro review video? i would love to see that one...please uploaded if you can im a big fan of Motoweek.

[@misamisatv]

+Alex Meza-Viera I want to see a 2000 Celica review too! :D

[@dave11686]

RIP Pat Goss

[@jasonfalk7696]

Rip Mr Goss.

[@raymondhaley8156]

On 1978 engines it was obvious those engines were never meant to run on less than a full amount of oil, do not use the dip stick to measure oil level, it,ll be totally inaccurent, 2nd and most important, use fuel separators made for large trucks and busses and nothing less.

[@Polishkid88]

OH, AND ONE OTHER THING...

[@skylinefever]

Nissan made an engine called the LD28 and put it in the 1981-1984 Maxima. They borrowed numerous parts from the L-series gasoline engine. Was the LD28 a good or bad engine?

[@LMacNeill]

From what I can remember, those old early-80s Diesel Maximas were quite reliable and very efficient. I knew someone who owned one back in the day, and they never had a bit of trouble with it.

[@apl175]

I'm surprised Pat didn't tow his usual line of "this is something you should take to the dealer....you don't want to be messing around with this yourself..."

[@Llothedon1]

apl175 would you happen to know what rear end came in the cutlass model

[@raymondhaley8156]

As a lover of Oldsmobile diesels, since 1978 alot of people never knew how to maintain their engines sadly enough it made owners angry but you must learn how to take proper care of your engine, don't follow GM,s instructions 😄 which lead to engine damage in the first place.

[@chadharmon5716]

They produced so much diesel smoke when you got on the accelerator lol it was fun

[@jayseven9966]

The start of bro dozers

[@NYPATRIOTBX]

Weren't these engines so bad that GM had dealerships convert some to gas engines?

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

81 and up was fixed...out 80 blew a head gasket.

[@Beaula2]

“Oh, and one more thing.”

[@TheArfdog]

Oh how little he knew how little maintenance would matter on a GM diesel.....

[@markg7030]

+TheArfdog True. The engine was thrown out with the dirty gloves. Many of these cars were retro-fitted with gas engines.

[@TheArfdog]

Mark G LOL really? Jesus what kind of engineering managers worked back then.....

[@markg7030]

TheArfdog They took an existing gas V8 and converted it to diesel. That was the problem.

[@TheArfdog]

Mark G The problem is not much the idea so much as they clearly didn't test it.

[@frestkd]

wow he looks young...

[@sebastianstevens2563]

Hey there. Hooray For$You. creature surprise What's your opinion about"that 11

[@raymondhaley6185]

If you knew how to maintain the engine it will run for years just don't follow GM,s maintenance instructions, they're very misleading.

[@mercuryoak2]

I get a laugh how diesels were being worded as dirty and that egr valve wasn't even needed. Junk. Diesel by far is cleaner then gasoline.

[@jellyfrosh9102]

Matthew N “if you can’t see it, it’s not there”

[@Trades46]

Didn't this 5.7 Olds Diesel pretty much killed the reputation of diesels in American in the first place? Is there a reason why we would want to remember that today in a positive light now diesel is under fire once again?

[@bryanmenard9385]

“One more thing…”

[@Clearanceman2]

Try to sell it before it blows up.

[@Thindoublechin]

The best maintenance is to just walk. You would probably get where you are going faster anyways.

[@bryanmenard9385]

There’s a whole lot of “one more thing” in this video.

[@nutz4gunz457]

Oh man! What a lump of shit that engine was. Clean your intake every 1500 miles and replace the belt every 5K!

[@Tigerfire75]

Actually you clean the intake every 15,000 miles. As for the belt you should at least check it every 5,000 miles.

[@SteveHolsten]

Actually, he was being a horse's ass. I doubt if he was ever around one of these sweet engines! You just have to have enough common sense in order to keep these engines going for thousands of miles!

[@dougc190]

I don't think he's been around any 80's cars. Look at the owner's manual they were all maintenance hogs. I have a 84 1 ton Chevy van, in the maintenance part of the owners manual it's I think like six to twelve thousand miles and repack the front bearings. Do I do that. no, but I got synthetic grease in those bearings

[@FrenchValleyAirport]

OH, AND ONE OTHER THING...OH, AND ONE OTHER THING...OH, AND ONE OTHER THING...OH, AND ONE OTHER THING...OH, AND ONE OTHER THING...OH, AND ONE OTHER THING...OH, AND ONE OTHER THING...OH, AND ONE OTHER THING...OH, AND ONE OTHER THING...OH, AND ONE OTHER THING...OH, AND ONE OTHER THING...OH, AND ONE OTHER THING...

[@michaelatchison2325]

Change fan belts at every 5,000 miles, wow those old GM diesels were terrible.

[@moviewatcher1024]

"You have to inspect the diaphragm in the EGR valve regularly". How do you inspect it? By destructively opening up the EGR valve. Pat the non- mechanic talking about things he knew nothing about again.

[@raymondhaley6185]

Pat may he(RIP) didn't have a clue how to maintain a diesel olds,I just he was just paid to lie I guess.

[@TedSchoenling]

Millions of fool!!

[@nhzxboismith9783]

Total Dog-doo. Makes no difference. Didn't wast time maintaining those things. Pure junk in its purest form.

[@me3333]

The best "preventative maintenance" you could preform on a GM 5.7 Diesel is to not buy one in the first place... Trust me you will be happier and save yourself a ton of money.

[@SteveHolsten]

Bullshit if you learn how to take care of them!