[455Grandville]

I'll start the list with the Vega 4 cylinder aluminum POS

The Detroit 8.2 diesel V8 is an honorable (dishonorable ?) mention for trucks.

[KS circutguy]

Northstar

[Sirrotica]

How bout the v6 chrysler that tend to sludge up with around 40,000 miles? I think it's a 2.7 litre. the 4-6-8 caddy was a peach too.

[buds56]

6.0 ford diesel

[bankbook]

Cadillac Diesel or the 8-6-4 form the eighties.

[Lloyd-TX]

Vega
Chrysler 2.7 V6
GM / Olds Quad 4 / Quad OHC
GM / Olds 5.7 V8 Diesel
GM / Olds 4.3 V8 Diesel
Northstar
Caddy V8-6-4
Caddy 4100 V8
PowerJoke 6.0
PowerJoke 6.4
Damn near anything Mitsubishi
Ford 90* 3.8 / 4.2 V6

That's a start . . .

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by bankbook

Cadillac Diesel or the 8-6-4 form the eighties.

It was a 5.7 olds diesel and was patterned roughly from a 350 olds gas engine, I had one in a 81 bonneville and also worked at a Buick dealer as a line mechanic at the time and seemed to get all the warranty work on the diesels that came in. That engine was a gutless wonder, but if it was taken care of properly it would last. Mine had 150,000 miles on it when I pulled it out and sold the engine. The guy I sold the car to wouldn't buy it unless I converted it to gas so I put a 350 olds cutlass motor in it to sell. I put the engine in the local paper and had 11 calls on it the first day. I sold it to the first caller.

GM also speced the I/P that Standyne built and insisted on an aluminum pump even though Standyne recommended steel sleeves inside the pump on wear areas so the pumps didn't last too long. The typical "save a penny now spend $200 later GM syndrome".

The main problem was neglect from the owners and the local service station didn't know how to properly service them and as a result the breathers plugged up and created excessive crankcase pressure and blew the front and rear seals and took the rings out too. The engines would start burning and leaking oil and a good many were run low for oil and blown up. There were 2 of us mechanics at the Buick dealership that drove diesels, I had my 81 Bonneville and my friend had a 79 Toranado that we put a ton of miles on without any problems.

Kinda like the corvair and the Fiero, the olds diesel was killed just when they got it perfected and running well. Typical GM problems with field testing cars after the sale instead of before.

[limejudge69]

Chrysler 2.2 with the death rattle and junk carburetors. They got a little better when they added fuel injection.
Cadillac 4.1 V8. They were bad with or without the 4-6-8 system.
GM 1.8 OHC 4 cylinder. Rattling, oil leaking, oil burning junk!
GM 3.3 V6. Never idled smooth even when they were new.

[455Grandville]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

It was a 5.7 olds diesel and was patterned roughly from a 350 olds gas engine, I had one in a 81 bonneville and also worked at a Buick dealer as a line mechanic at the time and seemed to get all the warranty work on the diesels that came in. That engine was a gutless wonder, but if it was taken care of properly it would last. Mine had 150,000 miles on it when I pulled it out and sold the engine. The guy I sold the car to wouldn't buy it unless I converted it to gas so I put a 350 olds cutlass motor in it to sell. I put the engine in the local paper and had 11 calls on it the first day. I sold it to the first caller.

The main problem was neglect from the owners and the local service station didn't know how to properly service them and as a result the breathers plugged up and created excessive crankcase pressure and blew the front and rear seals and took the rings out too. The engines would start burning and leaking oil and a good many were run low for oil and blown up. There were 2 of us mechanics at the Buick dealership that drove diesels, I had my 81 Bonneville and my friend had a 79 Toranado that we put a ton of miles on without any problems.

Kinda like the corvair and the Fiero, the olds diesel was killed just when they got it perfected and running well. Typical GM problems with field testing cars after the sale instead of before.

The WX blocks (81 & later ) ones were drilled and tapped deeper for the mains which helped the problem with some breaking cranks. They also improved the headbolts arouns 83. Around 84 it was a decent engine. I had a 80 Bonnie diesel and it would do 30 mpg, and it's still in use. Kinda wished I had kept it. I bought it with a busted headgasket, removed the engine and added headstuds. the cranks BTW, were larger 400-455 main journal sized.
The Olds 4.3 V6 diesel was supposed to be a gem, but try finding one.

[Lloyd-TX]

Originally Posted by limejudge69

Chrysler 2.2 with the death rattle and junk carburetors. They got a little better when they added fuel injection.
Cadillac 4.1 V8. They were bad with or without the 4-6-8 system.
GM 1.8 OHC 4 cylinder. Rattling, oil leaking, oil burning junk!
GM 3.3 V6. Never idled smooth even when they were new.

IMO, worse than the 2.2 was the Mitsu sourced 2.6 with it's timing chains from hell and a carburetor that could NOT be repaired.

The Caddy V8-6-4 was actually a iron block and heads 6.0L (368") V8 version of the old caddy 472/500/425. Basic engine was bulletproof, the V8-6-4 system killed it though.

The caddy 4.1 was an aluminum block / iron cylinder headed 125HP POS. Oil drainback passages in the cylinder heads were measured in the thousandths of an inch, and stopped up at will. I will NEVER forget how much of a whore it was to replace the coolant thermostat, much less install a set of accessory belts!

Can you imagine - Caddy installed those fine 125HP turds in 4500+ lb RWD DeVilles for a few years? I know - my Mom had one. It topped out at about 85, after a three-mile runup! What a laugh!

[Sirrotica]

I almost forgot about the 2.5 iron puke after 1980 and before the tech 4 in 1988. I think the alloy that GM used in the block was silly putty........................

[69Goat1]

I was surprised to notice on a friend of mines Duramax Duallys Diesel engine that it has a tag that says it was manufactured by Mitsubishi? WTH

[Lloyd-TX]

Originally Posted by 69Goat1

I was surprised to notice on a friend of mines Duramax Duallys Diesel engine that it has a tag that says it was manufactured by Mitsubishi? WTH

NOPE, NO WAY!

It's manufactured by General Motors. Isuzu is a partner, but is now a minority owner.

http://www.dieselpowermag.com/featur...ine/index.html

Maybe the turbo is a Mitsu piece? I dunno?

[Johnny406]

POS 4cyl in the old Renault Le Cars!!

[67droptop]

Hate to admit I ever owned one......1982 Citation....that 4 banger engine was junk! I believe it was an Olds engine though???

[Sirrotica]

I did a changeover to a 350 cutlass in an 84 RWD cutlass that had a 4.3 diesel in it and the engine ran fine just couldn't keep a fan belt on it. I also had no problem selling that engine either.

You would have thought taking a V6 out that was based on the V8 out and putting a gas V8 in would be pretty simple, not so I could have put a 302 ford in it just as easy. Nothing interchanged or fit, many many runs to the junkyard to find all the parts to install that engine.

[69Goat1]

Originally Posted by Lloyd-TX

NOPE, NO WAY!

It's manufactured by General Motors. Isuzu is a partner, but is now a minority owner.

http://www.dieselpowermag.com/featur...ine/index.html

Maybe the turbo is a Mitsu piece? I dunno?

Lloyd, I stand corrected. It did say the engine was manufactured by Isuzu on it instead of Mitsubishi

[Lloyd-TX]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

I did a changeover to a 350 cutlass in an 84 RWD cutlass that had a 4.3 diesel in it and the engine ran fine just couldn't keep a fan belt on it. I also had no problem selling that engine either.

You would have thought taking a V6 out that was based on the V8 out and putting a gas V8 in would be pretty simple, not so I could have put a 302 ford in it just as easy. Nothing interchanged or fit, many many runs to the junkyard to find all the parts to install that engine.

We did quite a few of those change-overs at an old shop I used to work for before I opened my own place.

We'd source a complete 307 4V Olds with trans and swap 'em out. Back then we didn't worry about catalytic converters, gas tank fill restrictors or fuel evap systems like we'd have to now.

Pulled a BUNCH of POS Olds 260 2V gas engines, V6 and V8 diesels and made 307 cars out of 'em. Ran GREAT when we were done!

[Lloyd-TX]

Originally Posted by 69Goat1

Lloyd, I stand corrected. It did say the engine was manufactured by Isuzu on it instead of Mitsubishi

Hey - no problemo bud!

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by 67droptop

Hate to admit I ever owned one......1982 Citation....that 4 banger engine was junk! I believe it was an Olds engine though???

2.5 iron puke that was a 1963 design of a chevy straight six with 2 cylinders removed that Pontiac took responsibility for re-engineering. The main problem with that engine wasn't the design as it was the block was about the same brinell hardness as white pine. Bean counters thought you can make a good block with little to no nickel in it. the 301 Pontiac was the same way, no nickel content and the iron was soft and wore out prematurely. I have taken apart 301 with 60,000 miles that you couldn't get the pistons out without a ridge reamer because the blocks were so soft. you could probably put .010 over pistons in without boring the block.

By the same token in a well taken care of Pontiac 400 with over 100,000 miles on it there is just a carbon ridge and usually less than 2-3 thousandths wear on the cylinders.