Fraught with issues, the 4.3-liter LF7 V8 had trouble with water contamination because not enough thought was given to the fuel delivery system.
Contrary to gearhead urban legend, the engine was not adapted from a gasoline version even if there are similarities in their construction and specs. The Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon Brougham, or "Bro" for short, was one of the first cars to receive the storied Olds diesel. The more enterprising owners replaced the engines on theirs with later gasoline units, as these were still solid cars.Ĭan I find one today? It's tough to find a clean gasoline example to begin with.Ĩ-track tapes found in the glove compartment: Jackson Browne, The Cars. In fact, it's tough to find one as the Olds diesels had plenty of issues. We can name a couple of issues with that approach, and all of them end with the car getting stranded on the side of the road.įuel economy: 21 mpg combined/31 mpg highway, per the old EPA estimate system.Īre these valued higher than the gas model? Nope. "You can also drive that same New Chevrolet Diesel Wagon with the fuel economy usually associated with a compact car-an EPA estimated 21 mpg, 31 highway." Chevrolet got the 682 mile figure by multiplying the EPA estimated figure by 22, the capacity of the gas tank. Sales by the end of the production run had tapered off for the diesel model, as gas was back in vogue.Īd copy boasted of a 462-mile range on a single tank, and up to 682 miles on the highway between fill-ups. Needless to say, this was not an energy-efficient engine by any stretch. Early units churned out 120 hp, while later versions produced all of 105 hp. GM spread the diesel love around, with woody-sided Chevrolet Caprice Classic wagon receiving the massive 5,737 cc diesel V8 engine for 1980 through 1985. It wasn't just Oldsmobile and Cadillac that got diesel engines in the early 1980s (just as the business case for them was evaporating). We can just picture one of these at Barrett-Jackson's Scottsdale sale in the year 2050, as the last remaining 1984 Monte Carlo diesel is started on the auction block to applause from the crowd.įuel economy: These could reportedly squeeze out 34 mpg on the highway, a miniscule improvement over the same engine in the Caprice sedan and wagon.Īre these valued higher than the gas model? These still have some time to age and appreciate before the 2050 Arizona in January auctions.Ĭan I find one today? Let us know if you do-we want to see it.Ĩ-track tapes found in the glove compartment: Black Sabbath, America.
1984 would be the last year of the diesels for the Monte Carlo, with their share of the Monte Carlo sales dipping into mere hundreds of units. The LF7 4.3-liter V8 diesel was on the menu as well, producing 90 hp. This was the same unit that debuted in the 1979 model-year GM cars-the 5.7-liter LF9 V8 engine with 120 hp on tap. Just as gas prices started heading down, Chevrolet stuffed an Oldsmobile diesel into the Monte Carlo for the 1982 model year.
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