Vintage Diesel Car Care, Part 1

For a diesel pickup from the early Eighties, probably one of the best choices is the GM 6.2L. Although its availability and replacement parts aren't plentiful, the situation is probably a bit better than for the other brands manufactured during that period.


For passenger cars, you've got just a couple of truly viable candidates (Peugeot fans, please don't be offended): the VW Rabbit Diesel, and the Mercedes-Benz 240 and 300 series. The latter two had excellent build quality, are still reliable, relatively easy to perform service on (being mechanically straightforward), enjoy good replacement parts availability, and (due to the high mileage these cars usually would likely have by now) will easily show evidence of abuse if such occurred during its history.


While a complete inspection can (and should) be performed on one of these vehicles much in the same way as on any other, the question does come up as to how to determine the engine's condition. These engines can perform satisfactorily for 300,000 miles and more, under ideal conditions. Such conditions would include regular oil and filter changes, valve adjustments, fuel system service (including fuel injector and pump replacement, if needed), and cooling system service. The latter would involve preventive replacement of components, instead of waiting for failure, and subsequent engine overheating.


So, how do you determine the history of the engine and fuel system? Accurate service records, preferably showing that a reputable repair shop has performed the maintenance and repairs, help quite a bit. But whether the seller has these records or not, you can see quite a bit just by looking—and knowing what you're looking at.

Helpful Hints
Here are some helpful hints that can be performed in the seller's driveway, without scaring him or threatening any life, limb or property. The vehicle shown here is a rare 1981 Mercedes-Benz 300CD with 227,000 miles plus on the odometer).