QuestionWe have a 1985 Eldorado Biarritz with a blown engine. We have already rebuilt the transmission and painted the car so hate to scrap it. I found a 1981 Eldorado Diesel with a professionally rebuilt engine that has about 10k miles on it. Also has new glow plugs and a rebuilt starter. Is it feasible to install the diesel from the '81 in the '85? What additional work would need to be considered? If not recommended, which engine would you recommend installing in the '85 Cadillac?
Any and all advice will be well received.
AnswerHello,
Interesting concept and completely backwards from anything I experienced. GM car diesels were nothing but problems and we were always converting them to gas.
Personally, I don't care if the engine is professionally rebuilt or not. Have you heard the saying of taking a sow's ear and turning it into a silk purse?
The GM gasoline engine converted from the slip shod attempt into what was called a diesel is one of those situations. There was nothing good about these engines! Even as a reman known as the GM Target master. You are stepping from the greasy frying pan into the fire!
You can't buy anything for them any more. Notorious for blown head gaskets, bad injector pumps and more.
This is a 350 cubic inch Olds gasoline engine converted to diesel. Every one that owned one wanted to convert to a 350 olds gas engine and I converted many. The conversion was a bolt up, however you are going from a 4.1 to something else.
In the late 70's, GM got in trouble for putting engines in cars that were not specific to a brand. A Cadillac would have an Olds engine, a Pontiac may have an Olds engine. This could be to your advantage as it relates to if the engine will bolt to the trans. I simply do not know.
I would never consider putting a diesel into this car-ever!!!
If I were doing it, I would try to get a Olds gas out of a Cutlass, a rear wheel drive Olds 88 or 98, witch only ran with a computer system and TBI from 1982-1984 on the 98 and 1982-185 on the Olds 88 and RWD Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham into the 90's. You would need everything including all wiring harnesses and computer.
I don't even know if the diesel exhaust manifolds line up with the 4.1.
It will take lots of research.
Another consideration is that if you are in an area that requires an emission check, you probably won't pass with any type of conversion.
I hope you decide on attempting to put another gas motor in, because it is just too much work to have something fa worse than an over heated 4.1.
Good luck!
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