"Lloyd Sumpter" wrote in message
news
Hi,
This is kinda boating-related. Anybody hear of anyone who's converted
the Venerable GM 4.3L V6 to diesel? I'd like to do that in my van. I don't
see any room for anything other than a V6, and would like diesel.

Lloyd Sumpter
"Far Cove" Catalina 36 - already has diesel

It is doable but there are a *lot* of things to get right for it to work.
Make sure you get the tranny and rear end from the doner vehicle - the
gearing is different. You need to get the glow controls set up.

The small GM diesel had some serious problems with the oil passage routing -
some of the parts did not get oil for a long time on a cold startup. I would
recommend that you avoid using the V6.

I have been using 5.7L powered vehicles for many years. GM finally got it
right on the DX block, but by then the public had been so put off by the
early attempts that the project was doomed to failure.

Just like you - I think that diesel and boats go together. I have a freshly
rebuilt DX block engine sitting in my garage right now - I am thinking that
is might make a nice powerplant for the right boat. The cooling would have
to be from a heat exchanger as the heads are not set up to tolerate lake
water (and accompaning crud) in the tiny passages.

Mark Browne