atveit said:
I'm going to buy a Diesel Blazer/jimmy, is there anything i should be aware of? What year should i go for? I live in Norway, meaning +25to -20 degrees Celsius? Maybe an Veteran(30 years old)?
Best regards Arne
By and large the only diesel you will find is the 6.2L V8. It has a bit of a bad reputation, as GM once made a very nasty diesel V8 that was converted from gas ... the Oldsmobile 350 (5.7L) diesel. Thankfully those were short-lived and were never put into Blazers. People confuse the 6.2L for that engine, and they are not related.
The 6.2L isn't a bad engine, and you are fortunate in that it comes in about the only Blazer/Jimmy you see a lot of on your side of the pond, which are the ex-military ones. Called the M1009 CUCV, they are basically a Blazer with a 6.2L diesel, a nice stout TH400 tranny, and a weird 12V/24V electrical system.
They don't have air conditioning, but I don't think for you that's giong to be a problem
You can get "cold weather kits" for them which include engine heaters and insulation for the top, etc.
The Blazer CUCV's do NOT have the strong axles that were in the *pickup* CUCV's (M1008, M1010, M1028), but if you're not going to be hardcore off-roading, that's okay. They're also geared at 3.08:1, not very good for towing but better for fuel economy.
You can also get civilian Blazers with the same diesel, starting about 1982, as I recall, and going through 1991 (?). The CUCV's were made around 1984-1986, maybe 1987. The civilian Blazers had air conditioning options, and came with a weaker 4-speed automatic (the TH700R4).
To my knowledge no other diesels came factory in the Blazer/Jimmy. While it's no Cummins turbodiesel, the 6.2L is a decent engine, and with proper maintenance (change the oil! often!
) they live a long time. I have an M1009 and I love the thing. Mind you, cold here in California is perhaps 0*C, but she starts right up every time.
Oh, if you get a 6.2L, especially a CUCV, post up about glow plugs and the controller, or search the Diesel forum here about Kennedy Quick Start plugs. You'll need them.
-- A
