84-85 Trucks & 4Runners 2nd gen pickups and 1st gen 4Runners with solid front axles

Thinking about buying a 1985 non turbo diesel

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Old Apr 7, 2013 | 07:20 PM
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BUST'EM504's Avatar
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Thinking about buying a 1985 non turbo diesel

As the title reads. What do you guys think? I searched for some feedback but haven't found much. I am worried about getting parts. It's a really clean truck with 157000 miles.
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Old Apr 8, 2013 | 07:56 PM
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diesel

i love my diesel. sounds great. really good on fuel.parts havent been an issue.less top end than the 22re on highway
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Old Apr 9, 2013 | 09:50 AM
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From: Fernie, British Columbia, Canada
a very close friend of mine owns the green 84 2L in my semi retired build up thread ( ran out of good weather and time to finish) But i work on her truck all the time and i have found no issues finding parts. some things get a little expensive but thats to be expected. I find it has less power than the 22re but the torque makes up for it.
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Old Apr 13, 2013 | 10:40 PM
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I have an 84 2L 4x4. I really like it quite a bit. Seems to be a lot less peppy than my 22RE and 20R trucks, but none of them goes fast and I like getting 24-25 mpg consistently in the city. I think having the injector pump rebuilt will be the costliest of repairs, but I think most engine parts are available through the dealer here still.
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Old Apr 14, 2013 | 04:34 AM
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From: monroe nc
i think they are kinda rare, a friend of mine had one, they are slow, maybe you could put a turbo on it, or swap it for a VW tdi engine, heh heh heh. like i'm thinking about for my next project.
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Old Apr 14, 2013 | 07:57 AM
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I, too, owned an '83 with the 2.2 Diesel. I found the vacuum pumps hard to find.

They are Uber-under-powered. Test drive it extensively before buying. Take 500# of something with you for the test drive, and test it with a load.

I don't have the torque value handy, but I found it to have no horse power and even less torque. The notion that all Diesels have tons of torque, and that will compensate for no power, is just not true. Some Diesels have limited power AND awful torque (this was the case with my 2.2).

That said, mine got, on average, 28-33 mpg; I only sold it when the tranny died at 200k.

If you are just looking for economy, find a regular cab Tacoma 2wd with the 2.4 and 5-speed.

Keep in mind that Diesel, over the last 20 years, has been more expensive than gas; sometimes much more expensive.
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Old Apr 14, 2013 | 11:16 AM
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Thanks for all the input guys going to test drive it today. They are asking 5000 for it seems a bit much but we will see. I read somewhere adding a turbo to the stock motors is not a good idea because it causes problems with lifting the head. Dunno though
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Old Apr 14, 2013 | 12:36 PM
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Guys who add a small turbo to the 6.9 (came in Ford trucks) tend to also add performance head studs to avoid the head gasket problem you mentioned. More boost seems to require machining the head to accept o-rings or even fire rings.

$5k plus turbo plus head studs = a lot of money, IMHO.
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