So, here we were waxing on the non-merits of Dr. Diesel's automotive curse (the diesel engine) when my memory banks of VW diesel horror stories were suddenly jolted loose and dislodged. Apparently the ill-advised proponents of the proposition that passenger car diesels should again wreak havoc on our senses and tranquility, let alone be forced upon Jeep owners, have slunk off to plot their evil plans in secret. We're wise to the scam, but, I digress....
VW's infamous Rabbit diesel of the late '70's was if anything one of the automotive worlds worst afterthoughts, bested only by GM's even more stupid designs. VW's cursed 4 cyl. diesel was nothing more than their already rough running, undersquare gasoline 4 banger, re-tooled with a different head, pistons and mechanical injection gear apparently derived from some form of German tractor. Head gaskets leaked, cranks broke, blocks cracked internally flooding the cooling systems with oil, crank woodruf keys worked loose, retarding the cam timing and slowly pressing the valves into the tops of the pistons, etc., etc.
Worse was the car itself, which had an insufficiently strong structure to manage the vibration stresses (no powertrain sub-frame). In the best case the body shook like a wet dog with fleas at idle. Extreme cases became routine in '81 when the stroke was increased. Since the center powertrain mount was directly under the firewall, dashboards shook so badly the instruments couldn't be read and the things started shaking themselves to pieces. Body welds broke loose, suspension pieces came loose, you name it. Now, get ready for the fix....
VW "engineers" designed a cast iron brick, suspended on a steel strap, which was to be bolted inside the front bumper. Such as the structure was, the contraption drew the vibrations from the firewall area to the front bumper. Then, of course, the front license plates began to fall off, later the bumper mounts cracked and began to release the bumpers onto the highways and byways of the USA....all this to get a (mostly fictitious) 40+ MPG!
Persons making any further suggestions on this forum that Jeeps need diesels will be consigned to the back of the bus where they can enjoy being asphixiated by the diesel fumes. Meanwhile, I, along with millions of former diesel owners aremed with torches will continue to search out Dr. Diesel's gravesite at night, where we will perform an exorcisim intended to consign him and his contraption to the infernal regions!