Question:

 

I've recently bought a 1985 Chevy S-10 pickup with 65,000 miles. The odd thing about it is the 2.2-liter diesel engine under the hood. I have spoken to the people at my local Chevrolet dealership along with an independent parts store and nobody has ever heard of a diesel engine in a '85 S-10 pickup. I even went out and bought a service manual on the truck and there is no mention of it anywhere. I can only surmise that either this is a rare S-10 or someone did an engine swap and replaced the original gas engine for the diesel.

 

Answer:

 

Your 2.2-liter is a factory application and not a diesel conversion. There weren't many of this particular truck/engine combination produced due to the lack of popularity toward a diesel engine in a compact pickup. It may seem kind of rare, but don't get too excited. We're not expecting to see it in the Chevrolet Hall of Fame anytime soon. As far as the dealership never hearing of a diesel in an '85 S-10 pickup is concerned, they obviously never opened up the factory service manual during your conversation.

 

With the use of the ALLDATA information system we pulled up complete service information on the 2.2-liter 4cyl diesel engine. Take a look at the eighth digit of the VIN (vehicle identification number) in the upper left corner of the dash. The "S" designates the 2.2-liter. The official option code is "LQ7" which should be located on the option decal in the glove box.

 

We really can't give you a good explanation for the auto parts store and the incomplete service manual that you purchased coming up empty while attempting to identify this engine, but here's the GM part number for the short block assembly just in case you ever need one, #94123452.

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