Diesel Pioneer

Gonepostal said:

Found something interesting in a wrecking yard today, a diesel powered Pioneer. Just curious, can anyone give me some background on this model? Was the diesel worth a crap or just a flash in the pan?

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Made from '85 to '88, IIRC. Engine was a Renault 2.1 turbodiesel. Good engine for the time (if not particularly powerful), but this was the wrong continent for it: the only other vehicle in this part of the world to use it in any real numbers was the Winnebago LeSharo / Itasca Phasar motorhome, so that'll give you some idea of what parts availability is like. I believe all of them had manual transmissions from the factory, and there were a few diesel Comanches with the same engine.

If I found one that looked like it was fresh off the showroom floor I'd pick it up as a survivor, but there are much better diesels out there if you're looking to do a swap.

I have ZERO hands-on time with the 2.1 diesel, and I intend to keep it that way.

Do a little research on and other forums--seems to me the consensus is not all that good, parts "availability" is a term best loosely applied, and seems that heads/headgaskets were a common problem.

The word "gutless" seemed to have been used a lot too.

Search, its your best friend.

joe_peters said:

Do a little research on and other forums--seems to me the consensus is not all that good, parts "availability" is a term best loosely applied, and seems that heads/headgaskets were a common problem.

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It's actually not a bad engine compared to what Nissan, Toyota, etc. were offering in the same engine class when the 2.1TD was current; it measures up pretty well on paper. The real problem is that the XJ was just the wrong application for it. I can remember this engine powering umpteen-million Renault Trafic vans when I was a kid, and it was really good in that role.

Part of the issue with them in North America was that they were current only while Jeep was still under AMC/Renault ownership... And we all know how much respect the guys who had spent 20 years building or working on Hornets had for anything Renault cranked out. Add poor build quality and servicing into the mix (as well as owners unfamiliar with diesel engine operation and maintenance) and it's basically a doomed powerplant.

The word "gutless" seemed to have been used a lot too.

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Oh, it was never a screaming performer - but remember also that it's a product of diesel technology of the time. The '80s were weird for diesels because some of the improvements that became common in the '90s (turbocharging, intercoolers, better overall design) were starting to crop up, but the technology to take advantage of these improvements hadn't quite caught up yet.

That said, I wouldn't touch one either and I actually *like* most French vehicles. There are just much better diesel alternatives out there, but if anyone finds one in good shape it might be worth snagging as a survivor vehicle.

They put that diesel in front of an auto trans also. I had a customer who complained continually of low power and I had to constantly remind him that I advised him not to get the diesel with an auto. What a slug!!!

Ah yes, the 2 CV Citroen (deux chevaux), the R5 Renault, the Peugeot 404.

Just kidding, the Peugeot 500/600 series weren't bad cars.

Where is it located? I know a guy with a couple who I am sure would love to pick one over at a junkyard.

Dietz Auto Wrecking in Billings Montana is where it is located. The owner Ken said it was running when they got it. It appeared to be complete with the factory turbo and all the plumbing. Personally I will not be buying it so anyone interested...have at it. The rest of the Jeep is pretty much parted out and it was ahead of an auto so cannot imagine that it was areal barn burner for performance. Interesting concept though. Thanks for enlightening me on this one.

4BT

yeah, what mark said^^

I know there was some guy in Texas (I think) who was restoring a diesel Cherokee he got for free, if no one buys the powertrain or engine whole you might want to see if you can track down his thread, get ahold of him and find out what parts he needs. I know he was looking for a couple of belts. Like Joe said, parts availability isn't the best.