Scout Diesels

["Kurt Musgrave" <rvar@domain.elided>]

I have 2 Scout Diesels.  Both are 1980's, 1 is a Scout and 1 is a Terra
Pickup.  I don't know how familiar you are with them, IH built them from
1976 through 1980 with the Nissan SD33  6 cyl diesel.  The 1980's were the
only ones that had turbochargers.
I am a rancher and love the fuel economy.  At low engine speeds they will
run forever on a tank of fuel. I do a lot of off road work at low speeds and
they are very well suited to that.  Mine both have 3.73 axle ratios and do
pretty well on the highway.  They are not a powerhouse and are not too well
suited to stop and go traffic but do pretty well on the open road.  I have
seen as much as 30 mpg at a steady 45 mph and at a steady 65 about 21-22mpg.
Mine will run 75 on the interstates but the mileage will be down well below
20.
They are very cold blooded.  They start hard below about 20 degrees and will
not run good for several minutes.  And unless you live in the country the
smoke generated when cold will be a problem.  I have engine heaters on both
and plug them in when possible.  It is essential
to keep the cooling system in good shape as they are prone to heat in hot
weather and I've been told that a lot of the problems people have had have
been cooling system related, head gasket problems are pretty common also.
The Scout I have has 180,000 miles on it and is all original.  The Terra has
100,000 and is on its second engine.  The original dropped a valve at about
80,000 and ruined the head and block beyond repair.  So they are not bullet
proof.  I bought an engine that had been taken out of a Scout with head
gasket problems.  I rebuilt it using parts obtained at Nissan Forklift
dealers and have had no problems since.
Parts are available now from Jesco in Calif. They even have complete
engines.  They are in the vendor list on the Binder Bulletin site.
I hope I've given a pretty good overview (although long) but wanted to let
you know my experiences.  I do like the way they run and the economy is
great.

Kurt.