Fun with hoses !
When I got this car, one of the major problems was the "plumbing". This particular car has power brakes and steering. The Diesel engine does not develop any vacuum, so there is a vacuum pump built onto the rear of the alternator. The vacuum pump receives it's lubricant from an oil pressure line coming from the lower engine block. Naturally, this is extremely hard to get to, as it is behind the engine mount, which must be removed for access. The previous owner said the oil line was leaking, but I decided to bolt it one and find out for myself. It poured.
Update: It seems that my second Diesel Chevette also needed one of these oil lines. Without power steering, and the lower water hose in the block behind the motor mount, this was almost "easy" to replace compared to the '81 car. I found an excellent used hose, which saved me $50 over having to have a new one made like the last time. Aug 2001
Also, I found out the the power steering hoses were also spraying fluid which I found out by filling the empty reservoir. As can be expected, these hoses had to be special made as they were not listed anywhere. Ohio Hydraulics did a superb job of fabricating me a new set of hoses in less than 24 hrs ! After replacing these hoses, I managed to stop the fluids from pouring out of the car, which makes for a much more pleasant driveway, and the freedom to park at friends houses without getting hollered at !
If that wasn't enough, the previous owner had cut off most of the water hoses! As I had no idea what went where, plus I had this hideous water heater ( which I removed ) spliced into the "system", this was a bit of a problem. The problem is that there are two block fittings, one thermostat fitting, and only two heater hose inlets. It turns out that the 1981 Diesel Chevette has an extra water hose fitting on the bottom of the block, behind the motor mount that other Diesel Chevette's don't have. It seems that the water hoses for the '81 have a "tee" fitting as shown in some of my pictures going to the heater core.