1983 Dodge Diplomat Salon from North America - Comments

A few days after I bought it, car started stalling out at stop signs and red lights. My mechanic discovered it was idling too low because the carburetor was loose. He tightened the screws for $80, and it never stalled again.

Battery died (but it was obviously worn when I got the car).

Around 132,000, the horn stopped working when the car was on (but it still works when the car was off, oddly enough).

Carpet by driver's feet badly worn.

Goes through antifreeze (about a medium McDonalds cup a month).

Didn't have a tailpipe or resonator when I bought it, they had fallen off from rust.

Leaks a very small amount of oil when the engine is hot (less than a quart between changes).

The front brakes were worn badly when I bought the car. The pads were squealing, and the rotors were warped so the car would shake when I braked. Finally had to replace them at 133,000 (a friend of mine did the labor, so it was just $80 in parts).

The roof is rusty, and much of the paint has peeled off it.

It has held up well for being so abused throughout its life, still doesn't burn a drop of oil, the transmission shifts smoothly. It has only not started twice--once when the battery died, once when it ran out of gas. Aside from the roof, there is little visible rust, and this car has spent its life in Canada and Upstate New York.

I like the old-fashioned styling, all the chrome, the woodgrain dash, the sharply sculpted lines around the hood and the nose-like front end. It looks a little more old-fashioned than the Chevy Caprice and Ford Crown Vic, more like a 70s car than an 80s. Navy blue is a good color for this car; it makes it look more like an undercover cop car (which, I am told, this car once was; it has a couple police options, and a big hole under the dash where a police radio was once hooked up).

Gets high teens to the gallon, pretty good for a six-cylinder engine that was originally designed in the 60s, but not great by today's standards. Acceleration from a stop isn't very good, it's a heavy car, but it gets better once you're going fast, and the top speed is at least 10 miles over 85 (which is as high as the speedometer goes). Handling is poor, however, and you have to take it slow on twisty or rough roads. It is very comfortable and quiet on good roads. The muffler is old and rusty and it is very loud on the outside, but inside you don't notice at all. Not very good in rain or snow, even with the special police anti-slip rear end, but, in fairness, most of the smaller front-wheel drive economy cars I have driven did worse in snow.

Comfortable seats, very roomy (three people on the front bench are as comfortable as three in back). The trunk isn't as big as on similarly-sized Chevy cars, but it's still bigger than most people will need.

I have the absolute base model, no options except power steering, power brakes and automatic transmission (and these things were probably standard by 83 anyway). Plain cloth seats, AM radio which still works. Still worth the $380 I paid for it.

I read your post, and if it was originally equipped with the /6 then it is not a police package. all the police package m-body's were v-8's.

There were six cylinder police models, even had a heavy duty engine available. They stopped with this option in 1983.

I have a 1983 Dodge Diplomat Salon, 8 Cylinder. Great car! However, I need the toggle switch to turn on the rear defroster. Any idea where I can get one? dodgeowner@kwgcapital.com.

To the guy above me...

A switch is easily found in either the old Caravelles Diplomat ect. My grandfather swears by the slant six mopars. His ran 12 years, from less than 10,000 kilometers. It was 1981 Caravelle. Super six, he had to lay the car up since the frame in the front snapped in many places, he drove it behind the garage, the engine still purred, at over 600,000 kilometers (believe it or not) so what did we do, we went out and bought another plymouth caravelle, and we paid 150 canadian dollars for it. we put the parts into it and then drove it for 4 years. only replacing basic things like the spark plugs and fixing a few holes in the floor.

Again, that two the front frame dropped off it, and the engine was worn so bad, that it was spitting oil up through the carb. and we needed to prime the carb with gasoline t oget it to start. these slant 6's where never overly withdrawn with horsepower, but we never feared being stranded.

I have a Dodge Diplomat 83 v-8 single barrel salon that is not getting fire from the solenoid. I have change it out to no avail. Still no fire. Changed the spark plugs and the distributor cap, also the wires. I am not getting any response.

The gas filter and fuel pump; not getting any gas coming through. Got the firing order and yet I am at my ends wit. Are there any suggestions for the problem? This car was running fine two months ago and now I can't start it at all. And yes it does turn over.

"1st Mar 2008, 12:38.

I have a Dodge Diplomat 83 v-8 single barrel salon that is not getting fire from the solenoid. I have change it out to no avail. Still no fire. Changed the spark plugs and the distributor cap, also the wires. I am not getting any response.

The gas filter and fuel pump; not getting any gas coming through. Got the firing order and yet I am at my ends wit. Are there any suggestions for the problem? This car was running fine two months ago and now I can't start it at all. And yes it does turn over."

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "not getting fire from the solenoid". Solenoids have to do with the starter, and if it turns over okay, and doesn't go "click click click" then the solenoid (or rather starter relay) is probably okay -- on Mopar starters the solenoid is part of the starter. Now just to make sure --- you have confirmed that there is no spark by removing a spark plug and grounding it on the block, and when you crank it there is no spark?

If you mean that you get no spark;

1) Try changing the ballast resistor. That's the little porcelain box mounted on the firewall behind the distributor. If the engine fires, but won't run, this is probably the problem.

2) Try changing the magnetic pickup in the distributor. Sometimes the engine heat will short out the magnetic pickup and you get no spark.

3) Use a resistance meter to check the coil. If it's shot, the meter will show continuity (i.e. virtually no resistance). A Hayne's manual will give you the range of ohms for your coil.

As for no gas, remove the fuel line from the carburetor and crank the engine to see if fuel sprays out (put a 2-liter bottle over the line to catch the gas, if any) :

1) You have changed the fuel filter?

2) Change the fuel pump

3) Sounds dumb, but are you sure there is sufficient gas in the tank?

To the gentleman who give me the answer for the diplomat 83, I thank you for good news, I will get to working on this as quickly as I can. I will inform you on the results as I continue to fix this wonderful car. once again thank you!!