How can I tell if my '84 Olds Toronado is front wheel or rear wheel drive?Seems to me its rear wheel, but?

Question

my dad says its front wheel.My husband said I'd have to take out the engine and turn it sideways for there to be any possibility of it being front wheel drive.

This car has 5.0L V-8 caddy engine

Answer 1

i,ll give your husband a good history lesson on the olds toronado and its brother the cadilac el dorado.the olds
was first introduced in 1966 as a front engine front wheel
drive large 2 door car. the engine is the olds 455 v-8
sitting in the normal(for a rear wheel drive) position.
the power got to the front wheels via a modified turbo 400
(th425) installed to the left of the engines oil pan and block.
a final drive differential is bolted directly to the tranny's
rear output shaft and the connected to the front tires
by 2 rather large CV shafts bolted to the final drive.
the eldorado is the same setup but uses the caddy 500
or 472 v-8 and made its appearance in 1967. i restored a 1971 eldorado and it has the 500 v-8. alittle more history
the eldorado was rear drive until 67 when it was introduced
as a front wheel drive.

Answer 2

There has NEVER been a rear wheel drive Toronado, it's front.

Look under the car and try to find a drive shaft that goes from front to rear or halfshafts from a rear differential to the rear wheels - you won't because they don't exist.

Tell your hubby there have been countless FWD cars that have north-south engines (not transverse), he's way off base on that.

Daddy might not always be right, but he is this time.

Answer 3

You will have to go with dear old dad here as he knows his stuff. This car has a strange front wheel drive system in it. The motor sits like a normal motor as in a rear wheel drive car. However, it has a transaxle for a transmission and it is also equipped with what is called a separate final drive which is a mini rear axle assembly. The easiest thing to do to prove it to yourself is look in the front tire area from underneath and you will see the front drive axles and big rubber/plastic covers that contain the CV joints. Good luck.

Answer 4

Every Toronado is front wheel drive. If he sez it is rear wheel drive, bet him $20 that he will not be able to find a driveshaft that goes to the rear under that car. First Tell him that they started making toronados back in the mid 60s and all the big cars where designed with rear wheel drive back then. If u look closely at the engine u will see its not in normal position, it's ooff to one side

Answer 5

Miss The oldsmobile toronado has been front wheel drive ever since the 1960's when it came out and nearly all cadillacs built today are also front wheel drive.Maintenance is a headache and a gruelling nightmare,You have to be a contorsionist to repair front drive cars even now,The spark plugs on the 6's and all V8's are a real bear to get to.In short I prefer RWD any day.

Answer 6

olds toronado is front wheel drive! if in dought look under the car to see if you have a drive shaft going to a rear differential. And not all front wheel drives have engines in side ways. some have a trans axle the allows an engine to be place in a traditional manner

Answer 7

Which way is the engine sitting in the car? If the belt system is to the side of the car it is front wheel drive if it is in the front it is a rear wheel drive. Most likely it is a rear wheel drive from the year

Answer 8

Third Generation, 1979–1985

Production 1979-1985
Engine(s) 252 in³ Buick V6
307 in³ Oldsmobile V8
350 in³ Oldsmobile V8
350 in³ Oldsmobile diesel V8
Transmission(s) 3-speed TH325 automatic
4-speed TH325-4L automatic
Wheelbase 114 in
Length 204 in
The third generation ran from 1979 through 1985. This was a seriously downsized model with a 114-inch wheelbase and an overall length of 204 inches. The downsized Toronado had smaller engines than in previous years including Oldsmobile Rocket V8s of 350 in³ (5.7 L) and later 307 in³ (5.0 L). A larger 252 in³ (4.1 L) version of the Buick V6 was made available from 1981 to 1984, and also a diesel V8, converted from Olds' well-regarded gasoline-powered 350 in³ (5.7 L) V8. The V6 was not popular, though, and the diesel conversion acquired a terrible mechanical reputation, becoming a genuine black eye for Oldsmobile. The three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission was standard equipment from 1979 to 1981 and replaced by the four-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic 325-4L overdrive unit from 1982 to 1985.

Rear independent suspension was adopted and helped preserve usable rear-seat and trunk space in the smaller body, and provided the bonus of improved handling over previous Toronados with no sacrifice in ride quality. Trim packages under the XSC and Caliente names were offered along with choices of velour or leather upholstery, and digital instrumentation appeared. This Toronado, along with its Riviera and Eldorado cousins, were the last body-on-frame, front wheel drive cars with longitude-mounted V8 engines.

Answer 9

Sorry, your husband is too young to know about the funky transmission installed in those.
Front wheel drive......rather heavy duty.
I forget the name of the transmission, though.
TH425 for the big one
TH 325 for the smaller one (I suspect yours)
Look for a big nut in the center of the tire hole holding the halfshaft to the spindle.
no such thing as a rear wheel drive toronado, by the way.

Answer 10

All Toronados are real wheel drive. Your Hubby is looking at late models. In 1963 Buick Rivieras, Olds Toronados were introduced as frt wh dr. Eldorados also became frt. wh. dr.Your "Dear ol' Dad knows best"!