does anyone have any recommendations for a diesel engine that is not going to cause as many problems and cost as much money as the tdci. I have a 52 plate 20l tdci mondeo with 78000 on the clock. I've had 3 different injectors reprogrammed in 5 months and i'm now reluctant to drive it in case the glow plug light comes on! I love the car, but it might as well be a pile of scrap metal as i'm too scared to take it off the drive! Is common rail technology still in the experimental stage or is it just the tdci. Is there a decent engine out there?
Sorry about the rant.
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The VW PD engines are not strictly common rail but "unit injector" - a system in which each injector has its own cam driven pump but the timing and delivery are controlled electronically. It's very reliable provided you adhere strictly to the VAG recommendations regarding oil specifications and belt changes. Their information is hopeless - so be careful.
As this system generates the amongst the highest injection pressures in the business, its efficiency is excellent. Critics of this engine suggest it's unrefined - try it and see. I have no gripes, but mine is in the biggest body shell available to take it. Performance and fuel efficiency are well up to expectations.
This engine is being phased out and is also available in cloned (and galvanised) VAG body shells (Seat/Skoda). If you can find one to do your job, there are some seriously good secondhand bargains to be had.
659.
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I would like to second the views of 659FBE. I have a Passat 130 TDI and a Focus 115TDCI. There is no comparison between the two engines, the VW is more responsive from lower revs, more economical, more powerful, starts easier and just feels better in every way. It is easy to stall the Focus, but not in the VW.
Many tractors now have common rail engines, they run flat out alot of the time and get thrashed quite a bit. My common rail John Deere is 3 years old and the engine is fine, so it must be manufacturers using cheap parts on some cars.
I like diesels and would not go back to petrols and after reading today's DT I will not be buying a hybrid vehicle!!
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Yes, the Mondeo TDCi is a Ford unit through and through, but just so you know the 2.0 140 TDCi in new Mondeo and 1.4/1.6 TDCi's in Fiesta/Focus are actually PSA (Peugeot-Citroen) engines.
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quizman,
seen as you're a tractor man, any ideas how much it would be to get a set (4) of injectors serviced and tested nowadays. i'm asking this for my old man. its not a CR system. thanks
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I have had injectors serviced in the past at a firm in Burton on Trent, I can't remember the name or the price they charged. Sorry!
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If you buy the VAG you could be unlucky & have the camshaft wear completely out! normally if they havent had the exact specified oil & changed at the correct period!
What ever you buy I hope you better luck than the last!, none of us enjoy a car when its unrelaible. I think some of the unreliability is down to cheap components & poor quality control as it all boils down to money at our expense.
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I would like to also agree with the comments on VaG PD engines, as they are quite robust as long as the 506/507 oil spec is adhered to.
However I believe that the later Ford TDCI engines have ironed out the HP pump and injector problems that plagued the earlier cars.
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I have driven and been driven in a variety of VAG PD engined cars over the past few years, and they are incredibly punchy and frugal. I cannot genuinely understand how anyone could seriously suggest they get close to a common rail for refinement and smoothness though. PD engines emit a certain level of diesel rumble and vibration, even when driven gently. Common rails just don't.
As for reliability, I agree they seem very robust given correct servicing. My father in law has a 130,000 mile mkIV Golf PD130 and it still goes very well and returns 50 mpg. The car itself has been a bit problematic in the last year with various electrical and trim issues, but the engine still seems fit as a fiddle and apart from two MAF sensor failures, hasn't given a day's trouble.
Cheers
DP
--
04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
97 Ford Fiesta 1.4 16v Chicane (for sale)
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Many thanks for the advice.
Cheers
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