1990’s Quality Diesels

[junkyarddog]

205 n/a XUD!  #biased  

Me too.

[CreepingJesus]

The Isuzu lump in the Vauxhalls was a big advance over the previous Opel boat anchor, but...that Opel lump was pretty much unkillable. I knew of an early Mk3 Cav 1.6D taxi (with the proper taxi pack, remember those?) which did 322,000 in 3 years. The only reason it came back in the garage was for an MOT...

Mind you, we had an early Astramax runaround with that lump in, ex council hack, which had near 200,000 on, which wouldn't die. Despite our best efforts. It had the low geared 4 speed box, and struggled to hit 50mph.

Some years later I had some fun amateur tuning the Ford 1.8tdi. A screwdriver and a brake pipe clamp was all that was needed to bring on smoking fun times!

[Pillock]

I've a soft spot for..... wait for it..... Renault 1.9dti.

 

WHAT?

 

Well, it was the car my mum had (Megane shaped) when I first passed my test, so whilst everyone at college saved hard for a 1.2 Nova or something I got to occasionally borrow that. It shifted! Clouds of clag out the back too as she only used it for really short journeys.

 

Also, I admire what Citroen did with the ZX Volcane Diesel - pretty much the first non-grandad looking dervmobile.

[Arthur Foxhake]

Another vote for Transit 2.5DI. Superb engine in every respect. Sounds like an old truck should sound, pulls the house down and never ever breaks. There is nothing better before or since! It's just a real shame the vehicles they were attached to dissolved so badly!

Agreed. I have lost my mojo for welding upside down in the road outside my house to fix mine and have been quoted to have it finished by a mate.

As soon as I have sold my Pajero, (needs rear quarter sorting due to me reversing into the same post twice in the same day) I'm getting my Transit welded up and welding a turbo onto it.

[bramz7]

Anyone ever tried a 1.9 straight diesel Renault c. Early mid 90s? I nearly bought a MK1 Clio with it in once, but felt it would have been ultra grim.

[0ldCh0d]

The ubiquitous Ford 1.8 D Engine, As found in many Escort vans & Fiesta MK3's..... Slow as shit, but pretty much bomb proof if looked after....Well, The ones I had were pretty decent at the time anyway.

 

Also, as previously mentioned, Another Vote for the 2.5 Ford Transit engine.

[Pillock]

I do like the economy from the Ford 1.8D in atmospheric format.

 

Many years ago, my then girlfriend and I set off to look at. VW Beetle for sale in her mum's Fiesta Diesel.

It was the first of the fuel strikes.

 

We got to Camberley and back from Mansfield on a quarter of a tank, after getting there and realising every fuel station was out of fuel.

 

It was a bloody rough engine, but it reliably took us all over the country. The cambelt snapped at idle and it just needed a few valves.

[twosmoke300]

My favs are the 1.6 d in the fords ( not the 1.8 or td tho) , 2.5 di transit , xud's and the sofim used in ivecos etc

[Daviemck2006]

XUD has to be the best one in my book. The XUD9TE in my previous Xantia still pulls like a train despite north of 200K on the clock - plus would still return truly ridiculous economy, especially cruising along the motorway. I've never had another car that was such a totally effective motorway mile muncher. The only thing which would have made it better would have been cruise control.

I can testify to that as I own it now. It’s now at 212k and running 3 to 400 miles a week on 50/50 veg/derv.

 

 

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[Cavcraft]

Those Ford 1.8 diesels were dreadul. Found them really wheezy (with/out turbo) and very unpleasant to drive.

[twosmoke300]

Yet I found the 1.6 free revving and economical . Maybe cos of lighter vehicles ? The fiesta van my dad had was a peach

[CreepingJesus]

It was a bloody rough engine, but it reliably took us all over the country. The cambelt snapped at idle and it just needed a few valves.

Unlucky!

Winter time always seemed to be bad for cambelts going at startup/idle on those. Did maybe half a dozen as breakdowns, only the one turbo munched a couple of valves and a piston (and even that wasn't the end of the world); the rest got a new belt and away they went.

[sierraman]

What about the 2.1 Indenor fitted to all the best Granada Mk2s. I’d be very surprised if any are left. Figures suggest 80mph would be hard won.

[twosmoke300]

The 2.3 in my sierra was as slow as a week on remand and shit on fuel - really not sure what all the love for them is on here . Same goes for the Perkins prima imo

[Pillock]

Unlucky!

Winter time always seemed to be bad for cambelts going at startup/idle on those. Did maybe half a dozen as breakdowns, only the one turbo munched a couple of valves and a piston (and even that wasn't the end of the world); the rest got a new belt and away they went.

 

It wasn't whilst I was driving it, but I know it was a same day fix so might not have even needed that.

It happened to her mum, got recovered to the village garage that morning, picked it up at teatime as I remember.

 

I also have fond memories of that car as it took us on out first unaccompanied holiday. But that's a whole other thread.... 

[Dirk Diggler]

Anyone ever tried a 1.9 straight diesel Renault c. Early mid 90s? I nearly bought a MK1 Clio with it in once, but felt it would have been ultra grim.

A completely shit engine; but not too bad with a turbo, an r19 dturbo or a megane shift nicely; but the non turbos are shit (and when the head gasket fails, and it will, the head is scrap; the engine is overwhelmed in an empty Berlingo mk1)

[willswitchengage]

Mercedes OM502 - 16 litres of V8 porn

 

https://youtu.be/GZc8WlPl8t4?t=30s

[derskine]

Obviously an XUD. All subsequent diesel engines really owe their success to the refinement of the XUD. I love mine.

[Captain Furious]

The 2.3 in my sierra was as slow as a week on remand and shit on fuel - really not sure what all the love for them is on here . Same goes for the Perkins prima imo

When I was a kid, my dad had a Mk5 Cortina 2.3 Ghia, a fairly rare beast even then, so being an avid little car spotter I would be looking out for the size of engines in other cars - because as we know, when you're 8 bigger engine = faster and therefore anything with a smaller engine was slower than my dads Cortina..

 

Anyway it was rare to see another 2.3 and the first one I spotted was a Sierra 2.3d "Dad, Dad! That sierra has the same engine as yours so it must be as fast” - "no, son, that's an entirely different beast, you would time the acceleration of that with a calendar"

 

So, for some reason, despite having never driven, owned or even been in one, the 2.3d has always had some weird place in my heart...if for no better reason than it must be the least stressed engine ever. It's glacial performance is it's charm.

[legasoil96]

I had a kangoo van with a 1.9d that ran very well , nice and lumpy.

 

At the moment the fleet is all sofim 2.5 moteurs and ye olde perkins prima

[Captain Furious]

I have to say tho I'm another vote for the 2.5di transit. An ex-girlfriends dad had one that I used to drive from time to time, no power steering, top speed of 77mph limited by roof bars, it was a beast to drive

 

But you could load it to the rafters and stick a trailer with 2 tonnes of sand on the back and it would think nothing of it. Felt proper rugged and manly it did...

[UltraWomble]

 

1.7 NA Talbot square port diesel XUD

[DodgeRover]

Perkins truck lumps, the 6247 is pretty much an unknown sounds great and goes well though

[DodgeRover]

The 2.3 in my sierra was as slow as a week on remand and shit on fuel - really not sure what all the love for them is on here . Same goes for the Perkins prima imo

Maybe we had good ones? Always did over 40 mpg running solo and 30+ doing heavy towing, happy enough running up and down the motorway at 70+ with seemingly a fair bit more to come.

We had 504s with the same engine which was pretty much the same story as well.

[doug]

Probably won't be popular on here, but the VAG 1.9tdi lump which appeared in the mid nineties was bombproof. Always achieved 50+ mpg regardless of driving style, too.

 

Another vote for the VW 1.9tdi. Sounds like an old tractor though. I can get almost 60mpg,..... but then I drive like a old wummin.

[CreepingJesus]

Perkins truck lumps, the 6247 is pretty much an unknown sounds great and goes well though

Not 90s by a long stretch, but...V8 540!

[riek]

I had an R8 Rover 400 with a turbo XUD in it. Quite a likable thing despite being shagged (engine excepted)

[twosmoke300]

Yeh mum had a rover 418 sltd. Lovely car that we had for donkeys years

[Walter White]

Had a test drive in a Fiat Tipo turbo diesel, 1994/5. At the time I think the Tipo and Tempra td were quickest in their class, something like 110mph maximum with 0-60 in 10 seconds and 50mpg possible. Felt punchy through second and third gear but equally nice and smooth pottering about at low revs without the turbo. Really nice car. A Tempra td estate would have been the one for me.

[Lacquer Peel]

VM diesel in a Rover 800. Such torque, many unrefined.