"Chris Dugan" <chrisdotdugan (AT) bloodyobvious (DOT) co.uk> wrote

Sods law as they say.

"gthh" <gth (AT) hh (DOT) com> wrote

Froggie merde?

German schaissen?

I'm hard pushed to understand how anything French or VAG derived can be a
rewarding drive, and as for the blue oval, forget it.

On 13 Apr, 22:16, "Chris Dugan" <chrisdotdu... (AT) bloodyobvious (DOT) co.uk>
wrote:
I ran one of these as my daily driver for a couple of years (the
intercooled SDi model) and had a sum total of zero problems with it. I
can't really compare it to my current petrol turbo Volvo S60, but it
holds up well in the engine department in comparison to SWMBO's Focus
TDCI.

The D/SD models are 86bhp, with the Di/SDi models being 105bhp. I've
never driven a non-intercooled model, so everything I say is based on
the intercooled version.

The engine is rather agricultural-sounding, but free-revving and
doesn't run out of steam until the governor, unlike some of the more
recent diesels I've tried. A simple air filter change and ECU remap
will see a reliable 135bhp (I ran mine like this for 60,000 miles with
no ill effects, even with my lead-foot driving style). Fuel economy
seems to stay at about 50mpg however you drive it, so you may as well
thrash it :-)

Head gasket issues are non-existent on this motor. The only issues
I've heard relate to the wiring to the fuel injection pump rubbing
against the bulkhead and getting chafed. This causes poor running and
for the MIL lamp on the dash to be lit.

Of course, this engine also suffers from the dreaded Bosch MAF sensor
issues, like the VAG TDI engine. If it's being sluggish, try
disconnecting the MAF. If this improves performance at low revs, it's
likely that the MAF sensor needs replacement.

Another thing that can affect performance of high-mileage engines is
the accumulation of a 'gunk' in the inlet manifold. Remove the plastic
cover from the engine and undo the thick metal pipe running across the
top of the engine. If it's gunked up, use some carb cleaner or similar
on it, replace it and you may well find a performance improvement.

The basic engine design in my opinion is at least equal to that of
VAG's 1.9 TDI unit, and is very similar to the pre-PD units. I design
diesel engines for a living, so have a fairly good understanding of
the engines on the market. Incidentally, the engine block of the BMW
2.0 M47 unit is suspiciously similar in many respects to the Rover L-
series. The L-series development predates the BMW ownership of Rover,
so I can only assume some 'copying' by BMW. Additionally, the Rover L-
series has a cousin in Land Rover's TD5 'Storm' engine, which is
essentially a L-series with an extra cylinder lobbed on the end and
common-rail injection.

"Paul Hubbard" <jessnet (AT) ntlworld (DOT) com> wrote

Why consider French or Ford at all? German or Japanese, the way cars should
always have been. Except Nissan mind you, beginning to think they're
enjoying producing laguna-standard cars!

"gthh" <tgj (AT) tgn (DOT) com> wrote

So, something like a Honda Concerto then?

It's ignorant fucktardedness like yous that has helped destroy the
indigenous motor industry...

On Thu, 26 Apr 2007 04:09:47 +0100, Stuffed wrote:

No. I think the indigenous volume car industry managed to do that
themselves.

M.