Ford TDCI engines
Discussion
I'm looking into a relatively economical daily hack to go to and from work in and I have seen a number of 2.0 TDCI Mondeos and Focuses (Focii?) on the AutoTrader land.
They are all circa £1.5-£2.5k, good service history, tax and test, and are all around 90-140k mileage. They are also all around 2001-2004 in age it seems.
Assuming everything checks out re: service history etc, what are the main pitfalls of the car, specifically the engine? I have read on this forum that people fear injectors going (which, I understand, are around 2k for a whole set??), but does this translate to all diesels, or just the TDCI engine or???
They are all circa £1.5-£2.5k, good service history, tax and test, and are all around 90-140k mileage. They are also all around 2001-2004 in age it seems.
Assuming everything checks out re: service history etc, what are the main pitfalls of the car, specifically the engine? I have read on this forum that people fear injectors going (which, I understand, are around 2k for a whole set??), but does this translate to all diesels, or just the TDCI engine or???
The TDCIs have a few issues. EGR valves, injectors, fuel pumps, dual mass flywheels, turbos, any one of which is liable to fail at 100k+. If you buy with this in mind, they're not bad at all. Personally I got shot of mine at 135k because, like many others, I did not want to wait for an expensive failure.
Worth noting that there are some very different engines badged TDCi.
The later 1.6 lumps are Peugeots and generally hated by the trade for their lack of reliability and difficulty to work on; the 2.0 and 2.2s are the common engines in the Mondeos etc and suffer with many of the faults listed above (plus jumping timing on the camchains) but they are familiar enough now that they can generally be fixed properly, even if at some cost. There are also some 1.8s out there even in the later Focus that are based on the old basic engine that Ford have used for years, generally a more reliable solution but still not entirely trouble free.
As suggested above, a small, modern petrol engine will do decent mpg with far less threat of four figure repair bills; unless you are doing 20k+ miles pa I wouldn't recommend a diesel if you are looking for lowest costs.
The later 1.6 lumps are Peugeots and generally hated by the trade for their lack of reliability and difficulty to work on; the 2.0 and 2.2s are the common engines in the Mondeos etc and suffer with many of the faults listed above (plus jumping timing on the camchains) but they are familiar enough now that they can generally be fixed properly, even if at some cost. There are also some 1.8s out there even in the later Focus that are based on the old basic engine that Ford have used for years, generally a more reliable solution but still not entirely trouble free.
As suggested above, a small, modern petrol engine will do decent mpg with far less threat of four figure repair bills; unless you are doing 20k+ miles pa I wouldn't recommend a diesel if you are looking for lowest costs.
I had a 2.2 ST TDCI which was 4 years old and had 44k on it, FSH and seemingly excellent condition. Unfortunately I couldn't have been more wrong. Some dodgy running and EML revealed that it needed ~£5k spending on it to fix everything that was wrong with it, nearly two thirds of what I'd just paid for it. Same stuff wrong with it that others here have suffered - namely DMF, injectors, fuel pump and blower to list the main stuff. I took it to a diesel specialist for a 2nd opinion and as soon as he saw it he smiled at me and said "injectors". Reckons that the injectors in the 2.0 and 2.2 are about as close to cheese as you can get and need to be constantly run on premium diesel with detergents in it to stop them dying. With a stroke of luck I managed to flog mine as it was for only a £500 loss on what I'd paid. There seem to be endless tales of woe about the 2.0 and 2.2 on the Ford owner forums too so it's not just us here. 
My Focus has been fine - 2003 TDCi 1.8. Starts on the button every time and always returns 500 miles to a tank, even the week when we moved out and I did several short trips accross town.
I'm selling up as I don't see the point in owning one of the more valuable 'limited edition' ones, I have my sights set on a £1200 car and not a £3,450 one!
Tis a lovely looking car though, just beyond what I need.
I'm selling up as I don't see the point in owning one of the more valuable 'limited edition' ones, I have my sights set on a £1200 car and not a £3,450 one!
Tis a lovely looking car though, just beyond what I need.
Dangerous Dan said:
I'm looking into a relatively economical daily hack to go to and from work in and I have seen a number of 2.0 TDCI Mondeos and Focuses (Focii?) on the AutoTrader land.
They are all circa £1.5-£2.5k, good service history, tax and test, and are all around 90-140k mileage. They are also all around 2001-2004 in age it seems.
Assuming everything checks out re: service history etc, what are the main pitfalls of the car, specifically the engine? I have read on this forum that people fear injectors going (which, I understand, are around 2k for a whole set??), but does this translate to all diesels, or just the TDCI engine or???
For a cheap diesel run about find yourself an L-Series powered Rover 200 or a diesel Pug. The older engines are generally more hassle free.They are all circa £1.5-£2.5k, good service history, tax and test, and are all around 90-140k mileage. They are also all around 2001-2004 in age it seems.
Assuming everything checks out re: service history etc, what are the main pitfalls of the car, specifically the engine? I have read on this forum that people fear injectors going (which, I understand, are around 2k for a whole set??), but does this translate to all diesels, or just the TDCI engine or???
300bhp/ton said:
For a cheap diesel run about find yourself an L-Series powered Rover 200 or a diesel Pug. The older engines are generally more hassle free.
You know, I never thought about that! I'll take a look into it!As for my mileage, it is pretty much 20k a year as a max. I may average between 17-20k/year. As 95% of my journeys are 50+ mile journeys, I had it in my mind that a diesel would suit the bill.
The problem with petrol engines is, for me, I don't do "small". I have an older mindset that thinks anything petrol and sub 1.6/1.8 is going to be slow, noisy, and annoying. I understand newer cars offer quite good performance in circa 1-1.4 litre packages with great MPG, however my budget doesn't stretch to those sort of cars. I'm hoping to get something cheap, for under £3k. If it lasts me 18 months then has to go to the great scrapheap in the sky - who cares, it's just to get me to/from work (work is 53 miles away, door to door).
Whenever I look at petrol engine cars on Auto trader, my eye is always caught by the 2.5 litre+ engines. As I keep on searching, I find myself looking (drooling!) over 10-15 year old V8 Jags.
I would buy one, but the missus would kill me. Again.
Am In the same sort of situation looked at all the VAG stuff, vectra's etc and the mondeo seems like the best car for the money! 
I did the sums
based on 15k a year between an 04 2.0TDCI and a 04 2.0 petrol, including fuel, tax and insurance. And for me at 22 there is only £300-400 in it overall. So if anything went on the TDCI it would knock the savings out straight away. And that's not including the higher costs of buying a TDCI in the same condition and mileage...
P.S
I am going to look at a 54 2.0 GHIA X with SatNav, 70k on it, had a recent clutch change, 6 months MOT and tax £1995 from a garage. Good deal or not
I did the sums
based on 15k a year between an 04 2.0TDCI and a 04 2.0 petrol, including fuel, tax and insurance. And for me at 22 there is only £300-400 in it overall. So if anything went on the TDCI it would knock the savings out straight away. And that's not including the higher costs of buying a TDCI in the same condition and mileage... P.S
I am going to look at a 54 2.0 GHIA X with SatNav, 70k on it, had a recent clutch change, 6 months MOT and tax £1995 from a garage. Good deal or not
Dangerous Dan said:
Whenever I look at petrol engine cars on Auto trader, my eye is always caught by the 2.5 litre+ engines. As I keep on searching, I find myself looking (drooling!) over 10-15 year old V8 Jags.
I would buy one, but the missus would kill me. Again.
Sounds like you need an LPG uber-barge? I would buy one, but the missus would kill me. Again.
However I would echo the Rover sentiment; the older ones (45's) have old-school diesels that are, AFAIK, very reliable and return very good mpg.
Or, how about a 75? Modern enough to have all of the creature comforts and very comfortable. Not the greatest image but IMO one of the best cars around at the moment with regards to 'bang for buck'. BMW diesel engine as well, so a lot more refined but no bigger prospects with regards to reliability issues than the Ford engines.
300bhp/ton said:
For a cheap diesel run about find yourself an L-Series powered Rover 200 or a diesel Pug. The older engines are generally more hassle free.
L Series are pretty much bullet proof and can do mega miles with minimum maintenence. Pug diesels are good also although can be prone to head gasket issues.
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