Diesel engine and Italian tune-up?

[superhans88]

Hi everyone, I do a lot commuting miles in my 1.6 tdci Focus (not very PH I know, but I've got a toy to make up for it!) and was wondering what sort of benefits can be expected from a good Italian tune up and how often it should be performed? In every day driving, the engine rarely tips 2500 rpm so I can imagine soot builds up pretty quickly. What is the best way to perform a blow-through without causing undue harm? I have always thought that regular driving is unhealthy for an engine - are there any real benefits to be gained from regular trips to the redline? (apart from the smiles! lol)

Cheers.

[10AE]

My hack spends most of its life below 2.5k rpm.

Every so often I will take it near the red line through the gears once it's very well warmed up, the clouds of soot are immense.

Can't say I notice much difference mind.

[Willy Nilly]

as long as it is properly serviced, let her have it. Find a nice long hill and give it the berries.

[drophead]

Isn't there some enviromental something or other that gets clogged up if you dont put your foot down now and again. It gets rid of all the crude while your on the motorway at a steady speed. Sorry i have no idea about diesels lol

In other words, giving it the beans will do no harm!

[tinman0]

superhans88 said:

I have always thought that regular driving is unhealthy for an engine - are there any real benefits to be gained from regular trips to the redline? (apart from the smiles! lol)

If anything regular driving makes an engine better. The most important thing is that it comes to temperature each time as engines like to be hot rather than cool. After that it's just a case of regular servicing.

The occasional red line in a petrol engine seems to make them happier. But can't say my diesel van gives a stuff about 1500 rpm or 3500 rpm.

[Papa Hotel]

Italian tuneup is real, definitely works on diesel engines you can clearly see why as well if you glance in your mirrors when performing one. Blows all sorts of st out that'd be clogging up your exhaust system.

[obob]

My VAG tdi is touching 200k, I've not been over 2.5k revs since I bought it on 140k. Still going strong. Probably had one oil change in that time and no washes. Therefore I conclude that an Italian tune up is not required on diesel

[tinman0]

obob said:

My VAG tdi is touching 200k, I've not been over 2.5k revs since I bought it on 140k. Still going strong. Probably had one oil change in that time and no washes. Therefore I conclude that an Italian tune up is not required on diesel

One oil change in 60k? Do you hate your car?

[anonymous-user]

My old A3 2.0TDi used to spend most of it's life pottering around town in traffic with the turbo hardly getting a chance to spool up. I used to make sure that once a week or so I used to rip it's arse out on an A-Roads, and as said above, the clouds of thick black soot that came out of it were actually incredible.

A friend bought his wife a Saab 9-5 2.3T Aero or whatever the most powerful model was at the time, and she used to drive everywhere at about 1500rpm, seriously, and it was running really sluggish after it was nearly 2 years old and the Saab dealer found out that it just needed a good 'clear out' and instructed my mate to take the car out once a month, warm it up and then absolutely rag it. There were physical chunks of soot and crap coming out the exhaust.

A damned good thrashing cured my 993 of all manner of minor issues after sitting in the garage all winter. Creaking clutch, sticky brakes and a jumpy throttle with the idle sticking at 1800rpm soon disappeared after 40 miles in the lake district.

I'm a big fan of a properly executed Italian tune up

[carl_w]

obob said:

My VAG tdi is touching 200k, I've not been over 2.5k revs since I bought it on 140k.

Why are you on PH?

[Busa_Rush]

NinjaPower said:

I'm a big fan of a properly executed Italian tune up

Me too. Disconnecting the EGR on a diesel will make a massive difference too.

[obob]

tinman0 said:

obob said:

My VAG tdi is touching 200k, I've not been over 2.5k revs since I bought it on 140k. Still going strong. Probably had one oil change in that time and no washes. Therefore I conclude that an Italian tune up is not required on diesel

One oil change in 60k? Do you hate your car?

Bangernomics. The car is worthless, and already was before I got it. So why waste money. When it breaks I'll scrap it. Although it has got a slight oil leak and I top it up so that's kind of like an oil change.

[A.J.M]

Busa_Rush said:

NinjaPower said:

I'm a big fan of a properly executed Italian tune up

Me too. Disconnecting the EGR on a diesel will make a massive difference too.

Yep, mine used to smoke like buggery before i fitted a blanking kit to mine. More responsive at low revs and has stopped alot of the ste that it threw out.

Good italian tune up on mine once a week up a steep hill keeps mine sweet.

[tinman0]

obob said:

tinman0 said:

obob said:

My VAG tdi is touching 200k, I've not been over 2.5k revs since I bought it on 140k. Still going strong. Probably had one oil change in that time and no washes. Therefore I conclude that an Italian tune up is not required on diesel

One oil change in 60k? Do you hate your car?

Bangernomics. The car is worthless, and already was before I got it. So why waste money. When it breaks I'll scrap it. Although it has got a slight oil leak and I top it up so that's kind of like an oil change.

I know about bangernomics, and it doesn't mean you don't shove a new oil filter on occasionally lol.

[stevoknevo]

tinman0 said:

obob said:

tinman0 said:

obob said:

My VAG tdi is touching 200k, I've not been over 2.5k revs since I bought it on 140k. Still going strong. Probably had one oil change in that time and no washes. Therefore I conclude that an Italian tune up is not required on diesel

One oil change in 60k? Do you hate your car?

Bangernomics. The car is worthless, and already was before I got it. So why waste money. When it breaks I'll scrap it. Although it has got a slight oil leak and I top it up so that's kind of like an oil change.

I know about bangernomics, and it doesn't mean you don't shove a new oil filter on occasionally lol.

Or knock it's bding dick in at least once a week!

[davepoth]

DPF equipped diesels need to be wrung out every so often otherwise the filter will clog which is bad. My mother always shouts at me when I do it in her Corsa.

[Agrilla]

obob said:

My VAG tdi is touching 200k, I've not been over 2.5k revs since I bought it on 140k. Still going strong. Probably had one oil change in that time and no washes. Therefore I conclude that an Italian tune up is not required on diesel

I strongly suspect that yours does does not have the DPF that modern diesel's have which need to hit a certain point so the regeneration process completes. If it's not completed all the st will build up to a point where the dpf fails, and from what I understand this is then potentially a very expensive repair.

OP - there's lots of info about on DPF's so perhaps google and find out more how to get the best out of

[Prince Jefri]

obob said:

My VAG tdi is touching 200k, I've not been over 2.5k revs since I bought it on 140k.

I assume the traffic light Grand Prix is an alien concept then!!?

[skinley]

superhans88 said:

Hi everyone, I do a lot commuting miles in my 1.6 tdci Focus

I feel your pain. I had one as a courtesy car, the throttle response was best measured with a calender.

Edited by skinley on Thursday 24th March 00:51

[HellDiver]

obob said:

My VAG tdi is touching 200k, I've not been over 2.5k revs since I bought it on 140k. Still going strong. Probably had one oil change in that time and no washes. Therefore I conclude that an Italian tune up is not required on diesel

An old VAG 1.9TDI isn't a PSA 1.6HDI/TDCI, though. The VAG has limited EGR function, and doesn't have a particulate filter, probably doesn't even have a catalyst.

To the OP, a good italian tuneup works wonders on the TDCI, and a longish run on the motorway will burn off the crap in the DPF.