What to Look for on ST TDCi

[Marty V8]

Hi,

I'm in the process of buying a 2006 Mondeo 2.2 ST TDCi. Iam aware of a couple of things that can balls up the ownership experience but would be grateful for advice on what else to look for.

What I can gather so far:

Dual mass flywheel can fail but with all the symptoms of a faulty starter motor.

Injectors can fail and new ones need to be coded to the ecu. Ive also seen the carnage that can result if the injectors stick open and fire too much fuel into the combustion chambers - cracked cam housing.

Steering racks can suffer from stiff areas of movement

Potential for fluid leaks from rear calipers at the location of the handbrake arm.

Poss timing chain issues with high mileage engines.

Any other info gratefully received.

Thanks

Marty

[CharlieHotel]

Make sure any car you view doesn't have a slight drone coming from the auxillery belt, placed in the engine bay on the drivers side. This can cost £200+ for genuine Ford parts as the tensioner, belt and pulley are best suggested to be replaced. There is a gates kit on eBay I believe which is £120 if you prefer cheaper parts.
I'm still learning but there's a lot of info on www.mondeostoc.com
I'm sure there will be people on here too who have vast knowledge.
What spec are you looking for?

[Justin S]

EGR valves that go like nobodys buisness. Fleet of TDCI vans( about 15) we get through one a monthish. Apart from lack of power, they make a noise like a load of budgies under the bonnet when you switch the engine off. No fault lights show.

[Podie]

General condition stuff: Drooping rear bumper, corroded alloys, rust on door bottoms, central locking not working (test inside and outside the car), boot release not working (test boot button, blip key and dash button if fitted), check rear callipers not sticking / handbrake works correctly.

[Rob 7]

Hi I've done 115,000 miles in mine. Had it since new.
Motorway and town driving (Not all gently)
3 ERG valves
Still on the original set of tensioner pulleys,
but these really need doing.
That's it.
Serviced by Ford it's whole life

Rob

[Marty V8]

Chaps,

Thanks for all the replies.

The car Ive gone for is a 56 plate 6 speed 2.2 ST TDCI. Its got 43000 miles on it, which is pretty low for a five year old car. I was initially looking at Octavia VRS TDI's but they're daft money for anything with relatively low mileage. I saw on more than one occasion that I could have had an Audi A4 TDI with the same mileage and the same year for less than the Skoda - crazy world !!!

The tensioner is being replaced before I pick the car up as I could hear a whirring noise during the test drive and reported it back to the dealer. I would like to bet the replacement doesnt have Ford stamped on it though.

CharlieHotel - not sure what you mean by 'what spec?' Could you elaborate please?

Ive seen the inside of an inlet manifold and EGR valve on a high mileage diesel Mondeo and it aint pretty. Ive seen less soot come out of a chimney...
Is there any way of keeping these clean other than regular stripdown? Can you blank off the EGR without it throwing its toys out of the pram? Seems to be a common issue.

Alloys - know exactly what you mean. I've seen a few of these with laquer peel and it makes these wheels look tatty which is a shame as they are a good looking bit of kit. Luckily, the alloys on the car I'm hoping to buy are very good. They may have been resprayed as they've almost too good. However the car is quite low mileage and the underneath looks very clean. Looks like the original exhaust too with the false end pipe. It may be that the alloys havent yet needed any work.

Central locking is a problem that Ive asked the dealer to sort before I pick the car up. For some reason the drivers door wont open all the time. Is this likely to be electrical or mechanical?

Are there any known problems with cruise on these cars?

Thanks once again.

Regards

Marty

[Podie]

Marty V8 said:

Central locking is a problem that Ive asked the dealer to sort before I pick the car up. For some reason the drivers door wont open all the time. Is this likely to be electrical or mechanical?

It'll be the driver's door lock. That mechanism has the "brain" for the rest of the system, so if other doors fail it's often the driver's one that needs replacing. When they start to go, they play up more and more. Also worse in the winter.

Check it:

• unlocks from the remote - both drivers door (single point entry if enabled) and all doors.
• locks from the remote
• double locks from the remote (press lock twice, hazards flash)
• Locks from pushing the lock - on ALL doors
• unocks from pushing the lock - on ALL doors
• the boot opens from the key
• the boot opens from the boot button
• the boot opens from the dash button (if fitted)

Also, Google the "motion auto lock" and check that works, and also that single point entry is working (may need to be enabled)

[Marty V8]

Podie said:

Marty V8 said:

Central locking is a problem that Ive asked the dealer to sort before I pick the car up. For some reason the drivers door wont open all the time. Is this likely to be electrical or mechanical?

It'll be the driver's door lock. That mechanism has the "brain" for the rest of the system, so if other doors fail it's often the driver's one that needs replacing. When they start to go, they play up more and more. Also worse in the winter.

Check it:

• unlocks from the remote - both drivers door (single point entry if enabled) and all doors.
• locks from the remote
• double locks from the remote (press lock twice, hazards flash)
• Locks from pushing the lock - on ALL doors
• unocks from pushing the lock - on ALL doors
• the boot opens from the key
• the boot opens from the boot button
• the boot opens from the dash button (if fitted)

Also, Google the "motion auto lock" and check that works, and also that single point entry is working (may need to be enabled)

Locking functions sound similar to my current ST24. Symptom with the diseasal that I'm hoping to get is that all the doors lock/unlock - and it sounds like there's some clunking and locking/unlocking sounds coming from inside the drivers door - but pulling the drivers door handle wont open the door. Would this suggest a mechanical issue with the drivers door lock if all the others seem to behave properly?

Thanks for the tip about the motion auto lock.

[Podie]

Get 'em to sort that... it might cost £££


Also, you can disable that seatbelt reminder

[Marty V8]

Its been noted for them to attend to before I pick it up.

Yeah, I know what you mean about seatbelt warnings. Been driving 27+ years and havent yet forgotten to put it on because I wasnt reminded

[Podie]

Turning Off Seatbelt Reminder

Handbrake on
Gear in neutral
Ignition off
All doors are closed
All seatbelts unbuckled
Headlamps off

Deactivating/Activating

• Turn the ignition switch to position II. (Do not start the engine).
• Wait until the safety belt warning indicator turns off.

Note: The next 3 steps must be completed within 60 seconds or the procedure must be repeated.

• Buckle then unbuckle the safety belt three times, ending with the safety belt unbuckled.
• Turn the headlamps ON then OFF.
• Buckle then unbuckle the safety belt three times ending with the safety belt unbuckled. After this step the safety belt warning indicator will be illuminated for three seconds.
• Within 7 seconds of the safety belt warning indicator turning off, buckle then unbuckle the safety belt.

The following sequence will confirm the belt minder is enabled:

• The safety belt warning indicator flashes four times per second for three seconds.
• Three seconds with the safety belt warning indicator off.
• The safety belt warning indicator flashes four times per second for three seconds again.

• After confirmation, the deactivation/activation procedure is complete.

Two Stage Unlocking

With both the lock and unlock buttons depressed at the same time on the key, wait until the indicator lights flash once.

When complete, this allows single point of entry for the driver (press unlock once) and the rest of the vehicle when pressed a second time.

[Marty V8]

Thanks for the info.

The seatbelt warning deactivation sounds somewhat overly complicated. At least I dont have to stand on my head reciting poetry at the same time

[Marty V8]

Do 'de-cat' pipes help at all? Seen one advertised on good old ebay (link below and wondered if it works in a similar sort of way to that of a petrol version. Would a de-cat pipe upset the fuelling and ecu?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

Additionally, does anyone have any long term experiences of running a diesel tuning box from the likes of DTUK or similar?

Thanks

Marty

[Podie]

You're better off going to stdrivers for more specific stuff.

Decat pipes do help, and there are some recognised ways of doing things to get results.

[anonymous-user]

Surely if messing around with the diesel to up power you would be better off looking for a 220? Economy won't be that great on the diesel if tuned and driven hard I'm sure?? Not to mention the 220 is much more reliable.

[Marty V8]

Podie said:

You're better off going to stdrivers for more specific stuff.

Decat pipes do help, and there are some recognised ways of doing things to get results.

Thanks for the info. Will look on STdrivers.

Cheers

Martin

[Marty V8]

Dave_ST220 said:

Surely if messing around with the diesel to up power you would be better off looking for a 220? Economy won't be that great on the diesel if tuned and driven hard I'm sure?? Not to mention the 220 is much more reliable.

Hi,
You're probably right. This is my first 'diseasel' after swearing Id never get one so I'm just info gathering at present. The car comes with a warranty so I wont be doing anything to it for a while anyway.

Ive had 2 V6 Mondeo's now, a mk1 24V and my current one, a slightly modded ST24, so I know how good these engines are, and they are a damn good motor. I just thought I would try chip pan oil for a change rather than unleaded.

[CharlieHotel]

Dave_ST220 said:

Surely if messing around with the diesel to up power you would be better off looking for a 220? Economy won't be that great on the diesel if tuned and driven hard I'm sure?? Not to mention the 220 is much more reliable.

I think if you're not doing mega miles then maybe the 220 is for you?
The 220s are dirt cheap in my eyes too.
£5k for the petrol, £7k on average for a diesel.
£2k better off straight away plus most 220s come with full recaro leather, rear heated seats and from what i've read less problems to go wrong.

[Marty V8]

CharlieHotel said:

I think if you're not doing mega miles then maybe the 220 is for you?
The 220s are dirt cheap in my eyes too.
£5k for the petrol, £7k on average for a diesel.
£2k better off straight away plus most 220s come with full recaro leather, rear heated seats and from what i've read less problems to go wrong.

Picking the car up tonight. I'll see how it goes and if its a PITA then I can always go back to something powered by 'proper fuel'.

[Marty V8]

First impressions - very nice too. It's just a totally different way of driving compared to a petrol V6.

Are the turbo's known to surge a bit at low speed at times? Had this happen to me a couple of times tonight - almost as if the cruise was on - the car continued to drive itself forward even though I'd taken my foot off the throttle.

Is it the same sort of thing as the petrol 'throttle hang' issue?