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As you might know if you've read my concurrent Z4 thread, that car has been quite the menace to live with over the last few months has progressively gotten worse and worse as the weather has become harsher. I won't repeat the specifics of that thread but suffice it to say that the biggest problem is an intermittent stall/ no start condition on a cold start which seems to somewhat improve once the engine warms up. I really tried a few separate things to fix this but with no luck so far, the final straw came when the car let me down badly when I was trying to get to work on a particularly nippy morning last month. I'm a shift worker, and my work aren't very tolerant of things like missing work because of car troubles, especially since I've already been down that road a few times with the XJ8 I had before. It was for this reason that I began looking for something, anything, that I could get in the short term. Initial plan was to store the Z4 off the road and fix it up over the span of a few months, and get something that would be basic and reliable transport in the interim. I looked at all the usual suspects- small French hatchbacks, a couple of Vauxhalls, Toyotas, etc- but I was doing this literally the afternoon before I had a 6am start and knew I really needed something that evening so the pickings were slim. It seemed like everything I found either needed an MOT or was a spares/repairs job. I found a nice looking little Pug 206 which would have been perfect, but it had sold by the time I called the seller. Then I found a high mileage T25 Avensis which I thought might make for a solid stop gap based on my dad's experience with Toyota being very dependable, but after arranging to go and view it after work, the seller told me about 2 hours before that it had sold. This left me up the proverbial creek without a paddle until I stumbled across this. ![](https://img.retro-rides.org/i/v/fulhamsteve/c9662b0c8169.jpg) ![](https://img.retro-rides.org/i/v/fulhamsteve/2b7aa24c8f33.jpg) Ehh, I mean it's one of those cars eh, no one's dream car when they're a kid but the sort of reliable daily hack which keeps the world running ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png) Had a nice long MOT, no really worrisome advisories, seller confirmed no issues with it. Full main dealer service history, 85k miles on a TDCI lump isn't much at all and it had only had one owner from new until 2022. It struck me as something I could get in and drive, even just as a short term measure. Anyway, I committed several car buying sins when buying this. I went at night, during the rain, didn't even look at the bodywork because there was no point, it was filthy, dark and wet and I wouldn't have been able to see any issues anyway. Test drive, it was fine- pretty slow and sounds like a Transit but I assumed that was just because I'm used to V8 jags and little sporty Z4s. It made me laugh how the seller told me to put my foot down as if it was something to be impressed by but when I did so, nothing really happened. Still, it felt well screwed together and pretty plush inside. Didn't smoke or make any weird noises, and everything inside worked. I was drowning that evening so I more or less clutched at the first straw I could find, but I entered it with no expectations. I just thought, if it buys me some time to work on the beemer then it's served its purpose. I'll wrap this intro post up by saying that it was a nice sedate drive back home from the seller's place (roughly 40 miles) and to work and back the next day. I was impressed with the refinement and road manners. It feels heavy but that gave it a stable feel as I navigated the roads following Storm Isha.
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One of the things I detected shortly after buying the car was that it had a weird stuttery, lurching feeling when holding a partial throttle at 1800-2000 revs. This could be pushed through with the throttle and it was fine, but at a light throttle it was evident and disconcerting. There were no codes or warning lights. Anyway, it didn't bother me that much because I've never driven a TD before and thought it might be just at the spot where the turbo is beginning to cut in. For all I knew, it was normal. I gave it a good run and some premium diesel which somewhat abated the issue when it was up to temperature but it would re-appear each time the car was cold i.e had been left overnight. Out of interest I googled it and saw a few suggestions on Talkford. Some suggested it's a sign of a caked EGR and could be resolved with a blanking plate but someone then said it's worth having a look at the boost pipe going down from the EGR to the intercooler as this is known to split and cause boost leaks. On the weight of the thread I was reading, I had a little look to see what I could find and sure enough, there was a HUGE split in the pipe. Got straight on the phone to Ford and they quoted me 160 quid which I thought was too much. Looked online and found a shop selling them for 6 quid, which was significantly more like it. Managed to pick this up and get it fitted yesterday with help from my dad. It was a tricky job, mainly because access is really poor to the bottom jubilee clip where the pipe connects to the intercooler, and the new pipe wasn't very pliable which made it hard to thread through the engine bay. If I was going to do it again I'd soak it in warm water to make it more supple, but eventually we managed to get it fitted yesterday. I found the best way was to work as a team, one from top and one underneath the car. That way you can push the pipe upwards and pull from top or vice versa, which makes it infinitely easier to maneuver. I guess it took about an hour all in. Anyway, I expected the stutter to be rectified but what I didn't expect was the car to feel like it doubled in power. I've never had such a transformative difference in one part. You hear it all the time, "it felt like a new car", after people use redex or something. However, this REALLY did feel like a new car. With the turbo now smoothly coming in, the torque is quite intoxicating considering I've never had a diesel before. That feeling of the torque pinning you to the seat, combined with long gears, it almost reminds me of my XJ40 dare I say it ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png) I can now just ease onto the throttle and feel the car surge forward. I now understand the benefits of TD cars, having always been a petrol fan. I don't much care for the sound but with a good stereo, that doesn't matter too much. I'm enjoying wafting around with effortless power and getting 50mpg around town. Who wouldn't want that?
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Davey
Posted a lot
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png) ![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Resident Tyre Nerd.
Posts: 2,294
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Jan 31, 2024 12:36:01 GMT
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I imagine if that pipe had been split for any length of time you left some impressive black clouds for the first few miles? Used to replace intercooler pipes on Mondeos, X-types and Focuses almost on a twice a week basis when spannering. It'll feel faster because you actually have boost now Make sure you don't run it to low on diesel. The pumps like to eat themselves and a good rule of thumb is to treat half a tank as empty to prevent things going south. Do like a mondeo.
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K11 Micra x3 - Mk3 astra - Seat Marbella - Mk6 Escort estate - B5 Passat - Alfa 156 estate - E36 compact Mk2 MR2 T-bar - E46 328i - Skoda Superb - Fiat seicento - 6n2 Polo - 6n polo 1.6 - Mk1 GS300 EU8 civic type S - MG ZT cdti - R56 MINI Cooper S - Audi A3 8p - Jaguar XF (X250) - FN2 Civic Type R - Mk2 2.0i Ford Focus
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Jan 31, 2024 12:56:19 GMT
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I imagine if that pipe had been split for any length of time you left some impressive black clouds for the first few miles? Used to replace intercooler pipes on Mondeos, X-types and Focuses almost on a twice a week basis when spannering. It'll feel faster because you actually have boost now Make sure you don't run it to low on diesel. The pumps like to eat themselves and a good rule of thumb is to treat half a tank as empty to prevent things going south. Do like a mondeo. You'd think, but I didn't notice anything particularly, even giving it a boot full it didn't seem too smoky! Noted re the diesel, I actually had it in mind I'll brim it and use half as empty, so I'm glad my hunch to do that was right. I like a Mondeo too, now. I'm definitely guilty of overlooking them for a long time. I suppose you get over-exposed to cars like this and don't really notice them. Now I've driven and own one, I'm really impressed with the quality and feel of the thing. Definitely much better than I was expecting for what is essentially a 20 year old diesel rep-mobile. I actually can't imagine needing much more, to be honest. It's definitely well capable for my needs and has enough headroom for extra performance should I ever need it, not that I feel it necessary for the mo.
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These things are great. Cheap honest transport and they are reliable.
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Just by way of an update, nothing of note has happened ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png) just the way I like it. This car has been a great purchase. Super comfy, economical, fast, well equipped, basically everything I would want from a car. I do have to put up with the occasional mick taking from my neighbour who asks why I've got a grandad's car at the age of 29. I don't really care though, it makes me happy and it's and although it might look like a grandad car, I can assure you it doesn't go like one. That surge of torque is intoxicating and still impresses me every time. My only critique is that it's a bit clattery on a cold start- I guess that's to be expected with a 20 year old diesel transit lump but I'd still prefer it being a bit more refined, although it soon quietens down a bit when it's warm. My plan of attack with this is giving it a good service and using some additives in the oil and fuel system when I do. Then I might look into the extra sound deadening material which was fitted to the Jag X type with this engine. I believe it goes under the plastic vanity cover on the engine and is meant to keep engine noise down (this is how I know I'm old now- 10 years ago I'd be taking the backbox off of it). I've been taking a more laid back approach to maintaining this one compared to other cars I've had. Historically I've tinkered with cars, replaced bits, made little nips and tucks here and there, fettled and tried to improve parts. For some reason, this has always seemed to end up causing the car to fall apart. I'm reminded of my old Saab. I would replace or upgrade one part and feel good about myself, only for a totally unrelated part to then fail. I upgraded a blown turbo and on the third or fourth drive afterwards, the wheel bearing went- for example. Same happened with my XJ8 and it was even happening back in 2012 when I was tinkering with a Mk2 Punto. Anyway, I don't know why this happens. The opposite is also true. I've known quite a few people to have older cars and never open the bonnet, just drive it and take it for a service when it needs it- and they never seem to go wrong! It's almost like a weird universal law that spending too much time fettling with a car will attract mechanical issues, so I'm leaving this one well enough alone and just enjoying driving it. It gets a brim with diesel whenever it drops to half, premium every third fill up and I keep the tyre pressures up to spec. So far this hypothesis is working. The absolute most I would dare do now is a stage 1 remap but that would depend on my being sure I'm keeping the car long term which, I'm 90% sure I will, but my living situation is up in the air right now so I'll wait for that to resolve before I commit one way or another. In summary, so far, so good!
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boring and reliable is sometimes what you need , no worrying about will it won’t it etc when you said it was down on power i was going to say you can have these remapped etc but a £6 win on a hose is great my dad swears by diesels and as you said the torque they give is quite surprising i’ll plant the seed any way 🤣 kent.phantomtuning.co.uk/pt/results-engine/?reg=EY03TLF£260
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