vw transporter

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Tue 13 Mar 2001 14:04
vw transporter - steve hw
I'm thinking of buying a vw t4 transporter van secondhand for conversion into a campervan. Does anyone have any advice regarding the choice of engines available - i'm thinking of a 2.5 tdi or 2.4 diesel with approx 80-100k mls (is the 1.9td underpowerded, considering i'll be doing a fair bit of motorway miles?). Are there any realiabilty issues with these engines/vans apart from regular oil&filter changes and cam belt replacement.
Thanks,
Steve
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Tue 13 Mar 2001 14:25
Re: vw transporter - Malcolm
kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
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Tue 13 Mar 2001 14:31
Re: vw transporter - Malcolm
Sorry my mischievous nephew just did that while i was showing him the site!
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Tue 13 Mar 2001 15:54
Re: vw transporter - honestjohn
The VAG 2.5TDI engine is great in theory, but has a few problems. One is that the timing belt also drives the water pump, so if the water pump seizes, the belt comes off and valves start hitting pistons. The other bug is that the injection distribution pump has a habit of slipping out of timing. And when the timing belt is replaced, it's a time consuming job to get both the valve timing and the distribution pump timing exactly right.

HJ
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Tue 13 Mar 2001 18:46
Re: vw transporter - Adam Going
I have a 2.5 TDI van, and with all the spares and equipment carried in the course of Tune-Up business it is right on the max weight limit. Best van I have ever owned, and performance surprises a few would-be boy racers!! Now four years but only 40,000 miles - dealer serviced annually, plus I change the oil and filter every 6 months. TOTALLY reliable, but with all that weight front brake pads only last 17,000 to 20,000 rear pads 25,000. I get 28-30 mpg all day, up to 42 mpg during fuel crisis!! Be careful when parking on grass - traction is not great when wet.

We also have several 1.9Turbos in the fleet, and they ARE a bit under-powered; disabling the spring 'damper' in the throttle cable, disconnecting and blanking the vacuum line to the EGR valve, and about a 1/4 turn on the metering pump volume screw works wonders for torque/response. Whichever engine you go for use Millers Diesel Treatment at every fill, and Forte Diesel Conditioner evry 6 months.
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