Best TDI Engine?

[Seatmann]

Yeh I've read that too, it's a bit confusing.

 

[alien1974]

Some interesting comments, I agree with the person who said the 1.9 TDI 110 is 'toothless' without a remap, but with a good remap (like Custom Code), it becomes a different car, to the point where you can have a 'spirited drive now and again' like the OP put it.

The older non-PD engines are more reliable on the whole, as if you research it you'd find more people say that, despite some people like trebormint who haven't noticed a difference in reliability between PD and non-PD engines.

Yeah my 110bhp non pd goes really well now since the remap!

 

[Cupra Kid]

I've been put off the PD's with this cam issue, it all boils down to the fact that i don't want to buy a £3k car and chuck a grand at it when i could of just got a decent £4k car to start with.

I've started looking at 147's with the 140bhp JTDM engine as they seem to be as reliable as VW's but with the odd Alfa niggle which probably wouldn't bother me too much. Another possibility might be to go for a 110 TDI or 115 PD TDI as these came and went before the 2002 crank problems.

Final option is one i don't really want to do which is borrow a grand add it to my cash and go for something like a MK5 Golf GT TDI 140 or MK2 Skoda Octavia TDI 140.

 

[Seatmann]

You could always look for a PD with the cam problem and buy it cheap then fix it yourself.

 

[vroomtshh]

I've been put off the PD's with this cam issue, it all boils down to the fact that i don't want to buy a £3k car and chuck a grand at it when i could of just got a decent £4k car to start with.

I've started looking at 147's with the 140bhp JTDM engine as they seem to be as reliable as VW's but with the odd Alfa niggle which probably wouldn't bother me too much. Another possibility might be to go for a 110 TDI or 115 PD TDI as these came and went before the 2002 crank problems.

Final option is one i don't really want to do which is borrow a grand add it to my cash and go for something like a MK5 Golf GT TDI 140 or MK2 Skoda Octavia TDI 140.

How lucky do you feel? Any second hand car can have expensive problems.

I removed the cam from my pd160 at 130k. Well looked after car, and the cam was perfct. Not a mark on it and measured up perfectly.

So it's just your luck whether you get a good one or a bad one. And tbh if your thinking of buying an alfa, your only going to have a different problem

 

[Nam-uk]

i payed 6k for my FR 150 knowing this issue and the 3 other minor issues ,took me a while to get a good one though as i did see more right Sheds which should of been crushed, i would not let it put you off.
if you go Alfa you will get more issues that the Mk1 leon, as it is part of alpha's history

 

[Cupra Kid]

I've never seen anyone post with cam issues on the 160pd different cam?

 

[vroomtshh]

I've never seen anyone post with cam issues on the 160pd different cam?

Less pd160s around is the only difference

 

[Nam-uk]

pd160 is VRS and Ibiza ect ? leon and Mk4 was only pd150 which makes it a different setup.
vroomtshh what oil have you been using and what age did you get the car i.e miles as well.

 

[oldman]

mine is a pd150
on 115k
used only 505.01 & now 507 as per awseome service
never had an issue

it seemed on the many other threads to be a bad batch vw had made in x-2003 if i recall

 

[seatcupramad23]

my mk4 golf gt tdi was best ever ran it for 40k miles without a service naughty i no without and service and remapped never once missed a beat only issue had sometimes it would take a about 4seconds to start on really hot days , but bare in mind all filters where old can't fault it miss that car , gearbox on the old 5 speed was rather brittle though, pd engines whilst are good i seen many nightmare stories

 

[Nam-uk]

40K LOL Madness.

 

[James_R]

Its totally random and isnt really a common problem (no so common you see it every week but i've done a handful this year)

every 1.9 tdi pd engine uses exactly the same type of cam

100 ATD (mk4 golfs, leons, polos, fabias, ibizas)
105 BKC/BXE (mk5 golfs, A3s, mk2 Leons, alteas)
115 AJM/AUY (mk4 golf, galaxy, sharan, alhambra)
130 ASZ/BLT (ibiza, fabia, leon, mk4 golf, alhambra, sharan)
150 ARL (mk4 golf, leon)
160 BPX (ibiza)

the same profile - no difference.

Mainly comes to life around 125k+ and begins with a misfire or loud banging which is transferred back through the inlet and if im honest its the followers that fail more often than the cam itself.

It doesnt put me off one bit in fact im looking for an early mk4 golf 130/150 as a project - even if the cams fudged out of its face

 

[Seatmann]

Ah you missed your chance there, could've bribed me to sell my amazin cordy

 

[James_R]

Ah you missed your chance there, could've bribed me to sell my amazin cordy

on my second vario mate, nowhere near as good as the previous one but still a nice work horse.

shame there's very little you can do them realisticly.

i've also got 3/4s of a 2.0 vauxhall nova in my garage from a failed project

 

[Seatmann]

I don't know, the only thing holding me back is money, I reckon I could do a fair bit to the vario. I like the fact it's different from most other cars but then I also really like the golf gt tdi lol, mate just got the 115 on a 2000 plate for peanuts with full leather interior and 6spd box, I've gone off him.

 

[Nam-uk]

if the followers go would that not be down to bad oil or service? and left long enough not sorting the followers this Fudge's (lol) the cam. now do you no when the followers are done anyway?

 

[Seatmann]

Manual inspection or wait til it rattles its **** out.

 

[James_R]

the material on the followers face wears rapidly and can squash the valve top.

no decent supplier will supply a cam alone - you always get:

cam
followers
shells

all 3 normally show some kind of wear or damage.

new followers have a hardened face and are black in colour.

 

[Nam-uk]

what VW actually take the cover off were the cam is in the manual inspection?, that's surprising.