Diesel mmmmmmmmmmmm

[cav]

Right now ive sold the Vectra ( yeah i know it was up for sale about a year before anyone says anything )

Im wanting a Diesel frontera. I know nothing about diesels at all apart on how to service them and they come in 2.2 2.5 and 2.8. Ive always had it in my head that the ones that have a timing chain are the worse ones to get as if it snaps they are much harder to sort than the belt driven ones. Can anyone tell me if this is right as im dredding getting one with a chain. How long do they last for etc also what engine size do they come on. Also what do you guys think is the best diesel engine to go for, ive heared the 2.8 is the best BUT they only come in the mk1s, dont they and im not a fan of the mk1 dash

Thanks
Dave

[cav]

Ok guys just seen this car and im thinking of buying it. Is the engine in the photo a good engine to have are they reliable ? (2.2 dti engine)

[meooo]

The petrol 2.2 throws rods, don't know about the diesel version....they appear to have an appetite for fuel pumps instead.
My preference would be a 2.5 or 2.8, but thats just me




without a Fronty





Driving a Cosa Diesel (which is apparantly made by Fiat)

[Drift]

Main problem with the DTI's are the vac pipes splitting and the EGR valves gunging up also do not run out of fuel as the fuel pump will give up the ghost and cost around £600.

[red5]

The petrol 2.2 throws rods, don't know about the diesel version....they appear to have an appetite for fuel pumps instead.
My preference would be a 2.5 or 2.8, but thats just me




without a Fronty





Driving a Cosa Diesel (which is apparantly made by Fiat)

The 1.3 ? Yep. Revvy little number. Does go bang randomly though. Cos it's a Fiat.

[cav]

Thought thats what you guys would say, its a same as its new shape frontera lwb and it was in my price range

[fogman]

dont be put off cav the 2.2tdi is a good engine just dont run out of fuel

[N1ova]

Get it bought it is a reliable engine,If serviced regularly.And the fuel pump should be ok if you dont run out of fuel.

[Drift]

It goes a fair whack for a relatively small diesel too

[meooo]

If its a good'un then go for it, just give it a good look over and liten to the motor, see if you can hear it start from COLD, you can probably see the vac pipes, check them for cracks or splits...he may have replaced the pump already....

[country_Est]

Hi,

I have one of them, now upto 130k miles, no real great problems withthe engine that cant be fixed with help from here.

I have used and abused mine and havent broke anything serious without hitting something very hard first.

There are a few other known faults with all of the B series frontera's but then thats what happens to all cars.

Trev.

[cav]

So when will the timing chain need to be done then, also how much am i looking at to have it done ?

[Sooty]

The petrol 2.2 throws rods, don't know about the diesel version....they appear to have an appetite for fuel pumps instead.
My preference would be a 2.5 or 2.8, but thats just me




without a Fronty





Driving a Cosa Diesel (which is apparantly made by Fiat)

The 1.3 ? Yep. Revvy little number. Does go bang randomly though. Cos it's a Fiat.

My mate hadthat engine (I think) in his new Astra back in 2008. And you thought a 2.8 Fronty was difficult to start ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... FTq24WT6sE

[RatCav]

In all honesty the biggest issues with the 2.2 TD is the fuel pump if you run it dry as it relies on the Diesel to keep it lubed, and the intake plenums getting full of muck. One can easily be avoided by not running her dry, the other can be fixed in a day with a good old spanner party.

As a point of not the 2.2td was fitted with two types of fuel pump. The later models had a more electrically biased one that was the bug bear for a while as it could only be replaced as opposed to being reconditioned. However there are more and more available now secondhand as time goes on.

The plenum issue has been covered here many times but for the life of me cannot find any threads about it. Personally I would be tempted once you have it to get some new intake gaskets, carb cleaner, and about 6m of vacuum hose. Day 1 of the weekend pull off the intake manifolds and clean out all the gunk. Day 2 replace ALL of the vacuum hoses no matter how fiddly they can be to get to. She will run far better, cleaner, quicker, and be far moer reliable. Oh and top up the fuel tank to be safe afterwards

Welcome aboard buddy by the way.

[cav]

Thanks again Neal. What ever i get as soon as i get it home it will be having a full service etc and i will be putting up posts asking what would the 1st thing to be done and if there is any "how 2" for doing them.

[fogman]

as for changing the timing chain i think thats meant to last as long as the vehicle

[martynmcqueenie]

hi mate if youre not vain and looking for reliable diesel fronty then the 2.5 tds is probably one of the most reliable around mines a p reg with 108000 miles on the clock only real thing went wrong was head gasket and managed to change this myself relatively easily with a few bits of advice from here .
shes the older shape but in relly good nick passed mot with no problems or advisories

its like everything else matey watch who , what and where you buy from , check it out and drive before you buy it , and check for past paperwork history to back it up

if its been looked after then you cant go wrong but lets face it its a 4x4 so they are made to withstand a bit more than youre average car so mostly they are all pretty good

but if youre looking for good reliable engine at a reasonable price dont just look at b models as the whole range is just as expensive or cheap to insure and run let me know how you got on

[SPEEDBIRD 202]

Ive had my 2.2 DTI a couple of years now and there's not any real problem with the timing chains on these engines, but you MUST keep up with regular oil changes - very important that one

At times mine feels a bit underpowered - but that is because I have not got round to cleaning out the inlet manifold [job for the Summer].

That picture you Posted shows the engine having blue coolant that's definitely wrong only use the Orange Antifreeze
in this engine, and don't let any one tell you different, its the right one to use

Good luck

[BoxCleva]

The so called special coolants are not needed on fronteras, or on any road car, waste of money. If you use a 50/50 mix of the normal antifreeze you will have no trouble whatsoever, the pink Vx stuff is not without its problems either and the so called longlife is at best a year to two years longer ( they are busy trying to show green credentials is all), normal stuff lasts 2-3 yrs no bother and works fine.

SB that is a nice little earner myth put out by VX, the temp isalways going to be whatever the coolant temp is the type of antifreeze doesnt affect that. The Pink/orange stuf ist not PEG ( polyethylene glycol) and so is not as poisnous as the old stuff ( still wouldnt drink it myself) and is supposed to last longer , hence the oil cooler supposedly not rotting away. BUt the old fashioned PEG works just fine if you change it every 2-3 yrs. The coolant doesnt increasingly return to water with age Mark, it becomes more acidic after the "sell by date" e.g. 2-3 yrs and the corrosion protection as part of that becomes less, not least because as it becomes slightly acidic it allows galvanic corrosion between the different metals of the system to take place. But I still use it in all our vehicles and have no issues with it at all and when it gets changed I do it on the weedy gravel at the end of the yard and all the weeds vanish , not that I advise it as weed killer of course.
BC more than 50% is not better it actually starts to make the cooling system less efficient, so I would drop a bit out ( 2ltrs) and top up with water and use the drained off for top up when needed.
Glad you got away with the frosting.
Mike

Anyway, we are getting slightly off topic. If you buy the best you can for the budget you have you won't go far wrong. If you have a £1000 this time of year you are probably looking at a 2.5 anyway.

[cav]

Thanks for all the replys youve all put my mind at rest