thinking of buying a 2.8td

[crashtest]

hi i'm new here and i'm thinking of buying a 2.8td frontera i'm off to look at it over the weekend. and i was wondering if you guys could give me some advice. ie is the 2.8 a good choice or should i look at somthing else or what should i look out for. i only want to use the frontera for everyday use and a little off road use now & then.
i've had a 2ltr sport before and it did all i asked it to do but was a little heavy on fuel tbh.
any help or advice would be much appriciated

[andysd1]

i can here the keyboards around the country been hit with excitement, you could not have picked a better engine,

[crashtest]

now i'm excited and will be off asap tomorrow with cash in hand before it sells. thanks for the quick reply

[andysd1]

[andysd1]

have a look here
viewforum.php?f=21

[Drift]

Ive had mine 5 years, a bit like triggers broom but it gets off roaded and the main engine is fantastic with no problems other than starter and alternator both killed by mud, the drive train is great, only things that break are what I make it break

They are like tractors, noisy unrefined but totally dependable and powerful for their age and the fact the engine was designed nigh on 40 years ago, so no silly electrics to go wrong

Love it, 3k oil changes and it will love you

[alsavs]

Hope you dont mind me jumping in on this thread i used to have a 3.2 but have got the bug and thinking of getting another maybe a diesel next time. So i was wondering whats the mpg on the 2.8.

[andysd1]

around 30 to 35,

[crashtest]

30 to 35 really thats more than i get from my 1.8 zetec

[Norse]

[alsavs]

I take it these dont appear for sale very often then what sort of price range are we talking about for these.Also what tax bracket do these come under.

[damrabbit]

tax is £205 for 12 months

Price is anywhere from £500 upto £1500 i have seen some for i would say £8=900 for a decent one

[Drift]

I get 450 miles from a full tank if I am very careful but realistically more like 370 miles if doing short journeys though I do have mud tyres and a lift with a few other modifications and this takes its toll.

[James Bass]

The hard part I've noticed is trying to find a good one at a reasonable price. No-one wants to part with them. It's a similar affair with the 2.5 that I want.

[RatCav]

Even though the engine is as old as the hills it still proves to be one of the best out there. Landy drivers will pay top dollar for the engine alone for conversions to their trucks. Parts are still readily available and due to the age cheap as chips. All the parts that bolt onto it (altenator, turbo, steering pump) are identical to the Isuzu Trooper 3.1 of which there are many many being broken and laying in scrap yards accross the world. The 3.1 Trooper engine is pretty much the same, The only difference being the stroke length of the pistons. In fact my Trooper Mk.1 with the same engine (seeing as Isuzu developed the engine and Vauxhall just took it straight and dumped it into the Frontera) needed a new steering pump and replacement pulley for the altenator, both of which I removed from a 3.1 Trooper and bolted straight on. Working on them is easy as well as Isuzu blissfully engineered it with extra big bolts and rock solid parts. It is a rugged and powerful engine. Happly return 30-35 mpg as people say, and can cruise quite happily at 70mph all day long. Plenty of torque, enough to pull a house down. I have used mine to pull cars out of mud where they have buried themselves up to the belly with little effort proving the amount of grunt they have.

In short you cannot go wrong

As an aside. If for whatever reason the engine does die look for any Vauxhal Brava, Frontera and Isuzu Trooper, Wizrd, or Mu with a 2.8 and it will be identical. failing that if really desperate you could also pretty much straight swap a Vauxhall Monterey or Isuzu Trooper 3.1 engine in as it will be identical mounts and ancillaries. The only thing you might have to watch on the second option is the fuel pump where they opted for a semi electrictrical fule pump on automatic import versions, but your original mechanical fuel pump will just swap over. I also remember reading that they also used the 3.1 on some of the light Izusu trucks (as in proper trucks as opposed to our 4x4 trucks )

The only thing I will warn you about is the standard thing to look for on any vehicle. mainly the condition of the chassis and crossmembers. Look for signs of corrosion and factor in getting the under side completely washed down, and it might pay you to get it all waxoyld or hammerited to protect it. When the summer comes have a weekend of fun lying underneath it with wire brush and cleaning everything up and giving the underside of the body a good scrub and then painting everything black. Its work like this that will make it last for years to come.

Good luck and enjoy your new potential Frontera ownership.

[crashtest]

thanks for the help guy i'm on my way to buy it in the next 10 mins. if im lucky i'll post some pics later.

[alsavs]

I would also like to thank you guys for the reply's.

[crashtest]

well it's a done deal i pick it up tomorrow (providing i can get to nottingham) it drives nice and pulls like a train the body work is good only a couple of very small niggles with it. the o\s front indicator lens is missing as is the repeter lamp lens. thanks agin for the advice.

[adyclemo]

I can easily do 300 miles on £70 worth of fuel. The reason i say that is because i dont have a working fuel guage and dont do anymore than that between fill ups. Solid reliable motor. The body will depart from the chassis before the machanics give in.