Been offered a 1.6TD 85 Westy. What's are TD engines like?

Post by **sonic23** » 12 Jan 2006, 08:27

Hi there,
A mate's been offered a 1.6TD 85 Westy which is meant to be in good nick for £4500 which he's going to look at. Being an Aircooled T25 Viking owner I know little about these, but I can remember peeps on here saying that the 1.6 D is fairly crap - but is the TD a different beast altogether? I know it's got a recon engine with 50,000 miles on it.

I'll tell him the generic T25 bits to check over - but is there anything else he should specifcally check or look out for on the TDs.

If 4.5K a reasonable amount? It's hard to tell these days. My Viking was only £500 2 yearss ago - though it has needed a fair bit of work!

Post by **hanloncole** » 12 Jan 2006, 08:35

I love mine it has decent power and has been very very reliable i also get 36 to 38 mpg. It is also easy to maintain. Just make sure that the injection pump is in good conditiona nd there are no leaks.
Simon

Post by **Diamond Hell** » 12 Jan 2006, 09:06

At precisely 100,000miles the engines stop working and you have to replace them with only the best straight recon available.....

OR use the bus with the engine provided until it gets tired 100,000-150,000 miles and then upgrade it to a 1.9TD, or TDI and enjoy more power and better economy.

Or fit a 1.8 or 2.0 GTI engine and enjoy longer legs and more responsiveness.

It's an OK engine, but there are SO many better VW units out there that fit.

Post by **Ade** » 12 Jan 2006, 10:12

I love mine it has decent power and has been very very reliable i also get 36 to 38 mpg

Ditto

they do have a shorter life than a lot of diesels,due to the way they are mounted , at an angle , and they do tend to use oil , mine uses about a litre every 600 km .However ,if looked after they are cheaper to run and more reliable than flat four watercooled versions

Post by **Diamond Hell** » 12 Jan 2006, 12:00

Having run a TD and a 2.1 I have to say whatever the issues with the 2.1 I'd go for it before a 1.6TD any day of the week, but then I think I've finally convinced myself I really don't like diesels!!

Post by **banana** » 12 Jan 2006, 16:16

Ive just had a recon 1.6Td and now its loosened up I can feel it pulls much better than the original engine even at 85K. I dont really care so much about acceleration but I get a bit frustrated on longer french motorway trips that I cant really do more than 67 - 70 it will eventually go to 80 but that would shorten its life quickly and the oil consumption would go up. If the 2.1 will cruise 75-80 without trouble then I would pick that. TD is economical 29 to 36 depending on wieght and speed. TD is a very noisy unit especially cold and has a strong bass resonance which is why I fitted a superb slim line Alpine sub woofer under the drivers seat so I can hear bass in my tunes.

Post by **pimpdriver** » 12 Jan 2006, 20:18

My 1.6TD has done 162k miles on the original engine and gearbox in my panel van. Good unit, now I have learnt how to use the cold start handle properly.

HUGE puff of smoke as you start it up.

Pretty torquey and decent economy. Watch out for the injector pipes leaking and spraying diesel everywhere.

Quicker than a 2.5 diesel Ford Transit too.

One of my exhaust manifold gaskets has gone so you can hear me from 4 miles away.

Put the first dent into it today. Backing out of Toolstation in Bristol (better than Screwfix) and forgot about a post as I reversed. Still, I have left my mark on it now, and it matches in with the rest of the dents. Rat look is what I say!

Cheers,

Steve

Post by **Diamond Hell** » 13 Jan 2006, 00:44

One of my exhaust manifold gaskets has gone so you can hear me from 4 miles away.

If that's the case, steve, you should replace it - you're losing a significant amount of boost through that which will not make for a happy engine, or good power, or economy!

It's a pretty easy job, but there are a couple of gotchas in it.

Post by **pimpdriver** » 13 Jan 2006, 07:04

Hello DH,

I know it needs doing but I can't afford to do it just yet. I spoke to my mechanic and he said it wasn't an easy job, inlet manifold off, then exhaust manifold, maybe the head too if the inlet manifold bolts are stuck in the head.

When I do get it sorted, it will feel like I have a 1.9TDI in there!

Cheers,

Steve

Post by **sonic23** » 13 Jan 2006, 08:31

Thanks for all the info - I'm sending it to my mate this morning.
Rich

Post by **Diamond Hell** » 13 Jan 2006, 09:37

Steve, your mechanic needs a reality check. You should NOT need to take anything other than some tinware and the silencer off to do the exhaust manifold gaskets on a TD. I know, I did one last night!

Post by TD » 13 Jan 2006, 20:45

perhaps a bit late now, but I've had one since 1989( the same one).
my engine went at 108K, make sure it's not a bodged recon, but a 'proper one'( VAG/VEGE).
otherwise the engine is superbly reliable and mine always does 35-42 mpg, with only oil/filter changes to attend to ,between rebuilds.
4500 is cheap compared to dealers, if in vg cond

Post by **sonic23** » 17 Jan 2006, 09:04

Thanks for the advice everyone - based on the info my mate has put an offer in and looks like it's been accepted. I don't know much more than that for now other than it's in the process of being UK registered before being handed over.

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Been offered a 1.6TD 85 Westy. What's are TD engines like?

Been offered a 1.6TD 85 Westy. What's are TD engines like?

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