Club 80-90 Forums

I am looking to buy a Water cooled 1.9DG and wondering what other members consider about T25s that still have the original WC DG engine fitted.

There are quite a number offered for sale with the original DG engine, some with low mileage and other high (95K - 160K). But irrespective of mileage and careful maintenance is the age of the engine going to eventually determine its failure particularly in respect to the studs and head water jacket seals?

I suppose any buyer of an older vehicle must budget for an age related failure but if the engine is medium mileage (approx 120k or so) and running perfectly ok is it sensible and what sort of budget would cover replacing studs and water jacket/head seals (assuming that all ancillary components are OK)?

Maintenance and care is more important than age and milage
when people say origional engine it does not mean it has not had work done like head gaset sets or even a rebuild not everybody exchanges some have the origional.engine rebuilt or fixed.


You buy an old van knowing that the engine or gearbox may fail at any time even if they have been recently replaced becuase there are no new engines just rebuilds to various standards.

My van's running the original DG, 78,000 miles and completely reliable. Lots of old maintenance records from the first owner but so far just routine stuff plus some minor replacement ancillaries and ignition components - the motor's never been out of the van, had the head off or had any other major surgery. In return for prompt servicing and timely parts replacement it always starts and has never stranded me (n ignition switch has been the only cause of roadside embarrassment, a £5 plastic part - can't blame the engine for that.)

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another original WBX, whatever the miles, as long as it was running well in all the obvious ways and there was at least some evidence of good maintenance both on inspection and via paperwork. The age of the engine is irrelevant, really - for instance, the studs don't corrode because of age, but because the cooling system hasn't been maintained properly. If the previous owners put the right coolant in and changed it on schedule, corrosion won't be an issue.

Overall, when looking at a prospective purchase, I'd focus primarily on body condition every time - just don't buy a rusty example if you hope to run on a budget. A full rebuild on the motor will always be far cheaper and easier than a body restoration, that's for sure.

mine has 114000 odd miles on it no leaks and runs lovely and has been converted to LPG by Simon at Campershack about 4 years ago

As previous poster said maintenance very important on these engines, such as oil changes and coolant changes.

On mine, the previous owner spent quite a bit of money on a fully reconditioned block & heads (not sure what happened to the last engine). My engine does not drink any oil and can use semi synthetic oil all ok & runs on LPG.
I like these engines, they not the fastest, but plod along ok!

do not want to open a can of worms about what oil to use but mine has run on Castrol GTX for 7 years and no leaks