Q re higher mileage diesel vans / engine robustness

[DeLorean75]

Question re higer mileage diesels, in particular in vans.

I hear different things from educated folk and am thoroughly confused as to whether a well serviced panel van e.g. Ford Transit / VW Transporter with say 150,000 is either (i) possiby sound or (ii) a ticking time bomb.

Naysayers tell me a turbo'd diesel with those miles is just never going to last.

To make it real I'm considering a Transit Custom 2.2 with say c.125-150k on the clock (to get it within budget) for leisure use.

Really appreciate a steer. Thanks in advance.

[Belle427]

Really depends how it’s been looked after and treated but for me personally I’d avoid knowing how most vans are cared for.
I bought a Transporter some years ago with 140k on the clock and to be fair it’s been pretty good.
Now on 200k it has had a clutch, dmf and gearbox bearings but these are normal in my eyes considering the mileage and it’s harder life before me.

[DeLorean75]

Belle427 said:

Really depends how it’s been looked after and treated but for me personally I’d avoid knowing how most vans are cared for.
I bought a Transporter some years ago with 140k on the clock and to be fair it’s been pretty good.
Now on 200k it has had a clutch, dmf and gearbox bearings but these are normal in my eyes considering the mileage and it’s harder life before me.

Thanks

Are those things particularly expensive in the grand scheme of things given the shelf life of the vehicle?

[stevieturbo]

DeLorean75 said:

Question re higer mileage diesels, in particular in vans.

I hear different things from educated folk and am thoroughly confused as to whether a well serviced panel van e.g. Ford Transit / VW Transporter with say 150,000 is either (i) possiby sound or (ii) a ticking time bomb.

Naysayers tell me a turbo'd diesel with those miles is just never going to last.

To make it real I'm considering a Transit Custom 2.2 with say c.125-150k on the clock (to get it within budget) for leisure use.

Really appreciate a steer. Thanks in advance.

Unless you can 100% verify the quality and integrity of the servicing, and equally that of the treatment the vehicle has received from the driver, they can all be high risk.

150k for a good engine, properly serviced and not driven by a moron should be no problem at all.

But lots of garages do not service properly, lots of drivers are quite abusive, etc etc

It's all a minefield.

[DeLorean75]

Ok thanks a lot

[MBVitoria]

For what it's worth my 2.2 diesel Merc W639 Vito is on 208k and runs well. The indy I take it to tells me that the engines are well regarded and often will do 400k with no issues.

Obvs all depends on servicing over that time but in principle they're commercial vehicles designed to be used and abused in all sorts of climates across the world so starting from that assumption 125 - 150k is "barely run in" as the old cliché goes.

[Belle427]

DeLorean75 said:

Belle427 said:

Really depends how it’s been looked after and treated but for me personally I’d avoid knowing how most vans are cared for.
I bought a Transporter some years ago with 140k on the clock and to be fair it’s been pretty good.
Now on 200k it has had a clutch, dmf and gearbox bearings but these are normal in my eyes considering the mileage and it’s harder life before me.

Thanks

Are those things particularly expensive in the grand scheme of things given the shelf life of the vehicle?

I do my own work so clutch kit was £500 and gearbox repairs £400 from memory so nothing too bad.
I am expecting the turbo to go next but as it does very little mileage it's hard to guess when.

[sunbeam alpine]

Not sure whether this applies to the ones you're considering -

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[gazza285]

sunbeam alpine said:

Not sure whether this applies to the ones you're considering -

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

No. The 2.2 engines are pretty robust.

[DeLorean75]

Thanks for highlighting

Wallet preventing the latter 2.0.

Would be perfectly happy with the c 150ps 2.2

[legless]

For what it's worth, the Ford 'Puma' diesel engine in the Transit was engineered with a design life of 250k miles.

[DeLorean75]

legless said:

For what it's worth, the Ford 'Puma' diesel engine in the Transit was engineered with a design life of 250k miles.

Oh thanks - as in the 2.2 right?

https://www.engine-swap.com/product/fwd-ford-trans...

[legless]

DeLorean75 said:

Oh thanks - as in the 2.2 right?

https://www.engine-swap.com/product/fwd-ford-trans...

Yes. The 2.0/2.2/2.4 from that era are all from the Puma family. I was working in Ford powertrain in the early 2000s on the Lion V6/8/10 diesels (the V10 never saw production sadly), and we worked very closely with the Puma team.

[DeLorean75]

legless said:

Yes. The 2.0/2.2/2.4 from that era are all from the Puma family. I was working in Ford powertrain in the early 2000s on the Lion V6/8/10 diesels (the V10 never saw production sadly), and we worked very closely with the Puma team.

Wonderful thanks

[Smint]

Belle427 said:

I do my own work so clutch kit was £500 and gearbox repairs £400 from memory so nothing too bad.
I am expecting the turbo to go next but as it does very little mileage it's hard to guess when.

This is the game changer, even if not up to gearbox rebuild standards of mechanical work, being able to yourself cover the vast majority of vehicle servicing and ongoing repairs makes running older higher mileage vehicles more.viable.

With Transits in particular you probably need to pay as much attention to underbody corrosion as mechanical integrity when buying.

[DeLorean75]

Thanks

Very educational thread for me - cheers

[DeLorean75]

Just since there is such an educated panel here….(flattery getting you everywhere)…..

What is the likely all in cost of an engine replacement (ball park) if I see something I like that’s very high mileage? 5?

[Dynion Araf Uchaf]

watch 6D diesel on youtube, as he talks about the reliability of the 2.2 Ford engine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-YEYJGD5s0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKM2Wl_MTnE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-wZoTBi11o

[stevieturbo]

Dynion Araf Uchaf said:

watch 6D diesel on youtube, as he talks about the reliability of the 2.2 Ford engine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-YEYJGD5s0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKM2Wl_MTnE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-wZoTBi11o

And equally....this video chats about possibly the worst engine ever lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3moekbW6z8

[DeLorean75]

Ta