Hi Vic;
What type of van do you have ?.

One of the most importaint thing with a diesel is the oil change the oil frequenly and at the same time replace the oil filter. Diesels motors need clean oil , fuel and clean air as well to run smothly. I have the oil and filter changed on my 95 Pajero every 5000 Klms.

Is your van new or second hand and how many Klm are on the clock ??. My pajero when i purchesed her a few years back had 160,000 on the clock and now has about 195,000 Kms and one of the first things that was done to her was a full service all of the oils, filters, including the fuel filter. The water pump was also replaced at the same time. Replaceing oils in the transfer box and the diffs, just for good messure.

Don't for get the fan belts while you're at it ( even if they look ok, just keep the old ones for a spair ). What a bout your timeing belt ......Is it a belt and may be due for a replacement, or is it a chain.

The one thing to remember is the diesel engine will cost a LOT of money to replace/ repair when things go wrong. Oil and filter's are cheap insurance and cost a hell of a lot less than a replacement engine.

One final thing to keep a look out for is to find a good diesel machanic to also look after you baby.

You will probably get lots of advice about diesel engines and basically it's as Valiant 81 says, clean oil, clean fue,l and clean air and you shouldn't have many problems if you keep them all clean.Changing your oil and oil filters every 5000K's might seem like overkill but it does keep your oil cleaner and protects your engine.Personally I also use a fully synthetic oil as reccomended by the maunufacturer of my rig and it does seem to keep cleaner with the 5000K oil change.

Thanks Yuglamron & Peter,

Much appreciated, will get a thorough service & check done first up before anything else.

Duh wrote:

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Thanks for the feedback Scotty and Santa.

I must say though a few years ago I was looking at motorhomes, Merc's in particular and I rang the RAC for info and they referred me to a bloke who ran an engine reconditioning business. He said avoid Merc engines like the plague, he sees them day in and day out with is business, he said if you are going to buy a vehicle you can't go past Jap engines.

Turned out at the time he had a work ute which was a Mitsubishi Triton, excactly the same year and model as the one I had then, he said he had done over $300,000 before he had to touch the motor.

I have also heard of people having gear box problems with certain year Transits, especially automatics, I notice the 2014 range of Transits all have manual drives (google 2014 Transit Vans), don't know if there is a message there.

Just a question, can you take off in a diesel in second or do you always have to take off in first gear ??????

Also, the tyres on the one I am looking at are 215/75R16.....what tyre pressure do you put in yours back and front please?????

 

-- Edited by Duh on Tuesday 12th of March 2013 10:33:59 AM

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 Mine is a manual 6 speed, always get her rolling in 1st, taking off in 2nd involves slipping the clutch, not a good thing.

The tyres on mine are Toyo HO8's 195/75/16, I run them at 70 psi front and rear.

-- Edited by Santa on Tuesday 12th of March 2013 12:19:21 PM

Duh wrote:

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Thanks Valiant81, I don't have one yet but am looking at a 2008 Ford Transit if things work out, turbo diesel 2.4 as far as I can make out.

It is no longer under warranty time wise on kms it is due for a 75,000 service or 12 months which falls in September.

Is it worthwhile taking it to a Ford dealer for service or just find a local diesel mechanic worth their salt and perhaps a bit cheaper?

I'll keep your post for info if I end up with this Transit...(see some pics etc on BG's thread about Transits etc on Show us your Rig section).

 

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 I have a 2007 2.4L turbo Transit diesel Duh, great vehicle, very reliable and at 75000 km the one your looking at is only just run in.

 

I take my Transit to a local diesel mechanic, your right, cheaper than a Ford dealer and after a while they get to know the ins and outs of your vehicle.

 

Fuel economy is good, and there are Ford dealers all over Aust, have heard horror stories of Fiat, Mercedes etc running into problems in remote area's and not being able to find mechanics capable of working on them, availability of parts can be a big problem as well.

Was talking to a bloke who runs a motor home hire business a while back, he owns Ford, Mercedes and Fiat vehicles, I asked about reliability and service of the 3 makes, in his words, Mercedes and Fiat are great vehicles, however once you pass Port Augusta your on your own.

 

Santa wrote:

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............ Mine is a manual 6 speed, always get her rolling in 1st, taking off in 2nd involves slipping the clutch, not a good thing.

The tyres on mine are Toyo HO8's 195/75/16, I run them at 70 psi front and rear.

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 Thanks Santa, if the sale of the one I'm looking at I'll have more info (log book/user manual/ Vin plate etc) but a bit in the dark at the moment.  

From my last bill at ford dealership. 2008 transit. 140k service.
Magnatec Pro 15W40 oil no litres given but $86.40 Total cost for service (including safety inspections $321.00.

Sorry Vic, $1200 for brakes I quoted you was cost of whole service.

Brakes includes rotors and pads $754 for both front.

I have had the van for 3yrs now and have had no problems apart from the engine light coming on early in the peace. (Got a towtruck drive from Goondiwindi to Maroochydore.) Was more of a case of the dealer not knowing what was wrong and didn't want to touch it. It still drove normally and didn't go into limp mode. Didn't find out what caused it, suspect it was me but in process of looking, replacement EGR valve and Fuel Filter was tried cost heaps. Neither fixed the problem.

It has had plenty of experience on gravel/bulldust roads and goes well. I also have it serviced regularly, about every 5000.

Thanks for the link Vic, what I can say about diesel vans is that I haven't seen any people go back to petrol ones. Safer near a fire.

Thanks Janette, hope I feel the same if and when the time comes.

Denis, with a late model Hi Ace I had, I got stuck at an angle on a slight grass slope, couldn't get the van to move backwards or forwards or the wheels to turn and nobody could push me off.  Tried putting things under the wheels to give traction, also adding body weight to various parts of the van to try to get it to move (front wheel drive).

Ended up the RAC were called, they also tried to drive it out but couldn't, ended up having to tow it backwards to get it off the "hump", it was ok after that.  I was surprised as the slope was so small!

I canned the Transit in my earlier post, just thought I better add that nomatter what vehicle you mention or buy there will be good snd bad stories turn up. I am no different but in my job with RAA Road Service did see many Transits get towed away with blown turbos. Most of those were city driven delevery vans, not long run haulers. Still dont like them tho HAHAHa. As in most things you make your decision based on your own research and experiance not stories from blowhards like me LOL.  Good luck what ever you fo with!

Duh wrote:

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Scotty01 wrote:

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I canned the Transit in my earlier post, just thought I better add that nomatter what vehicle you mention or buy there will be good snd bad stories turn up. I am no different but in my job with RAA Road Service did see many Transits get towed away with blown turbos. Most of those were city driven delevery vans, not long run haulers. Still dont like them tho HAHAHa. As in most things you make your decision based on your own research and experiance not stories from blowhards like me LOL.  Good luck what ever you fo with!

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 All feedback appreciated Scotty, good or bad, thanks for contributing, don't like the sound of those blown turbo's though, lol

I do make my decisions on research, however I also value the opinions of others whatever they may be

-- Edited by Duh on Wednesday 13th of March 2013 12:26:16 PM

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 All vehicles have their weaknesses Duh, Iveco and Fiat seem to have more than their fair share of gearbox problems.

As far as blown turbo's in Transits is concerned, it's important to allow the motor to return to idle before switching it off, the Ford owner handbook states,

"Do not switch the engine off when it is running at high speed. If you do , the turbocharger will continue running after the engine oil pressure has dropped to zero. This will lead to premature turbocharger bearing wear." (blown turbo) I wonder how many Transit owners/drivers are aware of this?

As Scotty01 states "in my job with RAA Road Service did see many Transits get towed away with blown turbos. Most of those were city driven delevery vans, not long run haulers."

A choice between a stuffed gearbox or a blown turbo would not be a difficult one, of course I would prefer not to have to deal with either.

 

Any vehicle with a Turbo should be allowed to idle before switching off because of the stated reason, You can get a Turbo Timer that keeps it running for set time after turning off, problem is it is against some state laws to leave a vehicle engine running if you leave the vehicle.

Santa wrote:

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Duh wrote:

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Just been told the Transit I'm checking out needs new front brake linings so they having that fixed as part of an inspection they are having done.....they reckon the rest is all ok......they will supply a 100 point check on the vehicle whatever that entails....

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 Can you get it checked independantly by the RACV or similar Duh? may be worth it for your own peace of mind.

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 It is being done by a separate business in a different premises, but owned by them I believe Santa.

Will have it checked out thoroughly again and serviced when I get it.

Scotty, the first time I came across one of those (in Longreach Qld) I thought they had left their engine running, then it cut out, will check it out though.

 

Slightly OT, but the tyres on the Transit are 215/75R16C....

I don't have the vehicle to check the vehicle plate, bearing in mind the weight of being a campervan/motorhome conversion, what tyre pressure would those with similar vehicles recommend please?