Diesel Engine Overhaul

Dabko

This is a rather broad kind of question, but here goes....

Bought a 2001 Mondeo TDDI 2.0ltr Lx a few months back. Bought her at 109k and she now has 115k up. Great car, no problems whatsoever, and Id like to keep it that way for as long as possible.

I want to spend a couple of quid having the engine maintained/overhauled, however, I ain't no mechanic.

From reading up on different threads, ive seen things such as cleaning the top manifold on the engine to blocking off the EGR valve to improve fuel efficiency.

I am also interested in upgrading brakes, disks and suspension.

Any help and tips welcome...

N.B. - Ill be handing all the work over to a real mechanic. Just want to do my homework first.

E92

Forgive my ignorance, but what does "overhauling" an engine involve?

Is the same as reconditioning an engine, and if not, what is that?

I don't ever remember hearing of car engines getting overhauled. 115 k miles isn't a lot for a diesel. It should be capable of 200k IMO.

Slidey

Some good advice for ya,
If it aint broken dont fix it..
Engine overhauls when done properly are expensive..
I would be in favour of blocking off the EGR valve as it can make an awful mess of an inlet manifold, however some engines (dmax isuzu for insance) will recognise that this has been done by monitoring the airflow meter and will bring up a faukt code.
Regular servicing should keep the car sweet.
These cars sometimes suffer prob when the clutch starts to break up and the dust gets into the starter and cause the bearing to fail. this in turn can wreak the teeth on the ring gear so that is something to think about..

maidhc

slideways wrote: »

If it aint broken dont fix it..

indeed

gyppo

Agree with the others - if its not giving any bother, dont touch it.
The tddi unit is a reliable engine.
If you intend keeping it for a long haul, service it regularly, use good oil, and every so often give it a good spirited drive using the full rev band - does wonders for clearing soot out the airways.

HJL

As for upgrading the brakes, maybe the discs off a higher spec model could be fitted, the the ST model. Mondeo forums should be able to answer this question.
Or EBC discs and Green Stuff pads might be an option
But I think if you needed to change them, getting genuine Ford parts to replace them is probably as good of an upgrade you can get.

Captain Slow IRL

If you wanna clean the egr valve, with the least amount of mechanical knowledge, use some diesel fuel system cleaner - you can get it in any decent motor factors or halfords. Fill your tank up with diesel after you put it in and just drive!
Beyond this, just bring it for regular services and it should not give you any bother.

franksm

Just change the oil a bit more often than the Ford book tells you to, and the car will love you for it - I have always been wary of extended service intervals, as if manufacturers use the idea to show the car is 'cheap to run'.

I change the oil on my cars every 3,000 miles and use Magnatec every time. 120,000 miles on my MX5 and even with a turbo on it, it's still smooth, powerful and doesn't drink any oil or water. Had a look inside the engine last year, did some leak-down tests and it was like new.

Other thngs - change the coolant every 24,000 miles; change the brake fluid at the same intervals; get a 4-wheel alignment every 2 years.

With all of that, your car should stay in tip top condition. There must be some Mondeo forums (probably in the UK) where you can learn about predictable problems and solutions for them. That's what I learned with the MX5 - there are three or four common problems that crop up at predictable mileage (clutch slave cylinder wearing out at 80,000 miles; rear brake calipers sticking, etc) - so long as you know about them, the rest of the car is a doddle

Dabko

cheers all for the advice, will be taking all on board.

Captain Slow IRL

franksm wrote: »

I change the oil on my cars every 3,000 miles and use Magnatec every time.

Is that not a bit overkill?! That's decent oil, you should get twice the mileage out of it before you need to change it?!

franksm

Car feels better after dumping the 3,000 mile-old oil, so I figure it must be liking it.

I buy my Magnatec up north for STG £18 per 4L, which is about €24 so it's still cheap insurance

Captain Slow IRL

I suppose, at that price, it's not gonna break the bank!

maidhc

franksm wrote: »

Car feels better after dumping the 3,000 mile-old oil, so I figure it must be liking it.

We have been pretty careless without our mondeo at times. On occasions it has done 15,000miles between services, and it has never done less than 9k in its life between services. The coolant was last changed at about 140k with the waterpump was done, and never before that as far as i know!

Pleased to report it still is only burning the most miniscule amount of oil (e.g. i don't look at the dipstick), and will shortly be crossing the 200k mile barrier!