1.9 TurboDiesel buying advice needed

[ahal]

Hi all,

My father had a wee 'off' in his 440 some time back and it's looking like replacement time. I have my eye on a 440 1.9 TD, going to have a look in the morning. Now I know nothing about Diesels whatsoever, apart from the following stunning technical insight: You can, um, drive in the wrong gear, and if they won't start from cold it could be an expenisve problem.

First off, are all of the 1.9 Diesels Volvo, or did they share these with the Renault 19? I'm nervous at the best of times when it comes to 'taking the plunge', but even more so when it comes to a variant which I'm not familiar with. Mileage, incidentally, is almost 150k. miles.

Thanks in advance,

Tony.

[bvs]

Hi Tony
I have just sold my 440 TD.
It is the 1870cc renault engine,so nice if the cambelt has been changed and it has some sort of service history.
Mine did 48-50mpg but I do a fair mileage,short distance driving might give closer to 45mpg.On a touring holiday in scotland last year (long distance 45-50mph country roads) she did 56mpg.
I would suggest that if you do buy it - keep the fuel gauge above the red sector as the TD seems to be prone to cutting out when down to the last 2 gallons ,that is of course if the fuel gauge works

edit PS Haynes do not do a manual for this car...so I used a petrol book + a haynes diesel engine manual (old) for the donk

regards baz

[ahal]

Many thanks Baz, I appreciate the pointers. This car apparently has had one owner, and a FVSH. That's not the norm here for a 150k. car, but I'm guessing due to the dickie wheeltrims it was probably a Taxi. No doubt a closer inspection tomorrow will reveal two aerials!

That's interesting about the Haynes manual too ... then again, if the standard Haynes manuals of recent times are anything to go by I'll get over it :P

Thanks again,

Tony

[carl4u44]

Mine currently has 194000 on the clock and by far runs better than any 19td i've ever owned including 406's. A good service, belts and heater plugs will ensure a healthy motor! Like always with these...electrics and oil leaks...but then again they can be easily fixed.

[ahal]

Originally Posted by carl4u44

Mine currently has 194000 on the clock

That's impressive by any yardstick. Lol ... I'm looking at a low mileage one so!

[Adi2727]

If you're gonna buy a 440, 1.9TD, it's a good choice. It's a very fuel efficient car & quite fast for an old diesel.
You should choose a car with at least 1995 year of fabrication; and at most 100k miles on the road.
Somewhere after 150k miles, you can have some trouble with the turbo, clutch, AC & servo.
Check for oil leakage on turbo, engine camshaft & at the power steering.

Good luck!

[ahal]

Many thanks,

I'm going looking soon. The guy is looking for E650 for it, which is a joke anyway imho. There will be some red faces, some enthusiastic debate, and lots of staring at the ground ( by him! ). In other words, I'm going to bargain like my Granny, and people used to run when they saw her coming!

That's interesting about the leaks. The car which my father had ( destroyed ) was newer, with 80,000 miles, and leaked oil all over the place. I usually run from mileage like 150k., but having seen his last car, I think if it has been well looked after I will take a chance ( at a much lower price ).

Believe it or not, Diesel was dearer than petrol in Ireland the last time I checked. Crazy!

Regards,

Tony

[bvs]

Hi Tony
If you do get it-very important to make sure fuel filter is changed ,best to do it yourself,'full service history' is only as good as the guy with the stamp.
Oil/filter change every 5000 miles,I only change my air filters at MOT time nowadays unless they are really bad when I buy the car.
You should be able to get it cheap,440's dont seem too sought after.

cheers baz

[ahal]

Thanks Baz,

Unfortunately it all turned out to be a bit of a damp squib! Faults were as follows: dashboard improperly refitted ( loose ), lots of blue smoke and the worst rattle I've ever heard in my life. Now I know some diesels make a bit of noise, but this was crazy!

It's a real pity, because the bodywork was perfect. It also didn't 'sit' right - the wheels were splayed. I guess deep down it's a car I was hunting for myself ( supposed to be for my father lol ). Someday I want either a 2.0 Turbo or 1.9 TD.

I've had long experience of the petrol 440 ( 1.8 ) and it really is a close to my idea of a perfect car as it gets. I'm thinking the bit of extra power would be perfect with a cherry on top! I love the way the 440 looks so ordinary too.

I think I'd be better off sniffing around the U.K. for one. There aren't that many of them here, and obviously I was looking at ex-taxi trash.

Thanks for all of your advice, it won't be wasted!!!

Regards,

Tony

[bvs]

Hi Tony
For future reference... Blue smoke on start up - if accompanied by rough idle and clears within approx 10 seconds could just be fecked glow plugs (or no power to them).
The 1870 renault engine is very noisy when cold and it is best to do about 10 miles then lift the bonnet and listen to the idle.On initial start up I almost didnt buy mine because of the racket,but luckily took it for a drive - by the time we got back - the engine sounded quite sweet .
Glow plugs are easy to change on 440.

cheers baz