406oc.co.uk

I think in a year or so I'm going to have my Uncle 2003 52 Plate Rapier HDi 90 and I want to keep running veg oil in it really.
Thing is with the cost of lift pumps and what not it's not a good idea in a HDi.
My engine in my 406 TD is pretty good. FSH, Timing belt and clutch changed every 40k although still on the original glowies. And also around the same mileage as the HDi.
Now the gearbox in the HDi is sound and the TD's gearbox is abit rough and notchy to say the least.
I'm wondering if I should strip my 406 when I get the HDi and drop the 1.9TD in it with the longer Ratio HDi gearbox and do a mild tune on the TD engine and run it on veg oil?
How much work would it be to swap the lumps and also keep the dials like the oil temp etc etc.
If not I'l just get the HDi lump remapped and make use of the extra fuel economy and power.

Bailes.

Im not sure if alot of things in the newer car would work anymore due to it having the BSI and no longer having the engine ECU

Also, dont know if its a petrol vs diesel thing

But the engine mounts in my 2.0 petrol D9 are not even remotely similar to the ones that were in my 2.1 diesel D8

Thats what i was thinking to be honest. I would loose allot of features, things like aircon, trip computer etc etc.

My personal preference would be the TD over the HDi

I think that would be a bit of a nightmare and also render the 2003 'car only suited to bailes' and devalue it by a lot.

I think by the time you weigh up the greater economy of the HDi and any other costs to do the conversion then you may well find there's not much in it in terms of running costs.

Once the oil runs out and Bailes is running his D9 on crisp and dry, I think it will have proved to have been a very shrewd move...

sirwiggum wrote:Once the oil runs out and Bailes is running his D9 on crisp and dry, I think it will have proved to have been a very shrewd move...

If there is such a thing available due to the entire shipping industry not transporting food, etc etc around the world which produces the bi-products being used in it

Welly wrote:I think by the time you weigh up the greater economy of the HDi and any other costs to do the conversion then you may well find there's not much in it

Seconded, the HDi is a cracking lump, not the speediest but damned frugal when driven kindly, 65+ mpg is not unusual on a motorway trip and even thrashing mine round the Polish roads with hard acceleration and braking I cant get below 54.3 mpg at the moment

Polskipug wrote:even thrashing mine round the Polish roads with hard acceleration and braking I cant get below 54.3 mpg at the moment

You're not trying hard enough

I did a thread ages ago called "who can get the LOWEST mpg" (indicated on the instant reading) and my HDi wouldn't go less than 11MPG

Tooty got 5mpg I think in his V6 but then blamed me for half-emptying a tank full of BP's finest

Welly wrote:You're not trying hard enough .........(indicated on the instant reading)

Pah that's for pussies , if we are talking instantaneous readings I will have a crack at that later ,

no mine is based on the average over the last 4850 miles or so, when i last set off back to good ol' Blighty I reset it then and haven't touched it since, so mine is a reading from end of April start of May from what I can remember.

I reckon even if reset it would be giving me about 45-50 ish now, the roads here aren't really built with hyper-miling in mind

add to that, that every Polish driver seems to take it as a personal challenge to be right up your 'arris at all times,
also will not tolerate a gap between you and the car in front greater than 75% of the length of their vehicle without the need to overtake on the blindest of bends on the busiest of roads to fill said gap

So if you cant beat em, and you really can't, I found the best way is play em at their own game
my only problem is the LHD car I have on these RHD roads, at least it stops me seeing the truck that will kill me until the very last moment

So to summarize even thrashed like crazy over an average journey I reckon I still get between 45 to 50 mpg out of my 90 HDI

I must be missing something. Even when I try and drive carefully I can't get better than 37.5mpg

sirwiggum wrote:I must be missing something. Even when I try and drive carefully I can't get better than 37.5mpg

Driving style has the biggest effect on the consumption, my driving style is hard when needed but i know the limits of the 406 and sometimes i just accept that i wont make that gap or beat those lights so don't bother trying, also i came from a very big and powerful car previously and i think that has quenched my need for speed most of the time
(add to this im getting old,fat,bald,boring,etc,etc,etc)

Other than the style of your driving, do you use any additives have you checked your tyre pressures, do you have the windows up or down in general, there are so many things that effect the consumption without even lifting the bonnet to check that its running right its a guessing game most of the time, my guess is that you enjoy driving your 406 and maybe push it a bit harder than i do mine

The landy would probably have won with the original engine before it was swapped lol, it didnt have a trip computer being so old so dont know the instant mpg but it worked out at 15mpg average.