406 2.1td reliability before buying?

[joekellner]

Hi all. Im looking to buy a new car. After having 2 406 hdi estates im looking to get another. Id like one i can tune and also use veg oil to use for work. I've seen a p reg 2.1td 406 estate with 11 months mot and 250k on the clock and not in bad condition. Its £420. What are these engines like? Good, pokey, reliable etc? And can it be run on veg oil mix? A quick answer would be great as im supposed to be looking at it on Sunday. Many thanks. Joe.

[Doggy]

The lucas epic injection pump fitted as standard to all 2.1 406's won't tollerate running on veg oil. You're best bet is finding a 1.9TD.
Only other option for a 2.1 406 is adapting a Bosch pump from a 605 or Citeon XM etc. Getting hard to find these days.
There's always biodiesel - I'm out of touch, but guess it's not so cost-effective with derv @ £0.98/l

[PeterN]

The engines are very good in the XM, I have had a number of them but they use a Bosch mechanical pump which seems to last forever, I don't like the EPIC pumps. I think the 2.1 was probably the best IDI engine ever made, more economical that the 1.9 and smoother than the Hdi but the head gaskets tend to fail at about 150k so I would think yours has probably been replaced, if it has and it was with a laminated steel one it probably won't go again.

Peter

[jonsowman]

My old one is still on the road at 250k and on its original head gasket.

If you keep on top of coolant changes the HG will last

[PeterN]

Interesting, all of mine have failed at around 150k, but of course I don't know what the antifreeze history has been, I know on the last one I did the gasket was falling to bits with corrosion.

Peter

[joekellner]

Hi all. Sorry for the delay in replying. Thanks for giving me your info on this engine. I decided against getting the car and was gonna wait before getting a car until next pay day when yesterday was just browsing Gumtree when i saw an r reg 406 1.9 td with 2 months mot for £125. It was an old man selling it who bought a new car and just wanted it gone. He waa honest and said it needed a new windscreen and rear anti roll bar link and it should pass. I thought its worth a gamble as its worth more for scrap. Driving it home i instantly fell in love with it. Its heavy clutch and clunky old diesel engine. The only major thing i need to fix ASAP is the heating. Its the digital type with buttons. When i switch it on nothing blows out. Driving home last night was a mare as it kept misting up and with it being 0 degrees and the window open was freezing lol. Any ideas would be great. Thanks.

[jonsowman]

Sounds like the blower motor, I had to replace mine on my old D8. Quite an easy fix once you source a replacement.

[joekellner]

Hi. Just fixed it lol. Was simple and took under 10 mins. Uner glove box connection had melted together. Undone it and redone connection and now works! Happy days.

[PeterN]

Good you have one that you are pleased with. Next time go for a cheap Hdi, he fuel consumption is that good that you wont need to use vegie oil.

Peter

[joekellner]

Really? I thought the older 1.9 td engines were on par if not better than the hdi?

[PeterN]

Not normally, the best of the XUD's was the 2.1 with the Bosch pump used in the XM, I could get over 50 mpg on a reasonable journey with those but my 2.0. hdi 406 will do 60+ mpg driven gently on a journey. The hdi engines are much more thermally efficient which is why they have an auxiliary heater. I have had 1.9 engines, in the BX they are pretty good but in heavier cars they are certainly not as good as the 2.1 and nowhere near the Hdi.

Peter

[joekellner]

Hi all... again. So ive been driving the car for a few days now. I have noticed a few bits that id like to get sorted. I figured ill write them on my post rather than making several posts.

1st is the steering pulls to the left even on straight roads.tyres are inflated correctly and the tracking has been done.

2. The heating doesnt work properly. Its the button/electronic version. I checked the usual place the connection under the glove box which was all burnt out so I put a new connection on which makes the heater fan kick in but only on oe speed and isnt being controlled by the buttons.

3. The radiator fans dont work. The man told me he had put a new fan on but didn't work. This results in the car temp rusing until I start driving again and then returns to about 90 degrees.

Any help would be great thanks.

[joekellner]

Anyone have any help? Maybe know of some easy fixes? Thanks

[PeterN]

The radiator fan motors often don't work but unless you are constantly driving in traffic it doesn't really matter because the airflow through the radiator at anything above about 10 mph is sufficient to cool the engine. The fault may be due to the fan relays or temperature sensor

Can't help with the heater fan I'm afraid, never had problems with mine. Is it running flat out or slowly?

The car pulling to one side may be a tyre problem, try swapping the front wheels over.

Peter

[joekellner]

Thats the problem lol i deliver parcels in this car and all my drops are really close together. Im going to try and hook the fans up to a constant 12v with a switch so I can control it. With the heating I have noticed that I can control the temp but not the speed. I wonder if it could be the main unit itself?