ADVICE NEEDED re TRANSIT VAN

[countryman 13]

Hi,

After some advice; my daughter's boyfriend is interested in a Transit Van that he has seen advertised and asked me to have a look at it with him over the weekend.

Only problem is, I know nothing about vans! I was wondering whether any of my learned colleagues here could give me any advice re what to look for/common problems etc? It's a FORD TRANSIT 2.2 TDCI 330S TREND SWB.

Do they suffer with injectors, DMFs etc.? Any advice/thoughts gratefully received.

Thanks in advance!

[Phil H 124]

transits suffer from egr problems, injector problems, fuel pressure sensor problems on both the pump and end of the fuel rail, if you can take a diagnostic machine with you and plug it in as not all of these faults will bring the eml on. if it's got any sign of hunting then it probably needs an egr valve, check the viscosity of the oil as if some of the injector seals go diesel leaks back into the oil, any sign of smoke coming out of the oil filler cap then it's either got injector seals gone or a blocked breather. they also have a timing chain on them which do go so check for any rattle's. don't forget the normal transit rust problems. The gear cables also stretch so be sure to check these.  

[countryman 13]

Thanks for the advice, Phil - sounds like he should buy something else!!

Seriously, though it's a dealer selling it says he has just serviced but it has done 100k. The only thing that concerned me on his eBay description is that he says he has replaced starter motor - could this be a mis-diagnosed Dual Mass Flywheel problem? eBay item #272013419626 if you get a chance to sneek a peak??!!

Thanks again

 

[It's me 615]

the link is to a private account not a business account ,that would be a big no for me because it suggests no premises to return the vehicle to for any faults after sale ,have you spoken to any of the fellas on the phone? i

starter motors clog up with dmf failing fillings so maybe and especially 100,000 is the time for another clutch and flywheel

[Phil H 124]

spoke to my gearbox people for you no dmf listed for that van reg. Ask him what council it came from and speak to their fleet department who will normally answer any questions for you. If when you get there it's a six speed it does have a dmf. You can always check with your local ford dealer who will normally tell you what repairs have been done under warranty

[countryman 13]

Thanks guys, you have been enormously helpful as always.

the link is to a private account not a business account ,that would be a big no for me because it suggests no premises to return the vehicle to for any faults after sale ,have you spoken to any of the fellas on the phone? i

starter motors clog up with dmf failing fillings so maybe and especially 100,000 is the time for another clutch and flywheel

He has four vans and a car also listed, that to me makes him a dealer! 

Oh, and it's plus VAT so must be VAT registered?

[Max Branning 149]

Just make sure the flashing beacons work...

[countryman 13]

Just make sure the flashing beacons work...

Haha! They're coming straight off and it will be wrapped.

He's a farrier, so likes it as it has a tailgate and drawers, workbench etc in the back!

[Jamie Edmonds 28]

Thanks for the advice, Phil - sounds like he should buy something else!!

Seriously, though it's a dealer selling it says he has just serviced but it has done 100k. The only thing that concerned me on his eBay description is that he says he has replaced starter motor - could this be a mis-diagnosed Dual Mass Flywheel problem? eBay item #272013419626 if you get a chance to sneek a peak??!!

Thanks again

 

The DMF is a big thing with these, I worked for a parts supplier and our overall starter motor warranty return rate spiked noticeably (across all partnos sold nationwide) and analysis showed it was entirely down to Transit DMF failures filling the starter with swarf.  Any starter replacement on one of these should be viewed with suspicion unless the DMF was done at the same time as in the majority of cases the starter should last longer than the flywheel.

Look out for rot in the sills too, it's not hard to fix but looks scruffy post-repair.  They can also leak from the seam to the rear of the roof as it isn't sealed from the factory so if it's damp inside that's probably the cause and can be fixed with a bit of seam sealer (or bathroom silicone if you're a bit of a pikey).

It looks really tidy though, most of them look really dog-eared at that age.

[countryman 13]

I have HPId it and HPI state that it is a 5 speed manual - does that mean it doesn't have a DMF?

Euro Car Parts list a DMF (and a solid conversion) using the reg number on their website

Edited October 23, 2015 by countryman

[Phil H 124]

some do some don't best thing you can do is give your ford garage a call and see if they list a dmf for that reg. My gearbox place are normally very good and that typed the reg in and not part number for a dmf came up only part numbers for a solid flywheel. It's just a case of the manufactures putting whatever parts they have on the shelf to keep the lines fliwing

[Wood235 36]

I only have sprinters, a 300k sprinter will be more reliable than a 100k transit!!! I know from experience!! We don't buy ford diesels any more, even at 30k we have had some huge bills!

[Steve92 80]

Just gust get a smiley face transit (if it hasn't rotted away)

[sparky 274]

transits suffer from egr problems, injector problems, fuel pressure sensor problems on both the pump and end of the fuel rail, if you can take a diagnostic machine with you and plug it in as not all of these faults will bring the eml on. if it's got any sign of hunting then it probably needs an egr valve, check the viscosity of the oil as if some of the injector seals go diesel leaks back into the oil, any sign of smoke coming out of the oil filler cap then it's either got injector seals gone or a blocked breather. they also have a timing chain on them which do go so check for any rattle's. don't forget the normal transit rust problems. The gear cables also stretch so be sure to check these.  

But apart from that........

[countryman 13]

But apart from that........

haha! that's what i thought!!

 

[Phil H 124]

haha! that's what i thought!!

 

I also forgot to mention the alternators are part of a smart charging system and can cost a fortune to refurb, they eat nsf wheel bearings, back lights suffer with bad earths due to water ingress. But on the plus side stereo's all right and when played very loud it silences all of the rattles and creaks. Did he buy it?

[Wood235 36]

I must echo again.......buy a sprinter!!!!!

[Phil H 124]

I must echo again.......buy a sprinter!!!!!

couldn't agree more. Only problem with these is the amount of times you may have to replace the cats due to theft. My advice to anybody buying one of these is to get a cat lock fitted.

[Jamie Edmonds 28]

I must echo again.......buy a sprinter!!!!!

As someone who has spent a reasonable amount of time driving both I'd take a Transit any day, but a VW Transporter over either of them.  I never got on with the seats or the gearbox of the Sprinters but could happily spend all day in the facelift model Transit (with dash mounted gearlever) and not complain.  

In terms of reliability, based on my sample-of-one we have a 2004 Transit with 235k on the clock and it still works, even after 8 years and 60k miles of general neglect for months on end, followed by a heavily loaded 800 mile round trip (rinse and repeat for the whole time we've had it).

[countryman 13]

Thank you for all your help everybody.

We went to see the Transit on Sunday and it actually looked quite good. There was a fair amount of history in the form of a print-out from the previous owner. 

Unfortunately we couldn't get together on the P/X so the deal didn't happen, otherwise we would have bought it.

With regard to Jamie's comments on Transporters, this is the other van that he is considering as a lot of farriers seem to use them and there appear to be more around with a tailgate.