2.1 TD vs 1.8 Petrol

[vision]

Hey guys just came across this,

Peugeot 406 2.1TD £500
Year 1998 Tax
Mileage 100000 Miles Mot Nov 10
Colour Silver Fuel Diesel

Make : peugeot 406

model : 2.1dt

tax : yes

other details :
full black leather, good tyres, needs ecu replaced

and was wondering what you guys think, I remember reading somewhere on here that the 2.1TD was the best engine in the D8, is this true?
As far as the ECU needing replaced, I'm assuming as it's a D8 this should be a fairly straightforward sort of a job and should hopefully be cheap enough too.
I had been thinking of getting rid of my 406 once it goes through it's next MOT, mainly due to the fuel consumption, but at this sort of money, miles and with a leather interior i could be very tempted to spend a bit on this one and just switch over to a diesel version which has just been run in going by those miles....

Any thoughts from the experts?

[eoin27]

By 'best' do you mean most reliable, or a good mix between power and economy? Its not the most reliable by comparision to the 1.9 diesel unit which needs to be crushed in a scrappy in order to stop it But it is certainly the latter. It does about 40 mpg and is fairly sprightly (by all accounts) which is quite good for an older diesel engine. The ECU can easily cost a lot though unless you can source one from a scrappy. Even if you do, AFAIK you will have to get it installed and calibrated professionally by a pug dealer. But if the price is right, i'd definitely go for it. And yes 100,000 miles is nothing for that engine.

[poddack]

Despite having "the worst" diesel injection system ever apparently...........

She doesn't misfire after 10 minutes and goes like sh*t off a shovel, about 550 to 600 miles to a full tank whatever MPG that is.

And VERY COMFORTABLE to drive.

[mjb]

I think the ES9J4 (3.0 V6) is the best engine in D8s. Reliable and pretty quick with a great exhaust note

[Welly]

Needing the ECU replacing could lead on to a new set of keys, imobiliser, wiring, etc etc..........

I don't know for sure but you could probably spend another £200 - 300.00 sorting it all out by which time you could have bagged yourself a proper working one from a private owner for the same money and none of the trouble.

The petrol is seen as the least troublesome although does cost a bit more to run.

[steve_earwig]

Depends which ecu it is, they're still fairly basic so if it's the engine one then it'll just be that. If it was 2.1td vs 2.0 petrol then I'd be confused but a 1.8 pfft

[steve_earwig]

Here's a thought - if it's the engine ecu then what's to stop him sticking a Bosch set up from a 1.9 in it? It's a bit of ag but far more reliable. And it'll run on snot.

[omega]

i run a 2.1and am well happy,its not as quick as a petrol but very useable mine has the leather aswell and its nice and comfy
i would also check /replace belts as the alternator one broke on mine and wrapped itself round the cambelt not good
didnt know about the ecu having to be set up i wonder if you can unlock the ecu?
i know you can on some peugeot by makeing sure the ignition is on when the ecu is removed

[vision]

Thanks for the replies guys. Think this is going to require further investigation once I get home at the weekend. The reason i compared it to the 1.8 is cause thats what i have at the minute and have been keeping an eye out for a diesel to try and stop breaking my heart everytime I have to put £70 odd quid in to get 400 miles out my petrol pug.

[eoin27]

I put €90 in at €1.30 a litre to get about 550 miles for the 2.0. Thats about 200 miles short of the HDi

[vision]

That's pretty good going. I think the best I got out of a tnak was 460 but that was driving with the light on for a while. One of these days i'll take my roofbars off for a full tank and see what difference it makes.
Funnily when I service the car it takes it a while to get back to the 400 miles a tank usually lose about 50 miles when I service it, damn that thick new oil...

[eoin27]

What grade oil do you use? I use 10w40 at the moment. I need thick oil cos Im burning a little oil. I also stuck in a bottle of Wynn's treatment for burning oil. It was like maple syrup I put in only thicker!! I'd imagine thicker oil wouldnt do a whole lot to economy. What average MPG does your trip comp give you? Tyre pressure, driving style and weight make a huge difference to MPG, especially in smaller engines.

edit: I see you have a 98 LX. No trip comp. I'd advise you to get one if you're keeping the car. It can be done quite easily and there is loads of HOW TO's on this forum and the 406 coupe club.

[kevtherev]

That's pretty good going. I think the best I got out of a tnak was 460 but that was driving with the light on for a while. One of these days i'll take my roofbars off for a full tank and see what difference it makes.
Funnily when I service the car it takes it a while to get back to the 400 miles a tank usually lose about 50 miles when I service it, damn that thick new oil...

i will get 500 - 520 miles out of my 1.8 petrol. do a decent mix of stop start /town driving and main "A" roads. this is roughly 33 to the gallon( 4.5 litres) which is coincedently what it says it should do in the handbook( combined cycle) iirc but ii am currently spending 120 quid a month on fuel

[kevtherev]

next month i will brim it ,run 250 mile and brim it again and post the mpg on this thread

[Welly]

I have to put £70 odd quid in to get 400 miles out my petrol pug.

You're getting about 29mpg, I'd deffo look at your tyre pressures, fetch the roof bars off and maybe pay the extra for super unleaded and see how much your economy improves.

Unfortunately when you've got a sub-2ltr engine in a large-ish car then the engine is allways working hard

The plus side is that the 1.8 and 2.0 petrol never seem to go wrong, like, ever