tdi 90 identification help

[Pompeydave]

Am I right in thinking that the tdi 90 can be identified by a red 'I' on the 'tdi' script on the tailgate? Been looking at a 90 that hasn't got a red 'I', but the logbook clearly shows it as a 90. Not sure now whether it's a 90 or not. Any idea's anyone? :confused:

[Rob Earl]

Rear brake discs instead of drums are the other obvious clue as to wether it's a 90 or not.

[Pompeydave]

Ok thanks for that. Is the 90 just a chipped 75? Someone on here a while back was suggesting the 90 had a different turbo and gearing, but no-one seemed to know if this was just a guess or 100% accurate? If it's just a chipping issue I'll save a lot of aggro and just go for a 75......

[ULP]

The TDI 90 is a different beast to the TDI 75. In simple terms, the TDI 90 has an uprated cooling system and a variable vane turbo - the latter is where the vanes change angle throughout the rev range so that greater pressure can be built-up at higher revs without creating lag at low revs.

Both engines can be 'chipped' with the limit being torque through the transmission; I forget the figure but it's something like 170lb/ft. I am going to get my TDI 75 done when out of warranty so I had a chat with Simon Coe at CCC and he felt the TDI75 was more tuneable (percentage wise) but ultimately you are restricted by the normal turbo. Around 100bhp from the 75 seems possible, but the 90 can be chipped to nearly 120!

Skipton has a chipped TDI90, and it's an animal!

I used to be a sceptic, but I have come round to the idea.

[Skipton01]

Tank is indeed quite animalistic by nature!

On the way home tonight (9.30pm empty wet roads) he was wheel spinning in third!

Cheers,

Mike

[Pompeydave]

Ok, thanks for the info, it certainly fills in a few blanks. One last point though- is the gearing the same between 75 and 90?

[Skipton01]

Nope - gearing is very slightly different on the 90 - slightly more relaxed at motorway speeds (about 300rpm difference at 70mph).

Cheers,

Mike

[Pompeydave]

Ok, cheers for that. The higher gearing makes a 90 more attractive. I've looked around and it seems that there are an awful lot of dealers out there that are passing 75's off as 90's. Am I correct in thinking that officially, the 90 wasn't available until 2003? There seem to be a load of pre 2003 90's on Autotrader...

[Skipton01]

Very late 2003 or actually, maybe even 2004.

I remember testing one shortly after they became available and it was spring 2004 - I ordered Tank shortly after this in early summer.

Cheers,

Mike