New Old 1.4TDi owner

mehariax

New Member
Just bought myself a 2003 85k mile 1.4TDi 75 BHP A2. I owned one from nearly new from when they first came out. Very happy to have one again. I haven't had time yet to get it up on the lift to have a look underneath but it drives fine and seems to have less of a harsh ride than my earlier one.
Does anyone know how long the clutches tend to last on these as at 85K it must be due soon. Its got a good service history with the belt/water pump having been done 2 years ago.

There seems to be some damp on the passengers side door trim at the bottom. The drain holes in the door are not blocked so I don't know what that may be due to.

Anyway I look forward to chatting with you in the future and a great New Year to you all
 
Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your purchase :)

I think clutch longevity is mainly dependent on the previous owners' usage and driving habits. 85k isn't a lot of miles for nigh-on 20 years old, it could have been just a local town car and sat in traffic for much of its life. If but if the clutch isn't juddering and slipping while on the move then it'll be good for now. If it's on its way, then this is the time to think about a 6-speed or a longer 5-speed gearbox conversion while you're going to be in there anyway. While you're underneath it, check the condition of the lower control arms in the front suspension, if it's got the later pressed steel ones (the type with removable balljoints) they tend to rust out from the inside.

Regarding the damp in the door card, behind it is a metal inner doorcard, the water could be coming through round the edges of that. Lots of info on here about removing outer and inner doorcards.
 
Many thanks for your fast response. I was thinking that when the clutch goes I will fit a higher 5th gear ratio as although the engine turns at just 3000rpm at 80mph (lower than other diesels i have had) it does feel as if it could pull a taller gear.

I will put it up on my ramp once we are into better weather as its a bit cold right now. Ill have a good look at everything and give her a full service. would you know how to reset the service indicator?
 
With the narrow torque band of the TDI75 you could really do with a remap before you fit taller gearing (it would also make driving with the current gearbox even more enjoyable :D). Various commercial remaps are available for the TDI75, including Stealth Racing and Awesome GTI (who aren't too far from you in Manchester). While the Club can't promote members' own developed remaps, they do also exist. So we won't mention any usernames here but I imagine one of the people I'm thinking of will be in contact with you before too long.
 
Thank you for your advice. For me the performance is fine if I could get a map that would give me better fuel economy that would be great
 
Thank you for your advice. For me the performance is fine if I could get a map that would give me better fuel economy that would be great
Am I right in thinking that your user name suggests interest in old-school Citroens as well as A2s? As above - welcome!! We're a broad church.
From experience of locally-derived as well as external remaps, I wouldn't say there is one that necessarily reduces consumption - a lot of that will depend on how heavy your feet are. What I would say is that in my experience - the consumption is no worse despite the potential performance increase possible with updated software, and the enhanced maps can give better flexibility once you're above the 1950-2000rpm step up in the torque curve for the 75tdi. Overall maintenance condition is probably a more critical thing - obviously regular fluids and filters is never a bad thing - and as mileage rises, likely that getting the injectors refurbished will contribute to smoother / more efficient running - I know that this was obvious with my project car getting the injectors replaced and the followers calibrated when reinstalled at 290k eliminated smoke, lumpy idling and occasional 1-2 seconds of uncontrolled revving on startup.

Worth also looking at wheels / tyres - lighter variants of these will help. People here swear by 15" Pepperpots for the lightest combinations although they aren't the easiest to come by and there are some others (from the A1?) that may be pretty close and easier to obtain.

Eventually long 5-speed or 6-speed gearboxes give potential to give cruising gears for long motorway journeys although again (with 2 6-speed conversions) the efficiency gain is minimal, where the bigger outcome is considerably more restful cruising on 4-500 mile motorway journeys the length of the country for 8-9 hours at 2050-2100 instead of 2800-2900rpm. And you do need a remap to push the longest ratio. The JDD / extra long 5-speed option has its proponents but there are some specific niceties about the 4th / 5th gear that can mean it is more suitable for some users than others based on local topology and driving requirements.
|
Perhaps the most cost-effective option for long distance fuel-efficiency up front after a good service would be OEM cruise control so that the computer is controlling the throttle versus speed requirements - I got this installed by @timmus a few years ago and it has been a godsend for the above regular country-length drives.
 
The best choice I made with my a2 was the Jdd conversion. On a motorway run I get 76-78mpg. Before the ewq box holds the car back for mpg point of view at 69 mpg playing light foot. Have never had a six speed but I would guess the same . I've just had the awesome remap done via you know who. And I do love it but does lower my mpg due to playing more. In the end I assume it will get better once the novelty wears out. Clutch at that mileage I would expect to be all good. I have 105k on my one and was going to change while the gearbox was off but it's not showing any signs of wear.
 
I would definitely recommend a remap. it absolutely transformes the car and really makes it a lot more fun, and on mine I had a noticeable rise in mpg on a motorway run. I also run a fabia MZN gearbox with higher 4/5th. Again, great on the motorway at 70 at 2200rpm.
 
My original clutch had done ~175K when it was changed, but only because I was swapping to an MYP box, so it made sense to do both at the same time.
 
Once again thank you all for your replies. Some of you have done amazingly well with clutch mileages so that's good to know. I will have cruise installed (as I have found it so useful on long journeys in other cars ) and at the same time get the remap done I think that will do for starters. I'm keen to get all the fluids changed although it was serviced just 2000 miles ago according to the paperwork. Looks like the gearbox oil is often forgotten from the horrors I have seen on You Tube.
 
Back
Top