Thread: Help, what is the best option?

Can 'o worms right there

300tdi is fairly basic. You can play with the lift pump? I think from memory in order to give it a bit more go but they're still not exactly a speed machine. I spent about 8 hours in a mates 300tdi and he was ringing it's neck to get past traffic up moderate hills and he's had his mucked around with.
300tdi tends to do head gaskets but then so does the Td5, tdi probably being more forgiving of overheats.
Td5 you have a whole bunch of other issues, oil in the harness, head gaskets, exhaust manifolds etc but I only know about them because I have one, 300tdi won't be perfect either.
Td5 can return excellent fuel economy (sub 10l/100km) but that changes a fair bit depending on how you drive them.
In my opinion the Td5 is far superior.
More power, you can tune them to fit your personal preferences, quieter, smoother, etc.
They're both pretty simple to work on, and they'll both be economical, and they're both great engines for off-road, but the Td5 gets my vote

Welcome aboard.

I have a 300Tdi Def 110 wagon, and I love it to bits, even with its little foibles and annoyances from time to time.

There will be plenty of people along soon to offer an opinion, but I'll get the ball rolling.
First up, they are both excellent engines, and if looked after properly are equally reliable.
The 300Tdi is a bit more old-school, with mechanical injection and fewer electrical bits than the Td5, and that is in part what makes it a bit harder to performance tune. It will benefit from other tweaks to the fuelling and even a better exhaust, but it will never be a rocket ship.
The Td5 does go a bit harder, and you can play around with a chip if you like.

Don't be put off by the Td5 having higher tech bits, they are still reliable and a certain mechanic that I know (whom I'm sure will also be along soon) has convinced me through logical argument that there are no more "show-stopper" bits to fail on the Td5 than on the 300Tdi.
One of the best things you can do is get a relaible mechanic and parts supplier nearby, so when the inevitable bits need fixing it isn't a big hassle.
Parts for both are still reasonably priced and readily available - you can even get them posted from the UK within a week if you need to. I've had parts flown in from Redcliffe to Thargomindah overnight by MR Automotive.
Both are quite simple to work on yourself if you want to have a go, and Incisor has RAVE CD based manuals available to purchase which are brilliant.

Have a drive in a couple first just to make sure you can live with them - you'll either love it or hate it right from the start. Clonks and a bit of backlash in the drivetrain are to be expected, but not shudders or harsh vibrations. Take your time and get a good one - look for one that has a good service history, and if it's getting up in miles it may have had the gearbox/transfer reco'd and a precautionary head gasket change done - all OK and better if it was done properly before you buy it. Timing belt history on the Tdi is essential - it is probably the main Achilles heel of the Tdi - it needs changing every 80,000km. If you buy one and it hasn't been done, or it doesn't have the record of being done, then get it changed immediately.

Let us know how you go, and if you need to ask more questions then this is the best place to do it.

so in a nut shell if i find one with good service history, and a caring owner, both the td5 and the tdi are goon in there own right but a td5 might just be a bit better motor?
would that be the consensus?

Probably about right. The above posts cover the situation pretty well. My preference would be for the Td5, mainly because it does not have a timing belt.

personally, I prefer the Isuzu to either, but it is very difficult to find a good one (or even a dog, for that matter), and the newest is well over twenty years old!

John

Originally Posted by red_tj

so in a nut shell if i find one with good service history, and a caring owner, both the td5 and the tdi are goon in there own right but a td5 might just be a bit better motor?
would that be the consensus?

I have a Tdi 110 albeit a 200 and a Td5 130,and they are completely different to drive.
The Tdi is old school,the only electrics are the power to the fuel shut off valve,so providing the timing belt has been replaced,there is nothing that would normally stop you from making it home from a trip.The Tdi has torque from idle,and can be made to go reasonably well if you change the turbo and intercooler/exhaust and adjust the fuel.

The Td5 is a much more modern design,with some of the modern foibles.You have electrics controlling the engine,you have fly by wire throttle control etc.They don't make power from as low down as the Tdi,even when chipped/remapped and require a different driving style,which shouldn't present a problem,unless you have come from a Tdi background.
The Td5 is quieter and much quicker revving,and is a lot more relaxing to drive over long distances.
For a touring vehicle I would recommend the Td5,but make sure you maintain it well ,or it will come back and bite you at the most inconvenient time.
For a weekend play truck,the Tdi is a great truck

Originally Posted by red_tj

so in a nut shell if i find one with good service history, and a caring owner, both the td5 and the tdi are goon in there own right but a td5 might just be a bit better motor?
would that be the consensus?

having owned a d1 300 tdi and my current being a td5 i'd have to say I much prefer the td5 all day every day , especially when it comes to towing and acceleration cheers ken

While I mean no disrespect to the 300TDI I think a sorted TD5 is a better thing.

A bad TD5 on the other hand is not.
A bad TD5 is an early one 1999-2001 its got dirty water in it instead of coolant, its done 200000 km plus and the head has never been off it.
The Oil Pump bolt has never been checked, it looses coolant every week, its hard to start, it has a pool of diesel under the diesel damaged starter motor because the fuel pressure regulator is shot and it makes a thin diesel smelling oil during the course of its oil change intervals.
Oh I forgot it has a pig that lives under the bonnet in cold weather that squeals for the first few minutes (exhaust manifold stud)

If you are typing on a computer you probably shouldn't be frightened of the electronics on a TD5 as they are ridiculously simple.