Thread: TDi versus TD5

Have a TDI and love it.
The TD5 is a bigger vehicle and therefore more space.
For the money you can get a really good TDI. Expect to pay a heap more for a TD5.

I'm heavily biased towards Tdis, not because I like to live in the past but because of the massive problems that I experienced with one of my Td5s. I've had 3 Tdis and 2 Td5s. I've never really had major problems with the Tdis. If you do get a Td5 be aware of the oil pump bolt issue and have it checked before you do anything else. The simplicity of a Tdi does have a lot of appeal.

Both the tdi and td5 have their pro's and cons. Tdi's for its simplicity the td5 for its potential for more power.
However, having just pulled the head off my td5, I realised just how simple of an engine in terms of design, it really is. And a lot of people don't realise this, I would say it is simpler than a tdi, and a lot of people would probably disagree with me on this one, and would say what is simple about electronics? But like anything, if you understand a bit how the td5 works, then it is much easier to look after it. I have done a lot of research about the common problems associated with the td5, and that has made it a lot easier to deal with the problems.
But the choice is yours, I like my td5, because I can chip it to the point where I can tow two other tdi's behind me and still beat the tdi (towing nothing) I'm racing in a drag race by a car lenght .
It is also much easier to work on, theres tonnes more room behind the firewall to work on the engine.

On the downside, in the bush, you would get a tdi going faster than a td5 (if you didn't have a nanocom). One of my mates drowned his tdi a while ago and he was able to drive it home. Where as if it was a td5, without a nanocom, it would have gone home on a trailer.
As any td5 owner would know, it pays to be self sufficient when owning one. I now have a spare ecu and will be getting a nanocom as well, as well as a few spare sensors. And as far as I know, only 2 faulty sensors can stop a td5 in its tracks, and that is the fuel block sensor and the crank position sensor. The rest of them can all be faulty, it might not run the best but it will get you home.

Hope that helps

your learning well hendo

Your right Hendric,people for some reason have this almost mythical hate of modern engines,ask any of them and they will tell you great tales of strandings across the country with no chance of repair but thier old engine soldiered on even thou it's got a million k's on the clock because back in 1970 they made engines to last ZZZZZZZZZ. Pat

Originally Posted by Hendrik

As any td5 owner would know, it pays to be self sufficient when owning one. I now have a spare ecu and will be getting a nanocom as well, as well as a few spare sensors.

That says it all - It is not a reliable beast - my POS certainly was not and it proved that fact to me over and over again.

There also many other things that are going to stop your D2/TD5 ie fuel pump, sump bolt. XYZ sensor etc etc etc

TD5








but always each to their own

Originally Posted by johnclv

That says it all - It is not a reliable beast - my POS certainly was not and it proved that fact to me over and over again.

There also many other things that are going to stop your D2/TD5 ie fuel pump, sump bolt. XYZ sensor etc etc etc

The single biggest problem with the Td5 was that it wasn't around long enough for it to mature into the engine it should be.You only have to look at the early Tdi's with the timing belt gears or R380's output shaft splines to see that it takes 5 or 6 years of joe public abuse for all the trouble's to happen and fix's made that make any drivetrain reliable. Pat