Which engine is best for a T25?

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rosanna.s@sky.com
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Which engine is best for a T25?

Post by rosanna.s@sky.com »

If you could choose between a 1.9 petrol or a 1.6 TD T25, which engine would you go for?

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AngeloEvs
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Re: Which engine is best for a T25?

Post by AngeloEvs »

Diesel is getting a lot of bad press. From an environmental point of view I prefer my petrol DG engne and run it 90% of the time on LPG. I get the impression the government want older diesel vehicles off the road but fine for agricultural, shipping and haulage industries.
1987 DG Karisma LPG with remodelled interior

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itchyfeet
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Re: Which engine is best for a T25?

Post by itchyfeet »

Petrol :ok
80s diesels are tractor engines.
1988 DG WBX LPG Tin Top
1989 DJ digijet WBX Holdsworth Villa 3 Pop Top
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what2do
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Re: Which engine is best for a T25?

Post by what2do »

I've got both and the TD is a dump of a thing to drive compared to a freshly rebuilt dg (courtesy of Itchy).
Why would the glass be anything other than half full?

'89 panel van, 1.9 DG.

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sweetaswesty
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Re: Which engine is best for a T25?

Post by sweetaswesty »

Yes, but...
30+ mpg for a TD is not to be sniffed at compared with 20+ mpg for a 1.9?
So economy wise the TD wins unless you add LPG to the petrol mix.
And comparing a rebuilt 1.9 DG with a tired JX is hardly fair. In good condition both will shift a T3 along at a decent speed.
This is why we went for a TD when we bought our Westfalia and at the time it seemed there was a bit of a price premium on them.
Maybe all the negative press and potential future penalties shift the balance from diesel to petrol? But the UK economy would go bust overnight if the government took too severe action on diesels.
Actually both have issues and arguably neither are the best engines in a T3.
The fuel injected 2.1 DJ is the surely the best original petrol engine but 1.9 tdi and 2.0 gti conversions are popular for a reason adding improved power, reliability and economy to the T3 mix.
1991 Westfalia California Hightop1.9tdi

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discipleofsketch
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Re: Which engine is best for a T25?

Post by discipleofsketch »

I've had both (kind of, my second one was 1.6 non-turbo originally, stupidly slow) - I bought the diesel in the mistaken belief that it would be economical and long lasting, then two engine changes later (1.9 na, then 1.9 tdi), I dread to think what my real cost per mile was!

My 1.9 petrol drove really well while it lasted - the wisdom back then was that they only last for 100k miles or so before needing a rebuild and I bought mine with 90K on the clock, and that came true for me.

If I bought another T25 it would be petrol - the 2.0 gti conversion sounds good.
Former owner of 1983 DG panel van and 1983 Devon moonraker pop-top, 1.9 tdi (1z) conversion

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discipleofsketch
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Re: Which engine is best for a T25?

Post by discipleofsketch »

discipleofsketch wrote:If I bought another T25 it would be petrol - the 2.0 gti conversion sounds good.

Oh, I should justify this hypothetical decision - I ended up with a tdi conversion, which was always a bit of an ongoing project - the gearbox wasn't suitable, it was really loud (custom exhaust and unenclosed cone air filter) and a few other niggles (leaking intercooler) related to the extra complexity. Insurance was always a pain with the non-standard engine. So thinking about it, maybe not a gti conversion, but a good, rebuilt, standard T25 petrol engine would have likely worked out more economical, hassle free and nicer to drive in the long run.
Former owner of 1983 DG panel van and 1983 Devon moonraker pop-top, 1.9 tdi (1z) conversion

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DoubleOSeven
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Re: Which engine is best for a T25?

Post by DoubleOSeven »

^^^ Wise Words. Always nice to have factory petrol engines as VW intended...or even consider a 2.5 WBX if money was no object.
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Ian Hulley
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Re: Which engine is best for a T25?

Post by Ian Hulley »

My answer would be a 2.1DJ running on LPG through the standard Pierburg carb.

Most of us who've had these for a long time do it this way.

Ian
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LPG courtesy of Steve @ Gasure

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keith
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Re: Which engine is best for a T25?

Post by keith »

Easy

1.9 tdi from a golf or Passat

Loads of power, bullet proof, plentiful, economical
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RogerT
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Re: Which engine is best for a T25?

Post by RogerT »

This argument will run and run, will be brought up time and again, and people will never agree.

Can I suggest the best engine is either (1) the one you’ve got already, (2) the one you have easiest access to when the one you’ve got goes pop (“easiest” being a term with no fixed definition), or (3) the one fitted to the van you want to buy, bearing in mind 1 and 2.

Anyone disagree?
Have you ever seen an unhappy fool?

88 Transporter with hitop camper conversion, 1.6td.

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Re: Which engine is best for a T25?

Post by kevtherev »

Fuel cost is my governing factor.
So I did what Ian Hulley did.
Got me a 112 bhp 2.1 and plonked a pierburg on it...then ran it on Gas.
40+ mpg equivilant.

Some clever chap increased the bhp to 121 using this set up.
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boatbuilder
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Re: Which engine is best for a T25?

Post by boatbuilder »

Pretty happy with my 1.9d AEF engine. Good fuel economy, not much to go wrong and it'll move you along at a good speed if you fit bigger wheels...

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1984 1.9D (AEF Code) T25 tintop

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Re: Which engine is best for a T25?

Post by ZsZ »

A good JX is a nice engine within the 80s power range, but can be easily ruined in the rush of these days.
Never experienced how the petrol engines perform but maybe they are more reliable as they can hold higher rpms

I had a worn out JX. After the second major fault, putting in a TDi was more economical than a full rebuilt.
Zoltan
1986 Multivan ex-Caravelle. Van since 2006, running mTDi 1Z since 2008 with Fiat Croma 1.9 TDid pump 2008-2019, custom pump since 2019
5spd custom box 4.57 diff + 0.74 5th

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itchyfeet
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Re: Which engine is best for a T25?

Post by itchyfeet »

RogerT wrote: Anyone disagree?

me
80s diesels are horrible and sluggish, need to thrash them to get the same acceleration and power as petrol.
Noisy, smokey, dirty why woulld you choose that?

Anybody who's fuel costs are that important should think twice about a T25 becasuse you won't afford the maintenance.

If you ever drove a 2.1 DJ you would not buy anything else
70mph up hill is no problem, power, acceleration for overtaking, smooth, quiet.

perfect :D
1988 DG WBX LPG Tin Top
1989 DJ digijet WBX Holdsworth Villa 3 Pop Top
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