The Ford 1.8 TDCi engine is a long-lived engine. Its history began in the late 1980s. Then this motor was put on the Ford Sierra, Escort, etc. Of course, that version of the diesel was with a pre-chamber cylinder head and simple mechanical injection. In 1998, it was updated: a turbine was bolted on, it was converted to direct fuel injection, for which the electronic pump Bosch VP44 was responsible. This engine was joined to the Endura-DI family. In 2001, a version of this engine with Common Rail injection from Delphi company appeared. And this engine with its 8-valve cylinder-head lasted on the assembly line until 2014. It was installed almost on all passenger cars and light trucks Ford models, produced since 2000.
And about this engine we can say that it is reliable. Of course it is! It’s the brainchild of the 1990s. And Ford company was satisfied with it for a long time.
Technical specifications
| Characteristics | Parameter |
|---|---|
| Exact volume | 1753 cm³ |
| Power system | Common Rail |
| Engine power | 100 hp |
| Torque | 240 Nm |
| Cylinder block | Cast iron R4 |
| Cylinder head | Cast iron 8v |
| Cylinder diameter | 82.5 mm |
| Piston stroke | 82 mm |
| Compression ratio | 18.5 |
| Engine features | Intercooler |
| Hydrocompensators | No |
| Transmission timing | Belt and chain |
| Fasoregulator | No |
| Turbocharging | Yes |
| Oil | 5.65 liters 5W-30 |
| Fuel type | Diesel |
| Environmental class | Euro 3/4 |
| Example service life | 275,000 km |
| Engine weight | 190 kg |
Ford 1.8 TDCI engine reliability and faults
Some 1.8 TDCi (F9DA) engine problems can be caused by small things.
Reduced engine power, rough idle and difficulty starting can be caused by a faulty camshaft position sensor or broken wiring.
And if reduced power and difficult starting are accompanied by shocks or extraneous sounds, then you need to check the condition of the crankshaft pulley, which on this motor is equipped with a damper. The damper tends to deteriorate.
Variable geometry turbine is just a luxury on a diesel engine from the 1990s. On this engine, it lasts a long time with no problems.
Fuel system problems can kill an engine. If the injectors start “pouring” fuel, then you can face the burnout of pistons, scoring and melting of injector atomizers.
Also rarely on the engine 1.8 TDCi (F9DA) can be faced with wear of the bushing of the upper head of the connecting rod and with wear of camshaft cams. But it is rather a problem with oil, its quality and replacement timing, rather than a typical disease of this engine.
Fuel system with character
The supplier of the fuel system for the Ford 1.8 TDCI engine is Delphi. Here stands the 1st generation pump: the Delphi DFP1. This fuel injector is also used on the Renault K9K 5-85 hp, the 90 hp 1.4 HDI motor, the 2.9-liter Kia diesel, and the 2.0 and 2.7-liter SsangYong diesels.
The Delphi fuel system is extremely sensitive to fuel quality. The manufacturer even requires the use of only original filters that filter out all debris larger than 5 micrometers from the fuel. It is also possible to install an additional fine filter or simply change the standard filter every 8 000 km.
Delphi fuel injectors cannot survive the dry friction that occurs when the fuel system is sluggish. The high precision friction pairs in the lobe pump and plungers in the fuel pump itself, which are lubricated by the fuel, wear out and the pump can no longer generate the necessary pressure in the ramp. In addition, the parts rubbing due to impurities and water in the fuel start to produce tiny metal powder, clogging the injectors and the fuel injector itself. As a result, if the Delphi fuel injector fails, you will have to replace or repair it, injectors and clean the entire fuel system with the removal of the tank and all the lines.
Also, the Delphi fuel system does not tolerate any additives in the fuel. Very quickly Delphi fuel injectors “died” from European biodiesel. As you can understand, these pumps were already outside the European Union for the last kilometers.
If the tank of the engine with the Delphi Common Rail system is filled with good diesel fuel, the fuel injectors and injectors will work for a long time. In general, this system is not capricious. For example, the dosing unit on the pump literally does not fail.
In the Delphi injector, the weak point is the multiplier valve. If it is worn out, fuel pours into the return. At the same time, the light bulb indicator blinks.
Also very rarely there is such an electronic malfunction: the control unit loses the adaptation parameters of one of the injectors. This can happen right on the move, the engine will stall and will not start again. The diagnostics will show the error p2339. In this case it is necessary to find the “flushed” injector and then rewrite its code and the code of the substitute injector. Diagnostics will not help to find the “bumped” injector – all prescribed codes will be present in the system.