Considering swapping my HDi Xantia for an older XUD diesel..

[lankytim]

Hi all.

I love my 2001 HDi Xantia to bits, it's comfortable and lovely to drive, very economical too.... I just can't help thinking about how much cheaper to run an older XUD engined Xantia would be if it were run on waste veg oil, something an HDi engine just can't do.

Has anybody here got any experience with driving the older diesels and the newer ones? It may not be worth it if they are unreliable or do terrible MPG. Do they enjoy supping poor quality waste oil?

[Hell Razor5543]

I don't know how much of a difference this would be. My current Xantia, Gracie, averages 45MPG (mainly round town), but can hit 60MPG on a careful motorway run. However, my BX (which had a non turbo 1.9 XUD engine) only hit 45MPG on a motorway, but struggled to top 35MPG round town.

I have not any experience of veggie oil, etc., but I do know that the experts on the forum say that Lucas fuel pumps cannot handle veggie, but Bosch pumps can, so that is your starting point.

[Xaccers]

Heat the WVO to dry it and remove acids, filter it, and pour it into the car. Keep a spare fuel filter with you just in case and mix with diesel or petrol if it's freezing out depending on how your car performs.
Cassy runs on 100% SVO at 87.5ppl from Costco and its made no different to fuel economy which depending on the car can be 40-45mpg.
She did Luton to Whitby and back with 4 adults, a roof box and a labrador in the boot and managed 43mpg.
I've done the maths before, but off the top of my head, for the same price on derv the car would have to do over 70mpg.

As with the comparison between petrol and diesel for savings, it depends how many miles you do, what sort of driving those miles are made up from, and how cheap you can get the veg for.

The 1.9TD Xantia comes with a Bosch pump that loves running on veg, however, their seals are getting old and hard. Hot veg gets into the small cracks, and when it cools and polymerises it expands opening the cracks further. Eventually the pump will start to leak.
You can either remove the pump, de-armour it if it's a keypad model, and fit the seal kit, or buy a 2nd hand pump, fit the seal to that as it's already off the car, then swap it with the one on the car which you can then refurb and sell on for a tidy profit.

[c.morewood]

Agreed James, the old XUD 1.9 TD I had for a short while ran about 45 mpg at best..and ran well on veggie oil although I never had the confidence to run it on 100%.
The Mk2 will, in the summer run at the high 50's mpg and never below 45 mpg.. that was 5 up boot full, topbox and 80mph on the motorway N Scotland to Bournemouth. In the winter mid 50's are the norm.
They're quite different beasts.
Personally I wouldn't go back to the XUD... but each to his own

[Peter.N.]

If you drive an Hdi carefully you can get 60+ mpg, if you compare that with the reduced mpg you will get from the XUD and the cost of overhauling the pump occaisionally plus the cost of the veg oil unless you are making your own, I don't think you will find there is much in it.

Peter

[citroenxm]

I don't know how much of a difference this would be. My current Xantia, Gracie, averages 45MPG (mainly round town), but can hit 60MPG on a careful motorway run. However, my BX (which had a non turbo 1.9 XUD engine) only hit 45MPG on a motorway, but struggled to top 35MPG round town.

I have not any experience of veggie oil, etc., but I do know that the experts on the forum say that Lucas fuel pumps cannot handle veggie, but Bosch pumps can, so that is your starting point.

You SIMPLY cannot in any world compare a Xantia to a BX.. they are worlds apart, and the BX will ALWAYS be better on fuel in XUD guise because theres no weight to carry around.

A HDI WILL run on waste oil BUT and a BIG BUT you will NEED to convert it to Bio Diesel.. Thats the only way... No they wont run WVO.

I have considered going back to a TD and useing WVO, but with still having a couple of TD xantias around, theres NO way Id go back to 1.9 TD XUD in a Xantia... The performance drop is very noticeable... though I have got used to a HDi in 110 guise with tuning box...

The send part, though the Xantia averages 52 mpg with a boot full of my tools, so loads extra weight, I could better the 52 mpg.. A TD xantia is low 40's at best!

Then theres the time, farting around filtering it out and making sure its clean, and then theres storage space for the oil to filter for me at least, it simply does NOT stack up correctly. You need pleanty of space and time for filtering.. (ok, Im waiting for Xac to knock me down with a reply.. )

So, for me, in a direct comparison, NO. Stick to the HDi.. It will serve you longer. They are not as bad as the electronics would have you think after all...!

[isisalar]

Quite apart from the economy issue, you would probably have to go for a mk1 and the mk2 is a much better car in my opinion, I have had both and far prefer the later car.
Cheers
Paul

[citroenxm]

The XUD continued to be available into S2 cars, right up to V reg... Though it does have an ECU but not to an extent of a HDi...

Still HDi for me...

[Hell Razor5543]

I won't dispute that it is unfair to compare a BX 1.9 (non turbo) against a Xantia HDi, but as these are the only cars I have had (although I have had company cars, as I didn't have to pay for the fuel I didn't monitor the MPG).

However, I think that the general consensus is to stick with the HDi.

[citroenxm]

However, I think that the general consensus is to stick with the HDi.

Quite... The BEST choice!

[bxzx16v]

It's the Hdi option for me too .

Mark

[lankytim]

Looks like the Hdi wins then!.... The idea of using very cheap waste oil appeals to me though. But it sounds like it could be more trouble than it's worth..

[citroenxm]

There is a bit of space and faffing to clean the oil up... thats the messy bit.

But I think the ease of fill and go, and the HDi 52mpg (which despite what ANYONE says, NO Xud td in a Xantia gets near it!) its just no contest..

Tim, by the way, I pulled the Green wing out the shed and took some pics, its a drivers side wing, but theres a couple of marks on it..

[Xaccers]

However, I think that the general consensus is to stick with the HDi.

Quite... The BEST choice!

Bollocks is it.
In tank pump failures, stupid sensor issues, stupid ECU issues, more to go wrong, more sensitive to misfueling, the 90 is more gutless than a 1.9TD and there isn't much in it between the 1.9TD and the 110 hdi, most expensive fuel costs, MK2 only so worse headlight pattern, rusty rear door seams on hatchbacks, engine/turbo isn't easily tweakable.
Oh and you need a lexia to sync any spare keys to the car, and the special code from the dealer, unlike the Mk1.


Nigel uses waste that he filters himself. Pretty sure his set up is just an old oil drum with an immersion heater element in it low down and a tap above it with some filters.
No mess despite what Paul tries to make out.

I wouldn't run a hdi on high % biodiesel either.

[Hell Razor5543]

This was ALWAYS going to cause a difference of opinion.