Xantia V6 fuel pressure regulator upgrade.

[Mandrake]

Hi All,

I'm researching fuel pressure regulators for the Xantia V6 - the standard unit is 3.0 bars and is Bosch type 0280160560. I have a couple of spares on hand so I can easily take measurements of it and visually compare it to possible replacements.

As discussed in my blog http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... &start=585 a while ago I want to change the FPR to 3.5 bars mainly to help performance and driveability on the E5/E10 petrol we're forced to run these days... (which without correction makes the engine run too lean in open loop mode)

On the old Silver V6 I had fitted a non-Bosch after market 3.5 bar regulator and whilst it worked (and performance was significantly improved, proving the benefit of lifting the fuel pressure slightly) I was not happy with the build quality of the regulator itself, which was very cheap, and suffered from internal leakage (poor sealing of the valve seat) when the engine was stopped causing hot starting difficulty. I sent that one back and got another one which was slightly better but wasn't happy with that one either.

So this time for my new V6 I want to fit a genuine Bosch regulator that is identical to the standard one except being 3.5 bars. Easy, right ? Wrong!

I've spent a couple of hours tonight online with the spare regulator in my hand trying to look up and cross check part numbers on the bosch website, ebay, amazon, various car parts suppliers and just google searching in general and I cannot for the life of me find a part number that I'm 100% confident is both 3.5 bars, and also the exact same mechanical dimensions as the original.

The Bosch website is completely useless. There is a product search page that can be used here:

http://www.bosch-automotive-catalog.com ... uct-search

Searching the original part number and various candidate numbers return matches that show pictures (in most cases) and list it as a fuel pressure regulator, but not one actually states the pressure, or the mechanical dimensions!

From checking forums, ebay, amazon etc I think I have narrowed it down to a couple of models but I can't be sure.

One is 0280160597 which I know for sure is 3.5 bars, and from the various photos it looks like the right dimensions, however I can't be sure that it will physically fit. It is used in a lot of BMW's and the BMW part number is 13531436110.

Another possibility is 0280160562 which also looks right dimension wise but on most websites does not list a pressure. On the only site that listed a pressure it said 3.5 bar, but I'm not confident about that at all.

All I need is some kind of PDF table from Bosch that lists their fuel pressure regulators in a table with physical dimensions and pressures so that I can cross reference the physical dimensions of the original and find a part number that is the same dimensions but 3.5 bars...

But I just can't seem to find such a table, all my searches seem to end up going to ebay or amazon listings, and the Bosch website itself seems useless...

Anyone know where I can find this information ? There are a lot of minor variations in the physical design and dimensions within the same series of regulators (0280160***) so chances of getting the right one physically first time without a definite cross check aren't good

The nearest I could find was this PDF for the "Mini 38" and "Mini 50" regulators, which seem to be the correct dimension regulator but in 3.8 and 5.0 bar varients:

http://www.vaglinks.com/Docs/Catalogues ... m_FPRs.pdf

The frustrating thing is I have a nagging feeling that I did all this research 3 years ago when I was looking for a regulator for the old V6, and actually found a lookup table of Bosch regulators with their sizes and pressures, but now I can't seem to find it.

[Mandrake]

A little bit more digging suggests that 0280160562 may be the correct part:

http://uksaabs.co.uk/UKS/viewtopic.php? ... 9&start=20

See pictures about half way down that page.

Hmm...

[Mandrake]

Most sources seem to have 0280160562 in stock for £50 to £80.... however just found it for sale from "Bosch" on Amazon for £12.75 + shipping!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-02801605 ... B0048DVF04

At that price it's a bargain and worthy of a punt so it's on order. That is about half the price I paid for a crappy after market type previously... fingers crossed that it is the genuine part.

[jgra1]

[Stickyfinger]

Most sources seem to have 0280160562 in stock for £50 to £80.... however just found it for sale from "Bosch" on Amazon for £12.75 + shipping!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-02801605 ... B0048DVF04

At that price it's a bargain and worthy of a punt so it's on order. That is about half the price I paid for a crappy after market type previously... fingers crossed that it is the genuine part.

and that is the 3.5 one ?

if so I will have a punt on that as well

[xantia_v6]

In the UK does all petrol have ethanol added, or just 95 RON?

I sometimes fill up with 95 E10 and sometimes with 98, which I presume has no ethanol.

[Mandrake]

Most sources seem to have 0280160562 in stock for £50 to £80.... however just found it for sale from "Bosch" on Amazon for £12.75 + shipping!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-02801605 ... B0048DVF04

At that price it's a bargain and worthy of a punt so it's on order. That is about half the price I paid for a crappy after market type previously... fingers crossed that it is the genuine part.

and that is the 3.5 one ?

if so I will have a punt on that as well

According to the photos and discussion in that Saab thread I linked, yes it is 3.5 bar.

If you can wait until tomorrow night I should have it, and I will be able to confirm that. And if you can wait until Saturday I probably will have fitted it and tested it. (And checked it on the fuel pressure gauge both for correct pressure and to ensure it doesn't have internal leakage, which I doubt it will if it is a genuine Bosch)

In the UK does all petrol have ethanol added, or just 95 RON?

I sometimes fill up with 95 E10 and sometimes with 98, which I presume has no ethanol.

The short answer is "wouldn't we like to know"... Getting facts on what fuels have how much Ethanol from the manufacturers is like getting the proverbial blood out of a stone...nobody wants to confess... and the laws have changed in 2013 to "encourage" greater use of Ethanol, with many articles being written before this, and thus being out of date in the gradual push towards more pervasive blending of Ethanol.

I've done quite a bit of reading and in general though it seems:

1) All 95 RON fuel in the UK these days has some Ethanol - either E5 or E10, and have done for quite some time.
2) "Super/Premium" fuels generally have less Ethanol and sometimes none. In some parts of the UK some brands of high RON fuels have no Ethanol, but in other parts of the country the exact same branded fuel does have some Ethanol - generally E5.

Scotland and the South West of England seem to have drawn the short straw here and have Ethanol in most (all ?) high RON fuels due to the refineries they are supplied from, while other parts of England and Wales do not have Ethanol in at least some of the brands of high RON fuel.

Both Tesco and Esso have admitted to adding 5% Ethanol in their Premium petrols but again only in certain parts of the UK like Scotland and the South West.

Unfortunately some of the others like Shell and BP don't admit to anything. If you can find more up to date information than this let us know.

[Stickyfinger]

Well I went for one anyway

worth a punt and at that price there is a good chance they could go quickly (IF OEM Bosch)

[Mandrake]

Well I went for one anyway

worth a punt and at that price there is a good chance they could go quickly (IF OEM Bosch)

Funny you say that because before I ordered it it said only 1 left but more on the way, 2 minutes after I ordered I went back to the listing and it then said 4 available.

Is this kind of artificial scarcity to encourage you to buy commonplace on Amazon ? Or do some items just sell in auto re-ordering batches ?

Edit: went back to the listing just now and it's now temporarily out of stock. I wonder if that is the frenchcarforum effect or whether it is just regular sales... it seems to be the OEM regulator for many models of Saab...

[Stickyfinger]

Amazon email says order dispatched.....who knows the games people play

[Mandrake]

Hmm, I only have an order confirmation email, not a dispatch email...I hope you don't have my regulator Mr Stickyfinger!

[Stickyfinger]

LOL....and I do not have an order confirmation email just a dispatch one

NOD32 reports the attachment as containing a virus as well.....just gets better

[Mandrake]

Dispatched!

[Stickyfinger]

LOL....Confirmed

[Mandrake]

Mine has just arrived.

Looks completely legit Bosch OEM to me and is absolutely identical mechanically to the original 3 bar type, and it does definitely say 3.5 bars on the housing.