hi i have just bought a 1997 escort van its a 1.8d but it has been fitted with a 1.8td very badly. it will not start on the key but starts if you bridge the starter out. the heater plug relay and injection pump just click like mad. when i do get it running its very rough and smokey. iv noticed there is no vacume line to the egr valve and if i put one on i get a very bad diesel knock and even more smoke. also the airflow meter isent wired up should it be. sorry for all the questions but im scratching my head with this one

cheers faz

 

It may have the std wiring fault on these, look VERY carefully at the connection that goies from the iggy switch to the solenoid on the starter, these sometimes snap/break at the terminal, people crimp new ones on, but they don't often make good enough contact, and so don't hold the solenoid strongly enough in the start position, I've done a van recently with this very problem, that had a new battery and starter, before being looked at by myself.
I cut back the wire and soldered a new terminal on, and heatshrinked it with adhesive lined heatshrink, important as solder joints don't flex at all, they just break, the heat shrink helps massively here, worth a go, I assume they used the tdi ecu as well >
tabetha

 

do i need an ecu as i cant find one at all

 

Hi mate

Ive done the 1.8D to 1.8TD swap on my mk3. Mine didnt have an ecu as a 1.8D just basic wiring so you dont need an ECU run it. The only change i made was to bypass the fuel pump immobilizer. Not sure where the ECU would be on your car if it did had one. If theres no ECU dont worry about the air flow meter. As for the Egr valve i dont have anything on it either and it runs ok. Where have you tried to connect it to? Does it say 1.8 or endura de on the rocker cover btw?

 

it says endure de on the rocker cover so i deffo dont need an ecu egr valve or airflow meter. the wireing is a mess. ontop of the fule pump there is a thin black box with 3 black wires can i get rid of that or not. its just hanging arond looks a mess

 

Sounds like the immobilizer module ur describing. To make mine work bypass the immobilizer. i had to cut away the security shield around this module and the immobilizer solenoid ( this may have been done already if ur module is just hanging there) So cut the 3 wires as close to the module as possible and you should be left with 2 wires going to a stop solenoid on the pump. Take the two wires and earth one and connect a 12V ignition live to the other. There are two other wires on my pump, one red and one black, i earthed the black and put the same 12V ignition live to the red. Hopefully it should start on key now.

Where where u trying 2 connect the egr valve to btw?

 

there is a black plastic vacume pipe with a valve in the middle with a spare connection thats where i was putting the egr to dont think it was right tho. going picking a modeo tdi up today so going to re do to conversion. do i need the airflow meter ecu etc or should i just bypass the imoberliser and away i go

 

Did you not try the immobilizer bypass first to see if it started on key?

If u didnt have an ecu before i wouldnt bother with it a lot of extra hassle getting it to work with ur car, u would have to get a new loom and everything to go with. It runs just fine with standard wiring tbh mate. But as u said ur wiring is a mess so u cud get a 1.8D loom to replace urs and just do the bypass.

so from what uve told me if i was doing it i would redo the swap, using a new 1.8D wiring loom and just bypass the immobilizer.let me know how u get on with it.

 

no i dident. came to the van this morning switched the egnition on heater plug light came on all dash lights heater plug light went out turned the key and it started eventualy after loads of cranking. loads of smoke and a big diesel knock. ran it round the block all was fine still smokeing though. i switched the lights on, the engine cut out and then it wouldent start again and it still the same now, back to how it was sunday. today i picked a mondeo up with a tdi in thinking of swaping the loom over as well as the engine is this possible. need this to be reliable when its done. my fiester 1.8d has never let me down

 

ill assume the mondy u picked up has an ecu n all then? Yea its a very reliable engine when u get it right. I think u will be making unnessessary work for urself with the ecu but if ur capable enough i dont see why not

 

yes the mondeo has got an ecu etc iv done this kind of thing before. converted a suzuki sj from a petrol to a derv. il save the modeo loom just in case. any idea on the light issue

 

oh and the modeo is a 1994 so do i need to bypass the imobiliser cant find that black box thing