23rd Apr 2012, 03:44
I have had a Transit VG 2.0 L petrol for ten years, and never had a problem. It has regular servicing, but in its whole life (I know the previous owner), it has not had one repair.
We use it as a delivery vehicle for our business. Great capacity in the back, and we take out the passenger seat for long/big loads. The accountant has given up trying to convince us to get a new van - reliability is really important to us.
There are three types of vehicles: average ones that have average servicing and repair needs; "lemons" - the ones that always have problems; and "anti-lemons" - the ones that never have problems. Ours is an anti-lemon.
Luck of the draw.
27th Jun 2012, 05:53
Clutch fork is wearing out; it gets to the stage of where you go to put the clutch pedal down, and it just stays there as the fork snaps, and then you have no pedal and the van is locked in gear.
20th Jan 2013, 23:21
Well I have a 2.5 diesel Smiley Transit (1999 built). I bought it for £500. It was an ex-NHS maintenance van.
I have had to weld the inside sills from end to end on both sides, and I welded the back door bottoms. I welded most of the floor from end to end. So it's now body wise in good shape.
With the engine, I fitted the cam belt kit and new fan belts. I have redone the injectors and adjusted the fuel pump. The engine runs as sound as a pound, very reliable. It's good on diesel, after cleaning all the intake manifolds. They were full of black grease.
The exhaust parted coming back from Birmingham NEC Classic Bike Show. I hit a very large split in the road coming off a slip road. I did not bother to look at it; just kept going, with a loud exhaust noise. A police car passed me going in the opposite way, but he did not turn round, and I got home OK. The next morning I jacked the van up, and found the exhaust pipe had broken in half just before the middle box, so it was out with my trusty MIG welder, and fitted a short pipe inside and welded it all up. Now it's very silent, no noise, and runs like a good'en.
Have changed the front wheel bearings. Fitted new track rod ends and new bottom ball joints. Oil changes every 12 months, new oil filter, new fuel filter, new 15/40w oil, and 75/80 gearbox oil and back diff. So after 4 years now and 19,000 miles, this van has done some real work. It's a good van for its age, and is still going strong.
Would I buy another Smiley Van like this one? YES.
1st Apr 2013, 11:10
I loved your comments! So refreshing to see someone actually use the intelligence to recondition this van properly! This is exactly what I intend to do, buy an old Smiley Transit and make it bulletproof!
Most problems are caused by folks not doing the required maintenance.
8th Aug 2013, 07:03
I have a 1999 Transit van diesel. Have had some repairs, but so far so good. Does not burn oil, so no top ups between services, and no coolant leak since having the water pump renewed. As I said, so far so good. Just hope my luck does not run out soon.
11th Oct 2013, 00:12
Hi, thanks for all the comments. Thought about getting a 1999 Transit, but staying clear of it now.
23rd Oct 2013, 22:30
I happen to be looking at that exact year/model now... Anything specific you could add would be much appreciated :)
17th Dec 2013, 15:32
Can anyone suggest why my 1999 2.5T diesel Ford Transit could be losing coolant please? Nothing is leaking anywhere. No white or condensation in the oil.
17th Mar 2015, 11:53
I bought a 99 LWB medium roof 2.0L petrol with 260,000 km. Had no problems at all, but the engine was worn out at 350,000 km. Was going to cost Au$6500 IN PARTS to recondition, so I fitted a V6 Commodore engine and auto trans. Total cost of conversion, including buying a defected car, was about $2500. Transformed the Transit! Have now owned it for 8 years and done 450,000km.
8th Apr 2015, 09:44
Blown head gasket, between the water jacket and combustion chamber. It's getting burnt and blown out the exhaust. If you can perform a compression test, you will find which pot it is, and will confirm it's this issue before removing the head.
4th May 2015, 02:21
You have probably found the leak by now. If not, check out the water pump.
Good luck.
30th May 2015, 08:30
Yep, in Australia (where I live) the prices for Tranny parts are ridiculous...
I've had numerous Transits back home in London doing courier work. Never had any issues apart from the usual service items.
I have a 99 SWB Transit here in Qld. Paid 300 bucks for it, had it 4 years. Did a bit at the start to get her right, but I've been from up here in Northern Qld to Sydney several times with no problems. The van owes me about 2k all in... and I can get 2 Harleys side by side in it no sweat...
26th Jul 2015, 02:12
We are having major issues trying to obtain a replacement injector cam sensor for the diesel injector pump for our 1998 Ford Transit. Can you tell us where you obtained your replacement injector pump please?
17th Aug 2015, 05:48
I have had the van for 5 years now and put another 60000km on it. It has been mega reliable. I ended up buying an aftermarket alternator as the parts I bought for the existing one didn't last long. That cost $330 for a new alternator from somewhere in Roseworthy SA.
I need to sell it now as I have a daughter and she can't ride in the van with me. Would I buy another one at some stage? Yes.
18th Aug 2015, 06:58
I would like to know more about the V6 Holden engine, as I have LWB diesel with leaking fuel.
Regards, Wayne.
30th Sep 2015, 16:11
Gday all. I've just picked up a 98 diesel turbo LWB high roof Transit camper. Previous owner has spent a lot of time and money on it, from new tailshaft to rebuilt steering rack, pump etc. And so on.
Anyway my problem is... Injectors have apparently been done. As well as the injector pump. But it had a leak at the rear around the solenoids, so the guy I bought it off replaced a couple of o-rings. Since that was done, it has no power at all (starts, runs and drives OK, but no speed over 50kph, and uphills are a no go) and is still p***ing out diesel at the rear somewhere (hard to see and pinpoint due to location and
my fat head).
Can anyone give me any ideas on what it could be? I do a bit of mechanical work, but never played with diesel pumps.
Also, can anyone suggest a good mechanic around the Noosa area (Qld Australia) that actually knows about Transits. Cheers for any help.
3rd Jul 2011, 08:48
I bought an Oz petrol Transit van 1998 VG LWB extra high roof... owned now for 5 years with only 1 minor issue being the spark leads... although now there are leaks from thermostat housing, steering box and engine... not bad in 5 years...