Fiat Ducato 1990 1.7 petrol engine parts

diarmo102

Hi folks,
I'm thinking of buying a fiat ducato 1990 camper (camelot). The engine is a 1.7 petrol ducato engine. I'm wondering if anyone knows about these engines, and the availability of spare parts in Ireland? - I don't see that many of them on the roads.
Anyone know if they are 3 tonne or more?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks,
Diarmaid

peasant

1.7 petrol? are you sure?
I thought they were 2 Liter.

Personally, I'd avoid petrol (especially if it is a weedy 1.7) and try and find a diesel. Much easier on the old pocket.

diarmo102

Yep you're right its a 1971 cc, the owner needed to check. Yea diesel would be first choice but this van is in exceptional condition (and price!) - do you know if its over 3 tonne?

thanks,
d

stapeler

Spares shouldn't be a problem and I'm sure the're similar to the Peugeot/Citroen, they still appear in scrapyards. Diesel would be a better choice.
As reguards the 3 tonne question, you'd have to be more specific, is it a conversion or a coachbuilt? how many berths etc.. It's unlikely to be 3 tonne and if it's something like this is't probably closer to the 2 tonne mark.

diarmo102

Hey thanks a mil,
Yea its the same type van as your link, a camelot factory conversion, 4berth n all the usual addons. Diesel would be better, but the price difference per litre at the moment and the initial price of the van (even with vrt at 13%) is leaning me towards it. An option would be to convert to LPG, putting the tank in the shower area, but got to do my research on that one - got any words of wisdom?

peasant

LPG has very much disappeared from Irish forecourts ...probably not worth your while converting it if you can't get the fuel where and when you need it.

stapeler

It demends on the miles per year you're planning, I'm sure on an average around of 5000 miles in a year and if it does say 20 mpg your're looking at around €1000-€1500. I guess if it were diesel you'd be looking at a bit less. Not a great difference in servicing costs either...

diarmo102

Yea the lack of LPG services is a factor, I've rang up a good few stations based in the Munster region from this list http://www.ilpga.ie/outlets.htm and some have already dropped LPG.

Hey Stapeler, do you know what this type of vans is like to for campervanning in etc.?
20 sounds about right on average...

A

stapeler

diarmo102 wrote: »

Yea the lack of LPG services is a factor, I've rang up a good few stations based in the Munster region from this list http://www.ilpga.ie/outlets.htm and some have already dropped LPG.

Hey Stapeler, do you know what this type of vans is like to for campervanning in etc.?
20 sounds about right on average...

A

No first hand experience but I've met a few with similiar machines and all happy. It depends on how many you're going to pack into it. Once you've got the basics like a heater, cooker, running water and a comfortable bed it should be perfect for weekends and holidays.

diarmo102

good to hear thats what I'm hoping, a sweet setup for weekends n holidays abroad.

Next I got to go through the drama of vrt and doe/engineers report, sure thats half the craic

ianobrien

We had a 90 Autoquest 400, on a petrol Ducato (20 foot coachbuilt). It encouraged a relaxed driving style, especially on hills. It would sit at 50 to 55mph all day, except on hills. The engine never gave us any trouble at all, except trying to top up the oil (as it was so far down)

I imagine in the smaller Camalot, it would be a bit quicker.

If it's still a bit slow, try to find a Peugeot 505 turbo. The 505 had the same engine as the Ducato, and the Turbo had a turbo version of the same engine. All you then is fit the Turbo!. Oh, the engine was used in rallying as well, so it's fairly strong, once looked after.

Oh, with a Ducato of that era, check the arches, windscreen surrounds, roof water rails, front door hinges, front step wells and rear quarters for rust.