23rd May 2012, 17:52
The older Nissan 2.2 diesel, known as Di, features a Bosch VP44 fuel pump. Same as some Opel, Ford, BMW and VAG engines. It is known for failure, but in general these older diesel engines seem more reliable, because the fuel system is a lot simpler.
The later dCi unit has the same engine block, but features Denso common-rail fuel injection. This is not the same engine available in the Renault Laguna, and it probably has nothing to do with Renault. Still, dCi seems far more unreliable than the Di unit, and every problem is very expensive to fix. The dCi engine also features a redesigned gearbox and dual mass flywheel (DMFs failing on modern diesel engines is a common problem). This was done due to the power increase of the dCi unit over the Di. Also, I heard of some gearbox failures in Di's; seems it's still a pretty powerful diesel, and the gearbox without DMF is getting too much torque.
Only Renault engines were available on Nissan were the 1.5 dCi for the mk2 Almera, and the 1.9 dCi for the mk2 Primera.
But now, I think that Nissan is basically Renault designed cars and share most mechanicals with Renault. I would say that Renault completely ruined Nissan. And Nissan diesels aren't used anymore.
1st Sep 2012, 05:30
Can the VP44 Bosch fuel pump be replaced with another make, eg. LUCAS, Magneti Marelli and still work well?
Secondly, can this same older 2.2 litre 110bhp YD22DDTi (Di) without common rail be planted into the face-lifted version (2003-2006) in place of the newer, more powerful, yet more unreliable 2.2 136hp common rail version? Do I need to do some electrical adjustments, re-wiring, etc if the change was possible?
18th Jun 2014, 10:14
I don't think that the 2.2 dCi is a Renault engine. The 1.5dCi and 1.9dCi are Renault.
8th Jul 2014, 16:08
I have the 2.2 dCi SXE on a 2003 plate, and over the last couple of months it keeps losing power when I stop at traffic lights or behind traffic! The turbo does not seem to kick back in at all. If I turn the engine off and back on again, it works fine, but can stop any time when I do! It only cuts out when I stop and never when driving. I have had the fuel filter changed, air filters and air flow meter! Worked fine for a while, but now keeps doing it again. Any advice please?
9th Jan 2015, 00:20
I have seen this on the 1.5; turned out to be the throttle body being sticky. The butterfly connects to the idle control motor; if the butterfly gets sticky, it doesn't let the motor work properly, causing the car to stall when the butterfly closes. Does your accelerator seem stiff when you first touch the pedal?
26th May 2017, 11:39
I have same Nissan Almera 2.2 dCi 2003 model. I am facing the same problem, have the engine light, and diagnostics have found a fuel pump problem. It starts good, runs good, but when it heats up, its fuel pump stops working and it doesn't go above 40 miles; very little acceleration, but I don't know what to do.
19th May 2012, 04:20
The engine in the Almera is NOT a Renault engine. It's Nissan's 2.2 VDI unit. These cars are badged as DCI due to the fact that Nissan are owned by Renault, and they want a common theme across their diesel engines. The Nissan engines are proving quite reliable, while the Renault's are anything but! Even reputable car publications make the mistake of thinking these engines are the same. However, a small amount of research proves otherwise.