Hello

Can anybody give me any advice on how to do a DIY leak-off test on a 2005 2.0 TDCi?

I was looking at leak-off kits on fleaBay and you basically get a red case full of various bits and pieces; connectors, bottles, bits of tube etc etc. They're £30+ and I'm not keen on spending that on something that, in all likelihood, I'll [hopefully] only ever need to use once.

So, what's the procedure for a cheap alternative? What do I need?

You only really need some tubing and some clear bottles of the same size

if you do a search on you tube, you'll see plenty of examples of homemade kit...only tricky bit is connecing pipe to leak off on injectors, but can be done

Am I better off just getting the proper stuff so I don't end up with diesel everywhere?

lot of the kits on that site are fine, but you rarely find the correct connector for the ford injector in the kit,

easiest way round that is get some scrap leak off pipes and adapt them for the kit...thats the only 'tricky' part, rest is just pipes and bottles, plus if wanted a homemade way of securing the bottles together to keep everything nice and tidy

Do the bottles need to be air tight, and should I clamp off the original leakoff pipes while im doing the test to stop air getting in?

pipes dont have to be air tight, but its preferable to have a snug fit, if only for avoiding any spills.

the original leak off pipes dont need to be plugged whilst carrying out the test