Piaggio porter 1.4 diesel as lack of power . Can any one help?

Hi All,
I have just purchased a piaggio porter 1.4 diesel pickup 2001 model with 41,000 on the clock. But for some reason I can only get to 50MPH top speed and it can just about get up hills, then I get a terrible vibrating noise coming in the cab, the steering does not shake or anything like that, and seems to lack power for a 1.4, is there anything that can be done to get the pickup to go a bit faster, thank you

Not had any personal experience but the diesel version has previously been described on here as 'gutless' and not the most powerful thing on 4 wheels.

Apart from an Exocet Missile or a gallon of petrol and a box of matches, no. In a new 1400 the best you could expect was around 65mph on the flat, and an old 1200 tops out around 55mph. Whereas the 1300 16v will do nearer 90mph and not a lot less mpg.
You have really gone for a baptism of fire, buying a Diesel Hi-Jet. Brave man.

If the engine is shaking, and even more gutless than normal it is most likely not running on all 4 cylinders. So most likely it will be one of the injectors.
There aren't to my knowledge any Diesel experts on the Forum, although one of our members has experience of running Diesel Hi-Jets, but sadly we don't see much of him these days due to work commitments.
You ideally need to get a good Diesel Mechanic preferably with Lombardini experience. Failing that a Daihatsu Dealer with a Hi-Jet Diesel experienced mechanic. Hens teeth. I wouldn't hold your breath too long though. One small piece of comfort is that the body work and running gear are the same apart from the gearbox and propshaft. I hope that you can find some answers on here and we have new people joining nearly every day so you may possibly get lucky. I hope so.

For some comparison I have the 1.2 diesel with similar miles on the clock and 50 is definitely on the slow side if it's a flat bit of road. Mine can exceed that (but not by much) with a demountable on the back of it adding wind resistance and weight. Vibrating to some extent is to be expected, they're very unrefined an underpowered even for diesels. It's hard to say without first hand experience of it, but it could be a case of "They all do that, Sir". To be sure you probably need to find someone nearby with experience of one to test it out.

Having been Service and Warranty Manager for Romahome for two years, I got to drive my share of 1400 Diesel Hi-Jets both Vans and Pickups with Meals on Wheels bodies and Workhorse Bodies and the Caravan Bodies on.
It is where my loathing of the Diesel Hi-Jet comes from. I do have a 1200 Diesel Van with 72,000 on the clock at the moment for sale whole for spares. The engine is very smooth once it is warmed up, and down hill will do 60. But the engine shakes on tick-over when cold as one would expect. Engine mountings are good. That may be an issue with the above van. It is easy enough to look at the mountings from underneath. Both Diesels I sold last year were smooth enough when under load too.

A 1400 should certainly be another 5-10mph quicker especially with the low mileage that one has done. Definitely needs a Diesel Mechanic to check it out.

Going up a steep bank i can just about do 30mph in 3rd gear and thats revving the hell out of the engine. if im on a straight doing about 50mph in 4th gear and then i go into 5th gear its start losing speed so i have to go back into 4th gear to keep the speed up. I`ll be quicker on a bicycle lol.

Yeah, that's a problem. Have you checked the easy things like after a reasonable length of journey, are any of the wheels warm, or is there noticeable heat coming from the brakes? Something as simple as a slightly dragging brake could be dulling the already slothful performance, but not being noticeable if you aren't actually looking for it. Assuming you're not braking much (at those speeds why would you be!) they should be pretty much stone cold.

I`ve just checked the prop shaft and it got lots of play. Could that be why im having lack of power?

No!

Could the problem be the E.G.R Valve?

It could be any one or any of many different problems. Have you checked out the injectors yet?? The only way you are going to find out is to find someone local who has Diesel experience with Commercial Vehicles. It is as easy  or as hard as you want to make it.
Buying a vehicle blind without doing your homework first, or going over it thoroughly before buying it is always dodgy especially if you have a limited budget.
You couldn't have picked a much dearer on spare parts vehicle than the Hi-Jet unfortunately.

It was the E.G.R Valve. I cleaned the E.G.R Valve and now it goes really good .

Well done that man. Shows what you can do when you put your mind to it. 65mph yet? 70? It would be interesting to know.

Dur...whats the ERG valve and how does it make it faster?

Exhaust Gas Recirculation I am hazarding a guess at.

Correct, I believe.

It doesn't make it go faster but, if blocked up, it could slow things down.

Blank it off.