Peugeot 206 gti (s16) 2.0 y reg noises when driving

[Paulygti]

hello everyone, I'm New here, I've owned my 206 S16 gti for a few months now, I bought it for £200 with a knackered clutch, so I bought a replacement kit and changed the clutch, pressure plate and release bearing. Yay I thought, then I drove it, uh oh, feels like the car is going to fall apart, so after reading a few people's posts I thought I'd change what they had on theirs and see what happens, so I've changed the anti roll bar bushes, top engine mount is new, bottom engine mount is new, gearbox mount is new, New top strut bearings as well, but I still have the same symptoms, when I go to pull away I get a judder feeling and vibration through the steering and a horrible grumbling noise too, I now have nearly £500 in this car after changing all the parts but only seem to have fixed the clutch, and renewed lots of parts that seem like they didn't need to be changed. Damn. So now I'm stuck? All I can think of is driveshafts, but the car does the noise and juddering in a straight line as well as if I turn the wheels, but seems worse when pulling away, if I Jack the car up and have the engine on and stick it in gear there is nothing, no noise, no judder and no vibration, so it only seems to do it once the car is on the ground and with its weight on the wheels, I'm stuck please help. It's a 2001 Y reg peugeot 206 s16 gti 136.when I got the car home I put it on my code reader and it said egr valve fault and knock sensor fault, so I took the egr valve off cleaned it up put it back and changed the knock sensor for a new one cleared the codes and now have no fault codes showing. I don't think it's on the engine, it sounds More suspension/ chassis to me but I'm not sure exactly which, the car has done 108000 miles but engine runs fine and changes gears fine too with no vibration in neutral or when revving in neutral. Hope I have given enough info for someone to help me diagnose the fault. Thanks.

[E-bmw]

Sounds like you are accurately describing the symptoms of DMF failure, you need to find out if it has one, and if it does, it is gearbox off & clutch out again to change the flywheel if that is the case.

[Paulygti]

I have just contacted peugeot, gave them my chassis number and they said that the 206 gti S16 136 wasn't fitted with the duel mass flywheel, and he said as its a 2001 and a petrol they weren't available for the car then and just on diesels, he said it's a solid single mass one, so now I'm stuck? I don't want to spend out on driveshafts and find out it's something else, it's one thing after another with this car. I've looked online and all the flywheel for my gti are single solid ones that are for sale as second hand genuine original ones from scrap cars.

[E-bmw]

Are you sure it isn't just a misfire?

It certainly doesn't sound like a drive shaft issue, unless there is a support bearing on the long drive shaft.

[Paulygti]

The engine sounds fine, nothing coming up on my code reader either and no engine management light on, it pulls like a train, the noise it makes when pulling away is almost as if something is loose and rattling about, but big noise not a little rattle, almost like a grindy knocking noise, the long shaft on the drivers side does have a support bearing as it goes through the lower engine mount and held in place by two L shaped bolts. I have ordered both driveshafts as when I removed the drivers side one to do the bottom engine mount I split it in half at the c v boot near that support bearing, and was wondering if maybe when I changed the clutch I could of damaged the other side in some way, it's strange that it only seems to do the noise when the car is on the ground and under load, when it's jacked up and wheels off the ground I can drive from first to fifth with no problems or noise. Obviously I'm finding it hard to solve as I can't pin point the fault or noise and I'm definitely not an expert mechanic, I got my partner to drive backwards and forwards on the drive and I couldn't hear it at all, but she could from inside the car, it seems worse when first pulling away, but it still happens a little bit when normal driving, I described it to the peugeot technician and he didn't have a clue, but he said it won't be the duel mass flywheel as my car doesn't have one, after the driveways ill save for the wish ones and track rod ends then only other thing I'd have to change is the shock/suspension arms and the whole front end would be renewed lol, then if it still does it ill have to have the gearbox back off and see if there's something inside that's doing it, but I can't see it as it seemed fine e when I took it off before with no leaks, just a demolished release bearing and pressure plate had lost a few pieces of that sprung elongated metal that the release bearing pushes on. I've never had a car stump me like this before, I want to fix the car as I bought it with the intention of fixing it, I don't want to let it beat me.

[anonymous-user]

i bought my mum a 206 gti 2004, same problems as yours, judder goes once warm thou. gearbox and clutch changed a year ago, car runs well thou in 2 months owned, but ride is harsh on rough roads.

[Paulygti]

It is very strange, I can't drive mine as I'm only insured on the family zafira, which has its own issues lol, so I just nip up and down the road quickly after replacing parts to see if it's fixed the issue or not, there was a slight bit of play on the passenger side track rod end but I didn't think it was too bad, but I may change them next just to be sure as they are cheap items. When it first done the noise it was like a binding caliper so I had them all off and lubes up the sliders and cleaned off any rust on the parts and discs and used some brake cleaner as well, but they all move fine, so I'm gradually eliminating things off the long list by changing parts but just can't find that one thing that's giving me the issues.

[Paulygti]

And after having a trained mechanic take it out today to then come back and say it's definitely the dual mass flywheel, I'm a bit confused, as it doesn't have a dmf, so I won't be seeking his advice anytime soon lol.

[bearman68]

There is a support bearing in the right hand drive shaft. Has this been tightened up correctly? After that you may have a wheel bearing gone. I've also seen the centre dog bone (lower engine thrust mounting) failwith similar symptoms.
Don't go driving it on the road though with no insurance - this 'aint ever going to end well.

Cheers

[Paulygti]

I will check that lower bush on the lower engine mount bone, I changed the bigger bush on the bone but didn't do the little one, prob should of done both, but as I'm changing the drive shaft I may as well whip it off again and change that smaller bush as well, I tightened up the L shaped bolts tight but didn't torque them to a specific setting. I don't make a habit of driving without insurance, mostly I'm off my drive then back on it again, it makes the noise as soon as I pull away so I know once it moves less than a foot if the problem is fixed. But that lower smaller bush does seem quite logical now I think about it, as it is mounted to the chassis and the other end to the engine so as soon as the engine is straining it could be metal on metal from the worn Bush. Hopefully that's the problem. A nice simple fix. Well as simple as stripping out the drivers side suspension/driveshaft and engine mount can be. Lol

[E-bmw]

If you are taking the gearbox off anyway, replace the first motion shaft bearing as that COULD make similar noises.

[RR-B fixer]

It is playing on my mind that you said you could not get the noise with the car jacked up. I can only think it sounds like a clutch problem if it includes judder and whilst initial pull away. Recheck the bearing, clutch face, flywheel surface, and 1st motion shaft.
Also, if you are able to get the noise with the bonnet open, get someone to check how much the engine rocks. It could be that there is contact somewhere and causing the problem. Check the exhaust.
Good luck! Will be interesting to find out the fault

[Paulygti]

I'll be glad once I've found the issue, there's so many possibilities, even the peugeot bloke didn't have a clue when I described the symptoms, he suggested clutch but once I told him I had replaced the clutch, release bearing and pressure plate he didn't know, I checked over the flywheel and it didn't seem bad to look at, (no chunks missing or cracks), someone on another forum said sometimes the new clutch has to bed in but I wasn't too sure about that as it feels like its from some chassis/suspension part, it doesn't make any noises in neutral even if I dip the clutch it's fine, whereas when I bought it with the failed clutch, it made an awful noise all rattly and metal moving about that had broken off the release bearing and pressure plate. It now sounds more chassis/suspension issues, once I find the cause of this noise I will have fitted a whole new front end in theory lol unless the clutch I bought, which was brand new in a kit, had a defect from manufacturers, which I doubt as it all looked fine when I checked over it to make sure it matched the original. It's just annoying that its not a simple answer to diagnose the noise.

[Paulygti]

I have changed both of the driveways now, what a mission that was, but no joy, it's still the same, it seems to judder when going forwards or backwards at any revs below 3000rpm, do 3000rpm or more and it doesn't do it at all, so I'm now trying to find somewhere local to clacton/colchester area that can skim my flywheel, and how much it will set me back, another mission to get that off. Ill have this car running properly if it kills me lol.

[PositronicRay]

Paulygti said:

I have changed both of the driveways now

Ahhhh that'll be the problem then.

[Paulygti]

Lol poxy auto correct, meant drive shafts. Only thing left now is the gearbox back off again. I will say one thing though. The clutch pedal is very soft and brakes need a bleed on it. And I noticed clutch is a hydraulic one and abs aswell. I have tried bleeding the system but both pedals feel soft. Could this be causing the noise as the air in the clutch hydraulics might be not allowing the clutch to fully engage? Or do these cars have a soft pedal anyway? I'm used to my Zamora which has pressure at the pedal. The pug seems to be quite easy to depress the pedal.

[Paulygti]

Zafira not Zamora, Grrr auto correct.

[Paulygti]

Thought I'd update, I've changed the driveshafts on both sides, it still does the same judder and noise, so today I have taken the gearbox off the car and am now getting the flywheel skimmed, hopefully that will cure it, I did notice as well my release bearing makes an annoying rattle, not a big noise but can hear it when it's running, I bought it from a proper car part company, had to give my registration for correct fitment, it matched the original, but it seems to rattle in its holder, is this normal for these cars? Can't wait till Monday to take the flywheel to the workshop, hopefully it will sort out this judder once and for all, and a bargain at £35.

[E-bmw]

Obviously while it is off you will be checking the flywheel is a solid one & will be changing the first motion shaft bearing, it would be daft not to, and then maybe need to get it off again.

[Paulygti]

It's a solid one, I contacted peugeot and they checked my chassis number on their systems, plus it's off the car and I can now see it. So hopefully by the end of next week it will be fixed.